Mobile Coffee Caterers at the Cutting Edge of Tech at Google Zeitgeist

Social Espresso were proud to return for the third year running to Google’s Zeitgeist event in the UK. With over 200 tech industry guests in attendance, our mobile coffee caterers with artisan barista coffee provided the perfect hub for conversation and connection. Across two days we served more than 850 drinks, with our professional baristas delivering exceptional service and consistently high-quality coffee. Flexible set-up, seamless integration, and premium drinks meant organisers could rely on us to keep guests energised and the event atmosphere elevated.

Zeitgeist & the power of AI

Google’s Zeitgeist ‘think-fest’ international event was held once more at the Grove Hotel venue, just 18 miles north of London in the Hertfordshire countryside, offering space for an ideal blend of nature and technology. The attendees were offered a smart and professional indoor space to host talks and discuss exciting ideas, as well as a relaxing outdoor area. The thought behind the surroundings of the event was hard to miss – evidently, every aspect of the weekend had been carefully planned. Our mobile coffee caterers fitted seamlessly into this setting, keeping guests refreshed and connected throughout.

Celebrity guests

Google Zeitgeist has been known to attract celebrity wow factor; previous years have seen the likes of David Beckham and Prince William. This year, our baristas’ personal favourites to serve were Jason Isaacs, who was very funny to speak to (and kept coming back for his tea with oat milk!), and actress Natascha McElhone. Ed Sheeran was the biggest name to attend this year, sitting down with Lyor Cohen (YouTube’s global head of music) for an entertaining conversation that added a different vibe to the event.

Our mobile coffee caterers set up for Zeitgeist

As usual for our big events, the Social Espresso team arrived a day early to set up. This year, we brought along four of our top-of-the-range La Marzocco machines – two set up indoors and two outside. Google chose a plain white bar so that the coffee stations flowed seamlessly into the rest of the event. All our mobile coffee bars need is plug sockets for power, so getting everything set up and running outside is never a problem – and this time, we had the added bonus of an amazing view of the Grove’s outdoor facilities.

Our usual set-up routine includes the baristas dialling in the machines to ensure they were producing the best-tasting espresso possible. However, on day one we were surprised with a ‘stress test’: this was basically one hour of serving the staff setting up the event to ensure that everything would run smoothly the next day. The team enjoyed the challenge, and the extra precautions taken by the Google team reflected how well planned the event was.

During the event, our baristas wore our standard uniform of smart white shirts or blouses and black trousers, which tend to seamlessly match any event we go to. We’re always conscious that when we’re serving our premium coffee at an event, we’re representing our client. So every detail of the set-up, every beverage served, and every interaction we have with guests is part of being high-quality mobile coffee caterers that fully match the brand we’re there to represent.

A special atmosphere

The atmosphere of the event is something special to observe – focused but never too formal. Guests drifted between sessions deep in conversation, swapping ideas over cappuccinos and comparing notes from talks. We overheard everything from a debate about AI ethics to exciting predictions about quantum computing. It’s the kind of crowd that brings equal parts brainpower and curiosity, and our mobile coffee bars quickly became an easy meeting point between it all.

The Grove’s setting really came into its own too, with high-spec indoor spaces (all the iconic Google colours were on display amongst the calm pastel décor) and wide-open gardens that gave guests a relaxed environment to refresh and unwind, stretch their legs, grab a coffee, and reflect on the presentations and discussions. Over the two live event days, the weather was warm and sunny, which meant our outdoor stand was especially popular between the conference sessions.

Keeping the guests happy with our exceptional mobile coffee caterers service

There were plenty of great interactions throughout the event too. One guest came back three times on day one and declared, “You’re the only reason I’m keeping up with the pace of this event.” Another self-proclaimed ‘coffee enthusiast’ came over to admire our machines, calling them the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of the industry, as well as commenting on the freshness of our coffee – something we take pride in and are always happy about when customers notice our efforts.

Although our mobile coffee caterers were offering a full range of coffees, as well as regular and herbal teas, the most popular drink order was the flat white. That was no surprise for us – it’s the go-to for many of our conference events, as it offers a fast hit of strong caffeine while still letting the espresso shine through.

The numbers

Across the two days, we served just over 850 drinks. Here’s some numbers for the most popular drinks ordered and the amount of speciality coffee and milk we used:

• 520 Flat whites
• 190 Cappuccinos
• 85 Americanos
• 234 kilos of artisan roasted coffee
• 422 litres of milk (including almond and soya)

And to give some context, across all our events that week, our mobile coffee catering service involved:

• 24 Baristas
• 20 Mobile coffee bars
• 12 Events
• 6 Cities
• 8,356 Coffees
• 2,049 Speciality teas and other beverages

We’ll be back!

We’ve built some great relationships with events like Zeitgeist over the years, and it’s something we take very seriously. As the world keeps moving and new ideas take shape, one thing that doesn’t change is the way good coffee seems to bring people together. We’re very proud to be the mobile coffee caterers of choice for conferences, we not only keep things running smoothly but also add to the overall experience.

It’s always a pleasure to be part of this big event – the pace, the people, and the sense of purpose make it a real standout in our calendar. We really look forward to being part of more events like this in the future!