Meeting and networking drinks | Manchester
Drinks service for meetings and networking at thestudio Manchester
If you have booked thestudio Manchester for a training day, conference or networking session, the venue's own catering is likely part of the plan. A separate cocktail bar is not an automatic add-on. First establish what your contract covers and whether thestudio will allow outside drinks at all.
Cocktailhire is independent of thestudio. Its published 2026 booking terms require prior written consent for food or drink from another supplier, together with payment or agreement to pay any agreed catering buyout charge. Until those terms and the venue's liquor-licensing requirements are resolved for your event, we cannot confirm an outside bar.
If written approval is granted, send the booked room, guest numbers, event format and service times. We can then discuss whether a staffed counter or mobile bar would fit the approved space and the networking timetable.
Venue planning note
Written consent comes before any outside bar proposal
thestudio's 13 January 2026 terms, clause 6.6, require prior written consent for outside food and drink and payment or agreement to pay any agreed catering buyout charge. The wording does not set a universal fee. Clause 6.5 also requires compliance with the venue's licensing and safety rules. Ask the venue to confirm the conditions for your actual booking in writing.
The current Manchester venue page describes meeting rooms, on-site chefs, balconies and roof terraces used for networking and post-event drinks. It does not make every meeting an exhibition booking. Clause 6.10 separately addresses a room or suite hired for an exhibition and calls for its plans and consents; that route matters only if your contract is for that use.
After the meeting
Keep the networking part easy to host
When people move from a presentation into conversation, a properly placed drinks point can keep the host free to meet them. But at thestudio the venue's food-and-drink provision comes first. An outside service is useful only if it has a written, approved role and does not conflict with what the venue has already arranged.
With that approval, we can plan the number of bartenders, a workable counter or mobile bar, and glass collection around the room and finish time. Without it, use thestudio's own catering route.
What to settle first
Ask for the written answer
Request thestudio's written decision on outside drinks, any agreed catering buyout charge, the permitted room or terrace, and the service window. We will only scope the service those terms allow.
Cocktailhire service examples
See the proposed service separately from the venue
These photographs show Cocktailhire at other events, not service at thestudio Manchester.
Drinks and glassware
Select drinks only after the venue terms are settled
You choose drinks from the existing Cocktailhire menu, and the event menu is built from those selections. Bartenders, ingredients, glassware and any mobile bar can be scoped only for the approved outside service; none is presumed included or permitted by the venue booking.
Next step
Send the contract position and event plan
Tell us the room, date, guest numbers, service times, written consent and any agreed buyout terms. We can give a clear answer on whether there is a compliant, useful role for Cocktailhire.
Frequently asked questions
Planning outside drinks at thestudio Manchester
Can we bring in Cocktailhire drinks at thestudio Manchester?
Only if thestudio gives prior written consent for outside food and drink and the booking deals with any agreed catering buyout charge. Its 2026 terms also require compliance with the venue's liquor-licensing and safety rules. Cocktailhire is independent of thestudio and cannot assume approval.
Is a catering buyout always charged?
The published clause refers to any agreed catering buyout charge. It does not publish a fixed charge or say one applies to every booking. Ask thestudio to confirm the written consent and any charge for your event before arranging an outside supplier.
Is this an exhibition-stand booking?
Not by default. thestudio markets the Manchester venue for meetings, training, conferences and networking. Its terms separately cover a room or suite specifically hired for an exhibition, with plans and consents to be arranged. The event contract decides which use applies.
What should I send before asking for a bar plan?
Send the booked room, date, guest numbers, service hours, event format, thestudio's written outside-drink consent and any agreed buyout terms. A room plan helps identify whether an approved drinks point has a sensible position.
How are drinks chosen if outside service is approved?
You choose from the existing Cocktailhire menu, and the event menu is built from those selections within the permitted service plan.
Other service pages