The complete product launch kit list
A launch is built around one moment, the reveal, and everything on this list exists to make that moment land and then get out of the way for the drinks reception after it. Worked at 150 guests.
A 150-guest product launch typically needs: a stage and reveal plinth sized to the product rather than the guest count, around 77 theatre seats for the announcement (70% of guests seated, the rest standing at the back), engineered PA and AV with screens and a backup playback source, spotlighting for the reveal plus ambient lighting for the reception after it, 13 poseur or high tables for the standing drinks reception, 5m of bar frontage, catering equipment for a canape service, linens and glassware, and toilets or a generator only if the venue cannot supply them. Typical hire budget: £4,000 to £9,000 before catering, drinks and any bespoke branding.
The kit list, line by line
Worked at 150 guests. Every line links to the full category guide with prices.
| Item | Quantity logic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stage & reveal plinth | Sized to the product and the reveal mechanism, not guest count: a 4x3m deck plus a dressed plinth or drape rig is typical | The one line worth spending on regardless of budget elsewhere |
| Theatre seating | Seats for the announcement at a 70% standing share → 77 at 150 guests | Cleared or pushed back the moment the reveal ends, so the room can stand for drinks |
| PA & AV | Engineered sound + screens + a backup playback source for the reveal video or cue | Rehearse the actual reveal cue with the actual kit, not a stand-in laptop |
| Lighting | Spotlighting for the reveal moment + ambient lighting for the reception that follows it | A dim room makes a product photograph badly; light it like a shoot |
| Poseur & high tables | 1 per 12 guests, standing reception ratio → 13 at 150 | Spread through the room so the crowd does not bottleneck around the bar |
| Bar | 1m of frontage per 35 guests → 5m at 150 | An account bar with an agreed limit is the usual corporate arrangement |
| Catering equipment | Prep and hot-holding for a canape service rather than a plated meal | You provide space, power and water; the caterer specifies the rest |
| Linens & tableware | Cloth per poseur table, canape platters and glassware per guest | Brand-neutral white or ink cloths let the product do the talking |
| Toilets | Only if the venue cannot supply enough: 1 per 50 with a bar → 3 + 1 accessible at 150 | Most launches happen at a venue with its own facilities; hire only fills the gap |
| Generator | Only for a marquee or a venue whose supply cannot take the AV and catering load | A venue with adequate power makes this line disappear entirely |
| Security | For press-facing or high-profile launches: risk-assessed, not a fixed ratio | Door control and bag checks more often than crowd management |
The reveal is the brief
Everything else on this list is furniture around one event: the moment the cover comes off, the screen cuts to the film, or the lights find the plinth. Staging, AV and lighting exist to make that ten seconds land, which means they get the rehearsal time and the budget priority, while the reception furniture around them is comparatively interchangeable.
The room usually changes shape mid-event: seated theatre-style for the announcement, then cleared or pushed back for a standing drinks reception once the reveal is done. Confirm with the venue and the AV supplier whether chairs are struck during the event or simply pushed to the walls, because that decision affects the floor plan for both halves of the evening.
Venue first, hire second
Most product launches happen somewhere that already has walls, power and a floor worth photographing: a gallery, a showroom, a warehouse conversion or a hotel event space, rather than a field. Hire exists to add what the venue lacks, staging, AV, extra seating, branded lighting, rather than to build the whole event from nothing, which keeps this list shorter than a wedding or festival kit list of the same guest count.
Loading access matters more here than at most events: confirm the route for the product itself, any large set pieces, and the AV rig well before the date, since a launch that cannot get its own product through the door is not a launch. If press or influencers are attending, a simple registration point near the entrance saves the reveal itself from turning into a queue.
What it costs, honestly
For 150 guests at an existing venue, the hire list, staging, AV, lighting, furniture, bar and catering equipment, typically runs £4,000 to £9,000 before catering, drinks and any bespoke branding or set build, which are usually quoted separately by a production or events agency rather than through hire.
AV and staging are where the budget concentrates: a launch that skimps on the reveal itself to spend more on canapes has the priorities backwards. Everything downstream of the reveal, tables, linens, the bar, is close to interchangeable with any other corporate drinks reception the same size.
Product launch: the questions that follow
How many guests come to a typical product launch?
It varies enormously by scale: a press or media-focused launch often runs 50 to 150 guests, while a larger consumer or retail launch can reach 300 or more. The kit list scales with the same formulas either way, staging and AV first, reception furniture second.
Do we need to hire toilets for a launch at a venue?
Only if the venue's own facilities genuinely cannot cope with the guest count or licensing requirements. At 150 guests with a bar open, the standard ratio is 3 units plus 1 accessible; most launches at an established venue skip hire entirely.
How far ahead should we book AV for a product launch?
Three months is a sensible minimum, longer if the reveal depends on a specific technique, a drape rig, projection mapping or a bespoke plinth. AV and staging book first because they need the most rehearsal time; furniture and bar can confirm at 4 to 6 weeks.
Do we need security at a product launch?
Only when the launch is press-facing, high-profile, or the product itself is high value, in which case door control and bag checks matter more than crowd management. A quiet internal launch for existing customers or staff rarely needs it.
Planning a different kind of event?
These kit lists share most of the same line items as product launch.
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