How To Run Events That Make Non-Drinkers Feel Welcome!
It’s no secret that many big social events revolve around alcohol. Networking events, the work Christmas party, and even more personal events, such as weddings, often involve lots of alcohol. These events most often are not very inclusive to non-drinkers. So what about when you don’t drink alcohol?
Well, you can often end up feeling the pressure to drink, start avoiding big events or end up drinking endless sugary fizzy drinks.
When organising an event, it is important to think about how inclusive it is for non-drinkers. Are there options for non-drinkers? Will the social activities revolve around drinking alcohol? And what do you serve guests who don’t drink alcohol?
Your event doesn’t have to be a fully dry event or a fully alcohol-free event. But if you want to make non-drinkers feel welcome, it is worth thinking about how you can do so!
Here are some tips for running an event that is inclusive to non-drinkers or mindful drinkers.
Provide An Equal Amount of Alcohol-Free Alternatives
Often at events, you can choose from a huge list of alcoholic drinks, beers, wines and speciality cocktails, but the choice of non-alcoholic drinks is limited.
Alcohol-free event organisers suggest providing an equal amount of alcohol-free alternatives and alcoholic drinks to make your event more inclusive to non-drinkers.
So what do you serve guests who don't drink? There is a huge world of delicious and exciting non-alcoholic drinks; you just need to dive in and explore. For example, if you are toasting or serving champagne as a welcome drink, why not offer Noughty’s sparkling chardonnay as well? If you are offering a special cocktail for the event, then make an equally interesting mocktail. If you are seated for dinner, offer a choice of white, red or alcohol-free white and red wine. We love Oddbird, Noughty or ALT Drinks.
By offering a range of alcohol-free alternatives, people who don’t drink alcohol can still get an exciting choice of drink. They no longer have to dread an evening of drinking endless cans of coke!
2. Display Alcohol-Free Alternatives Prominently
When you walk up to a bar, it is often very easy to see the different choices of alcohol available. From the bottles displayed behind the bar to the beer taps at the front, alcohol is displayed everywhere. But it is less easy to see the alcohol-free options.
One way to make an event inclusive to non-drinkers is to display alcohol-free alternatives visibly. When it isn't clear which non-alcoholic drinks are available, it is very easy to panic order something alcoholic. Most people already know the alcohol options available, and it's easy to fall back onto.
Visible alcohol-free options help people stick to their choice not to drink. It can even make it exciting not to drink and is likely to make non-drinkers feel more comfortable and welcome.
This extends beyond the bar. If you have people circling with drinks, or an open bar, make sure they offer alcohol-free alternatives as well. It can be very disappointing watching people drink endless free alcoholic drinks but not being offered alcohol-free options. By very visibly offering a range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, you make sure everyone feels valued and included.
3. Serve Alcohol Free Beverages in a Sophisticated Way
Many of the non-drinkers among us will recognise the moment when everyone around them is drinking an exciting-looking cocktail, but they are served a can or juice box! But it doesn't need to be that way!
With the plethora of alcohol-free drinks out there, there are so many ways to serve alcohol-free drinks that look and feel sophisticated. With interestingly presented drinks and sophisticated adult drinks, it can help non-drinkers feel less like they stand out.
The aim of this is to help make non-drinkers feel more comfortable avoiding alcohol and help create a judgement-free zone. That way, the sober curious, mindful drinkers and non-drinkers out there will feel more welcome at your event.
4. Advertise That The Event Will Offer Alcohol-Free Drinks
Some people who do not drink will choose to avoid events where alcohol is prevalent or the focus of the event. This is often so that they do not have to feel pressured into drinking alcohol. By advertising beforehand that there will be non-alcoholic cocktails or other non-alcoholic drinks at the event, you are letting non-drinkers know that it is a welcoming space for them too.
5. Organise Events That Don’t Centre Around Alcohol
The other option is to organise events that do not centre around alcohol or do not even involve drinking. For instance, you could organise a wellness-spa day or an excursion somewhere or, really, any other non-drinking activity.
All you need to do is work out what you want people to get out of the event, then choose an appropriate activity. If you are organising a work event, for example, you might be looking for something that involves team-building or creating a celebratory atmosphere. That is easily found in a whole range of sober activities.
6. Avoid Gifting Alcohol in Goodie Bags
Corporate events, product launches, weddings, and even big birthday parties often offer goodie bags or favours to the guests. Many times these contain alcohol, for example, company-branded beer or tiny bottles of gin. This can be difficult to receive if you don't drink alcohol for reasons such as health etc. So when gifting goodie bags to guests, avoid giving alcohol.
If you are throwing an event or sending gifts to your employees and want alcohol-free alternatives, drop JOMO a message. We can provide curated alcohol-free boxes suited to your needs.
7. Events and Celebrations Are For Everyone
Events and celebrations should be inclusive for everyone. By providing an atmosphere where it is enjoyable, easy and fun not to drink, you can help make all your guests feel welcome. After all, we all deserve to enjoy celebrations and events, whether we drink or not!