Charity event - alcohol at a discount?

creme_brulee

My OH is taking part in the London to Paris Bike Ride with Christian Aid from 21-25 July 2010. Next month we are holding a charity event in the evening for about 50-60 people to raise sponsorship and I am looking for the most cost effective way to provide drinks. As this is a charity event, I wondered if we would be able to get any discounts or where the best places are to go to buy?
Any advice greatly appreciated :beer:

Owain_Moneysaver

Any brewers / distillers / wine importers who would sponsor the event and let you have stuff free?

Failing that, 2 bottles Lidl wine per table and the rest is cash bar!

System

Assuming that you have somebody with an alcohol licence to be present and take responsibility for all the sales

Haarlem

You will have to take care how you promote the event. If you sell tickets you should not promote it on the basis of alcholic drinks included. You could fall foul of the licensing laws, and the Charity Commission from the charity angle as they have rules were alcohol is involved for sale to benefit a registered charity.

If you are doing it on a donation basis, then you cannot force people to make a donation even if they partake of the alcoholic drinks.

Maybe a small point in this case, but some charities' constitutions mean they are not allowed to accept donations connected with alcohol. Just check with Christian Aid that they are happy

paulwf

If you get the legals sorted then one option is to get a local pub or similar business to run the bar and take a percentage of the profits. If you want to do it yourself then TBH supermarkets are cheaper than wholesalers. Sainsburys have wine at 3 bottles for £10 or 6 for £19 and there are always deals on cases of beer and cider and they will get even better when the World Cup comes along. You'll be able to double or treble the price of any supermarket alcohol you buy. Remember to get plenty of soft drinks as well, some people will be driving and not everyone likes alcohol.

Savvy_Sue

Our last charity event we used Majestic and had it on sale or return (full boxes only). I think we also got free glass hire with this.

silkcutblue

We also used Majestic for a do we had.

Sometimes, though, it's just easier on admin time to use a pub