Hiring a mobile coffee service is one of the best ways to enhance your event experience — offering guests high-quality drinks, creating social spaces, and boosting engagement. But how do you decide which setup is right for your occasion: a coffee van, a coffee bike, or a coffee cart?
Each has its own strengths, and choosing the right one can help your event run smoothly while creating maximum impact. Here's everything you need to know to make the best choice for your next event.
Coffee Van Hire: Mobile Coffee with Big Impact
Best for: Outdoor spaces, larger events, brand visibility.
A coffee van is a self-contained mobile unit, designed to bring the full café experience wherever you need it. Vivid branding, full-service espresso equipment, and weather protection make coffee vans a brilliant choice for open spaces and bigger crowds.
Why choose a coffee van:
- Self-Contained Setup: Coffee vans come fully equipped, including espresso machines, grinders, water tanks, and generators if needed. Everything is built in — no venue connections required.
- High Visual Impact: Their size and styling make them impossible to miss. Coffee vans work brilliantly for making a statement at large outdoor events.
- Maximum Branding Opportunities: Vans offer large surfaces for signage, wraps, or displays, creating a powerful visual presence for brand activations.
- Capacity: Coffee vans can comfortably handle large volumes of guests throughout the day without slowing service.
Perfect for:
- Outdoor festivals and markets
- Corporate brand activations
- Sports events
- University fairs
- Roadshows and touring events
If you're aiming to attract attention, cater for large crowds, or operate in expansive outdoor venues, a coffee van will give you the impact and efficiency you need.
Coffee Bike Hire: Compact and Eye-Catching
Best for: Smaller outdoor spaces, eco-conscious events, and casual or urban settings.
Coffee bikes offer a unique twist on mobile coffee — combining charm, flexibility, and a smaller environmental footprint. These pedal-powered setups are highly mobile and can fit into spaces where larger vehicles simply can’t reach.
Why choose a coffee bike:
- Flexible Setup: Easily positioned on pedestrian streets, in parks, at fairs, or inside larger venues.
- Eco-Friendly Image: No engines or fuel — just great coffee and green credentials.
- Stylish Appeal: Coffee bikes often create a trendy, artisan vibe perfect for modern brands and relaxed events.
Perfect for:
Markets Pop-up shops Brand activations Community fairs Street festivals Outdoor weddings.
If you're looking for something a little different that fits smaller venues and creates a memorable visual impact, a coffee bike is an excellent choice.
Coffee Cart Hire: Versatile and Venue-Friendly
Best for: Indoor venues, flexible indoor/outdoor use, exhibitions, and conferences.
Coffee carts are incredibly versatile, offering the full barista experience without needing a vehicle or large outdoor space. They’re small enough to fit through standard doorways, making them ideal for indoor events where access and space might be limited.
Why choose a coffee cart:
- Indoor Friendly: Designed for exhibition halls, conference centres, showrooms, and private indoor events.
- Flexible Branding: Carts can be styled or fully wrapped to match your brand or event theme.
- Minimal Space Requirements: Carts can operate almost anywhere — from lobbies and foyers to event floors.
Perfect for:
- Exhibitions
- Trade shows
- Corporate receptions
- Galleries
- Product launches
- Awards nights.
If your event is indoors — or you need a stylish setup that moves easily between spaces — a coffee cart offers maximum flexibility without compromising on service quality.
Find Your Perfect Mobile Coffee Setup
Choosing between a coffee van, coffee bike, or coffee cart ultimately depends on your event’s location, audience size, and the atmosphere you want to create.
- Hosting a large outdoor activation? Go for a coffee van.
- Need to make a stylish statement in a compact outdoor setting? A coffee bike is ideal.
- Planning an indoor event with limited space? A coffee cart offers ultimate flexibility.
Still unsure? No problem — our team at Eventful Beans specialises in matching the perfect coffee setup to every kind of event and more than happy to help.