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Portable bars for brand activations: custom build or hire?
Published
Quick answer
Hire a portable bar from a hire company for a one-off event where a logo panel on a standard unit is enough (we build and sell bars; we don't hire them). Build a custom branded bar when it will go out several times in a season, has to carry your full brand, or needs set equipment such as a keg and taps, a sink or a bar fridge. Our branded portable bars start from $948 plus GST, with 2.5 weeks' production from order and print-ready artwork. If you're serving alcohol, check early whether you need a liquor licence: Victoria asks for at least 8 weeks, far longer than the build.
Hire or build: the short version
| Hire a bar | Build a custom branded bar | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | One event, a trial or a short run | A season of launches, sponsorships or venue takeovers |
| Branding | Limited to what the supplier's stock unit allows | Printed front and sides, custom top and colours |
| Fit-out | Whatever the stock unit has | Configured for your service: keg, taps, ice tray, sink, fridge bay |
| After the event | Goes back | Yours to store, refresh and reuse |
Owning pays off when the bar goes out several times a year, or has to look like part of the campaign rather than hired furniture.
What a portable bar needs to do
Settle three things before anyone designs graphics:
- Service. What is poured (beer on tap, cocktails, wine, non-alcoholic samples), how many staff work behind it, and where the queue forms.
- Storage. Plan where ice, glassware, stock, bins and a fridge go under the counter, out of guests' sight (the standard bar has one fridge bay and two shelves).
- Branding. Guests and cameras see the front and sides. Keep the logo high enough to show when people stand at the bar.
If the activation involves cooking rather than pouring, see our portable bars and kitchens range. Both roll on castors, so one unit can move between a shopping centre and an exhibition hall.
Custom branded bars: shapes, finishes and fit-out
We design and build the bars in-house, so the standard frame can be changed. Options shown on the product page include:
- Graphics: your own design printed on the front and sides, plus a choice of top finish (wood grain or other designs) and solid-colour or wood-look fronts and sides.
- Equipment: the bar can be built to take internal ice trays, blenders, sinks and taps, eskies, fridges and cook tops. One configuration shown has an internal keg, beer taps, an ice tray and storage.
- Practical extras: custom lids and shelving, and internal cable management to keep cords out of sight.
A straight bar suits a service line along a stand frontage; a circular or curved bar works as an island. Outdoors, plan cover: the bars shouldn't be left out in sun and rain between uses.
Our standard bars have an aluminium frame and outer skin. The standard worktop is moisture-resistant MDF with a hard-wearing melamine coating; a stainless steel top is an optional extra.
Portable bar specs: size, fridge space and weight
Standard specifications from the product page; sizes can change on a custom build.
| Item | Standard portable bar |
|---|---|
| Overall size | 1,200mm wide x 600mm front to back, 1,270mm high |
| Top serving ledge | 1,200mm x 200mm |
| Lower work area | 1,200mm x 600mm |
| Rear left bay | 625mm wide x 935mm high, sized for a standard 130L bar fridge, with one shelf at the base |
| Rear right bay | Two shelves, each 500mm wide x 445mm high |
| Frame and skin | 25 x 25mm tubular aluminium frame, aluminium outer skin |
| Tops | Moisture-resistant MDF with melamine coating and 2mm edging; stainless steel optional |
| Castors | Four 50mm swivel castors, one with a foot brake |
| Extra load | Up to 100kg in total |
| Supplied | Fully assembled |
Three checks save problems on the day:
- Measure your own fridge against the left bay before you commit.
- Check the route. The bar arrives assembled, so measure doors, goods lifts and the van against 600mm deep and 1,270mm high.
- Count the load. A keg, ice, stock and glassware add up quickly against the 100kg limit.
Arrange power and water with the venue: fridges need power, and a sink needs water in and waste out.
Liquor licensing and venue rules
Whether you need a licence depends on the state, whether drinks are sold or given away, and the venue's own licence. What the official pages say:
| State | What the regulator says |
|---|---|
| NSW (Liquor & Gaming NSW) | A licence is needed if anything is received, directly or indirectly, in exchange for the drinks, including free drinks bundled into a package such as an entry fee. Only with no direct or indirect charge is no licence required, and RSA guidelines are still strongly recommended. A trade fair limited licence covers selling or supplying alcohol at trade fairs and exhibitions; lodge it at least 28 days before to avoid a late fee. Under it, all staff serving alcohol, including promotional staff running tastings, need RSA and a valid NSW competency card. |
| VIC (Liquor Control Victoria) | A temporary limited licence covers a one-off event or short series, including a pop-up bar for a limited time. Apply at least 8 weeks before. Its licence portal says that if liquor is supplied free of charge, with no money promised or indirectly paid, you may not need a licence, and events of 5,000 or more people may need a major event licence. Where a licence is granted, RSA is a condition of it. |
| QLD (Business Queensland) | A commercial public event permit authorises selling or supplying liquor at a public event, with an event management plan. Giving drinks away free at a public event may still need a permit, so check first. |
| Other states and territories | Not checked for this article. Check with the state or territory liquor regulator. |
If the venue already holds a liquor licence, ask the venue early whether it covers your bar or you need your own. Queensland's permit page advises checking with the venue in case the licensee needs to apply for a temporary change to the licensed area. Your legal or compliance team owns the licence decision; we build the bar to suit it.
Food and drink hygiene basics
In NSW, local councils are generally responsible for approving temporary events and the stalls selling food, including alcohol, at them. The NSW Food Authority's guidelines for temporary events say:
- Bars need hand washing facilities. That means a dedicated hand basin with warm water from a single outlet, soap and single-use towels, used only for hand washing. A sink used for rinsing glasses can't double as the hand basin, so plan for both, and for how warm water is supplied, when you brief a custom build.
- Ice is food. Ice used in drinks or to keep drinks cool must be made from drinking-quality water, and bags shouldn't be broken up on bare ground.
- Keep stock off the floor. Packaged drinks and alcohol should be stored at least 150mm above the floor and out of direct sunlight.
Outside NSW, check the rules with the local council for the event.
Costs and lead times
The standard bar is from $948 plus GST ($1,042.80 including GST), with custom branding to the front and sides, four heavy-duty castors and white shelves, supplied assembled. Extra costs:
- your own bar design, a different top, or different front and side finishes (quoted)
- graphic design, if we prepare the artwork
- equipment such as eskies, fridges, glassware and trays (not included: you arrange these)
- delivery, priced by destination, or collect from our Artarmon factory in Sydney.
Production takes 2.5 weeks from order and print-ready artwork, plus freight. If you need a liquor licence, lodge it first: NSW's trade fair licence should go in at least 28 days ahead to avoid a late fee, and Victoria asks for at least 8 weeks.
For an exhibition that needs a whole serving stand, our food and beverage sampling hire kit is a 6m x 6m hire stand with printed benches, a centre console, two TVs, an overhead banner and a raised floor, from $8,690 plus GST for a hire period of up to 2 weeks. Delivery, installation and artwork are extra.
Smaller options and finishing touches
Inflatable illuminated counters are 1,000mm high with mains-powered LED-lit graphics, pack into a carry bag and suit liquor store tastings. From $698 plus GST, with 1.5 weeks' production.
On the bar top, branded bar mats put your logo where drinks are served: washable, with a slip-resistant rubber backing, from $120 plus GST.
Reuse and storage: getting value from a bar you own
A bought bar pays off over repeat events if it comes back in good condition. We also sell replacement graphic panels.
- Pack-down routine. Check graphics, castors and brake, tops, taps and sinks. Clean and dry the inside before storage.
- A kit list. Keep a photo and checklist with the packed bar so another team can set it up.
- Store it indoors, out of sun and rain.
Examples from our gallery
A custom build can go as far as lit logo panels, beer taps and a back bar with shelving and a screen.
This themed bar sits inside a set of drapery, columns and stools. Our brand activations team can design the bar and the space around it together.
Next step
See the standard specifications and options on our portable bars page. For a quote, send your event dates, what you'll serve and the size of the space through the enquiry form on that page, or call 1300 240 250.