Company · trade show
Wine on a trade show stand: per day, per visitor, without a fridge
A stand serves a glass to whoever stops, all day long, with no kitchen and often no power socket for a fridge. The count is done per day and per visitor served: 150 visitors, six in ten who accept a glass, and ice tubs instead of refrigeration. Three days of trade show means three times the calculation.
The calculation for one day on the stand
Set for 150 visitors served during the day, 60% accepting wine, at the pace of a one-hour reception. The model counts two glasses per drinker; on a stand where everyone takes just one glass in passing, set the share of drinkers to 30% to come back to one glass per person. Then multiply by the number of days.
A stand is not a reception
On a stand, nobody stays for three hours. The visitor takes a glass, talks for five minutes, leaves with a business card. So consumption is not counted in hours but in glasses served: one per visitor who accepts, rarely two. With 150 visitors and 60% accepting, that makes 90 glasses, or 15 bottles a day before rounding; the calculator, set to the pace of a one-hour reception, counts double that, which covers stands where glasses get topped up and the busy days. Your figure lies in between: 18 to 30 bottles a day depending on the atmosphere of the show.
| Visitors served / day | 1 glass each | Calculator (2 glasses) | 3 days, range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 8 bottles | 18 | 24 to 54 |
| 150 | 15 bottles | 42 | 48 to 126 |
| 300 | 30 bottles | 78 | 90 to 234 |
Orders of magnitude with 60% accepting and rounded up to the case of 6. Over three days, take the low end of the range for the first day and keep a spare case in the car: a trade show is judged on day two. Same passing visitors, but at your premises and over a single day: the open day page does the count.
Sparkling or white, and chilling without a fridge
Sparkling or dry white
Sparkling makes people stop; dry white costs a third as much and serves just as well. Many stands go half and half: sparkling at peak times, white the rest of the time. Red is marginal when standing, in broad daylight.
Tubs, not a fridge
A 100-litre tub of water, ice and a handful of salt brings 24 bottles down to 8 °C in twenty minutes. Two tubs under the counter and one bag of ice per tub per half-day are enough. The chilling 50 bottles page gives the kilos and the minutes.
Glasses you can count
Six 12 cl glasses per bottle, seven if you pour 10 cl, which is the norm on a stand. The glasses per bottle page sets out the calculation by glass. Allow one and a half glasses per visitor served; people abandon them.
Delivering to the exhibition centre
The wine is delivered the day before set-up, in your name and to your stand number, during the centre's exhibitor delivery slots. A parcel of 12 to 60 bottles goes through the exhibitors' loading bay; beyond that, you need a pallet and a forklift, which the centre charges for. Check three things before ordering: the exhibitor delivery slot, the frequent ban on serving alcohol before a certain time, and the requirement to declare drinks under the show's rules. The invoice is in the company's name, with the show's address as the delivery location. The purchasing department's other questions are answered on the corporate event page.
How many bottles of wine for a trade show stand?
Between 15 and 30 bottles a day for 150 visitors served, depending on whether each takes one glass or two. Over three days, 48 to 90 bottles with a spare case. Start low and keep the spare sealed: an unopened case only costs its price, a missing case costs visitors.
Champagne or white on a stand?
Sparkling draws people in; dry white lasts the day at a third of the price. The usual compromise: sparkling at the opening and at peak times, dry white the rest of the time. Crémant is available on request, halfway between the two in price.
How do you keep wine cold without electricity?
Two tubs of salted iced water under the counter, one 2 kg bag of ice per tub per half-day, bottles standing and submerged up to the neck. A display fridge hired from the centre costs more and chills more slowly.
Can it be delivered straight to the stand?
Yes, the day before set-up or on the first day, within the centre's exhibitor slots, to the stand number. Arrange for someone to take delivery: a parcel left at the loading bay with no name disappears fast.
Mistakes that cost
- Ordering for the whole show in one go, with no spare. The first day tells you everything; order for two days, keep a spare case, and adjust.
- Serving it warm. White at 18 °C drives people away. The tubs are prepared an hour before opening, not when the visitors arrive.
- Ignoring the show's rules. Some centres ban alcohol before 11 am or require an approved caterer. One line of the rules read in advance avoids a dry stand.
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