The London Coffee Festival

Delivering a complete furniture and refrigeration package for one of London’s most iconic event venues

The London Coffee Festival is one of the capital’s standout hospitality events, bringing together leading coffee brands, roasters, suppliers, buyers and consumers in the distinctive surroundings of The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

For the second year running, Ability Furniture Hire was appointed to support William Reed and the London Coffee Festival team with a wide-ranging furniture and refrigeration package across the show.

From early planning through to final delivery, our role was to help create a smooth, well-managed hire solution for the organisers, exhibitors and feature areas — combining stylish furniture, practical infrastructure, refrigeration, exhibitor ordering support and detailed project management.

The challenge

The Truman Brewery is an iconic London venue, full of character and atmosphere. It is also a venue that demands careful planning.

With multiple areas, tight access points, busy build schedules and a large number of exhibitors working to different requirements, the project needed more than simply supplying furniture. It required a coordinated operational approach, clear communication, flexible logistics and a team that understood the pace and pressure of a major live event.

William Reed needed a supplier who could work with them from the early stages, help shape key feature areas, support exhibitors with an easy ordering process, and deliver reliably across the whole show.

Our approach

Ability worked closely with the William Reed team from the planning phase, helping to identify the right furniture ranges, quantities and layouts for the show’s different spaces.

Our broad stock range allowed us to support everything from practical exhibitor requirements through to more styled hospitality areas. This included tables, chairs, soft seating, poseur tables, stools, counters and feature furniture, all selected to suit the look, feel and operational needs of the event.

A key part of the project was the Club Lounge, where we worked with the client to develop a Brunswick House-inspired style. The aim was to create a relaxed, characterful and premium lounge environment that felt considered, comfortable and in keeping with the creative energy of the festival.

Alongside the furniture package, Ability also supported the show with refrigeration across the venue, including working with the client to build a walk-in chiller solution. This meant the organisers and exhibitors had one joined-up supplier for both furniture and refrigeration, simplifying planning, communication and delivery.

Exhibitor ordering made easy

For a show of this scale, exhibitor ordering has to be simple, accurate and well managed.

Ability provided a dedicated exhibitor ordering system, giving exhibitors a clear and efficient way to select the furniture and refrigeration they needed for their stands. This helped reduce admin for the organising team, gave exhibitors confidence in what they were ordering, and allowed our team to manage requirements in a structured way before arriving on site.

By combining online ordering with responsive account support, we were able to handle individual exhibitor needs while keeping the wider project organised and on schedule.

Logistics and project management

The operational demands of The Truman Brewery meant logistics were central to the success of the project.

Our team planned deliveries carefully around venue access, build-up timings, stand schedules and the wider event programme. On site, our project management team coordinated the installation, managed changes, supported exhibitors and worked closely with the organisers to keep the process moving.

With a high volume of furniture and refrigeration equipment going into a busy central London venue, attention to detail was essential. Every item needed to arrive in the right place, at the right time, in the right condition.

The result

Ability delivered a complete furniture and refrigeration package across the London Coffee Festival, supporting William Reed, the exhibitors and the wider event team throughout the project.

The finished show combined practical event delivery with high-quality presentation, from exhibitor stands and working areas through to the styled Club Lounge and refrigeration infrastructure behind the scenes.

For the second consecutive year, the project demonstrated Ability’s capability to support major organisers with broad-ranging requirements, challenging venues and complex operational needs.

Why it worked

The success of the project came down to early collaboration, a broad and high-quality furniture range, strong project management, reliable logistics and a clear exhibitor ordering process.

For organisers, this meant fewer moving parts, better control, and a supplier who could support both the big picture and the details that matter on site.

Planning a major exhibition, festival or live event?
Ability Furniture Hire can support your team with furniture hire, refrigeration, exhibitor ordering, logistics and full project management from the earliest planning stages through to show close.