Equipping a New Catering or Events Business: What to Buy and What to Hire

Starting a catering or events business means making fast decisions about equipment at the point when cash flow matters most. Buying everything outright ties up capital. Hiring everything permanently means booking windows and delivery schedules on every job.

The practical approach for most new businesses sits between the two.

Start with hire, then buy what you use most

In the first few months, you may not know which events will drive most of your revenue. Hiring gives you flexibility — take what you need for each job without committing to stock that may turn out to be the wrong spec or quantity.

Once patterns emerge, start buying the items you hire on every job. For most caterers, that means folding chairs, trestle tables and basic serving equipment first.

What is worth owning from the start

Core stock that goes to every event is worth owning early. Chairs and tables are the obvious starting point — they are used at almost every job, they are straightforward to store and transport, and the hire cost adds up fast across a full season.

The EventPro® range at Expo Direct is built for exactly this kind of use. The spec comes from our own hire operation, so the products handle regular transport, stacking and handling rather than occasional private use.

What is better hired

Specialist or seasonal items are often better hired until demand is consistent enough to justify ownership. Linen has cleaning and storage costs that make hire economical for many caterers. Large catering equipment — heated display units, chafing dish stands in quantity — is expensive to buy and store, and often better hired per event until volume justifies the outlay.

Volume pricing

Expo Direct prices EventPro® lines on volume tiers. Buying in quantities of ten or more brings the per-unit cost down considerably. For a new business buying its first batch of chairs or tables, this makes a real difference to the starting outlay compared to paying retail prices.

Both options, one supplier

Expo Hire and Expo Direct are run by the same team from the same warehouse in Birmingham. You can hire from us for the events you are not yet sure about, and buy from Expo Direct when you are ready to build permanent stock. The products are the same either way.

View trade pricing at Expo Direct →