For RISKWORLD 2026 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, New Life Coffee Company built a fully branded corporate coffee catering experience for Aon. Over two days, two professional baristas provided 16 hours of cafe service and prepared handcrafted coffee and non-coffee beverages for more than 500 guests.
Event at a glance
- 500+ guests served
- Two baristas over two days
- 16 total service hours
- Full cafe menu, made to order
- Five branded touchpoints
- Venue: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia
The challenge: a sophisticated audience and steady all-day traffic
RISKWORLD brings together influential leaders from across the risk-management and insurance industries. Aon's event space needed a hospitality feature that would appeal to that audience while supporting constant traffic through two full conference days -- and the coffee bar also had to function as a seamless extension of the Aon brand. That meant coordinating menu, service flow, equipment, branded materials and convention-center requirements before the first guest arrived.
During planning, Aon identified line management as a key priority. With hundreds of people potentially moving through the space, a single espresso setup could create delays at peak. We recommended two baristas and two equipment setups to raise capacity, absorb sudden waves of orders and keep the guest experience smooth.
Two-barista service designed for volume
Two baristas staffed the cafe for eight hours each day. The dual-station setup let the team prepare multiple drinks at once and respond when conference traffic surged. Rather than limiting guests to batch coffee, we delivered individually prepared cafe drinks across all 16 hours of service.
Coffee and non-coffee options for a diverse audience
Guests chose from a full cafe menu covering both coffee and non-coffee beverages. Planning conversations worked through espresso drinks, iced options, chai, cold beverages, alternative milk, cold foam and specialty seltzers, so attendees with different tastes had something to enjoy. That variety kept the activation relevant from the morning coffee rush through the afternoon, when guests wanted something cold and refreshing instead.
Branding at every guest touchpoint
The activation was customized to look and feel like part of Aon's event presence. Five branded elements carried the identity:
- Custom cups
- Branded latte art
- Custom napkins
- Branded barista aprons
- A coordinated cafe menu
These details turned each drink into a small brand interaction. Whether a guest carried a cup across the convention center or paused to watch a branded drink being made, Aon stayed at the center of the experience.
Convention-center coordination is most of the work
Large conferences require far more behind-the-scenes planning than a standard coffee service. We coordinated with Aon's event marketing team, the exhibit builder and Pennsylvania Convention Center contacts to address exhibitor-appointed contractor requirements, insurance and event documentation, staff badges and on-site access, electrical and water requirements, bar dimensions and equipment placement, vehicle information and parking approval, and loading-dock access, load-in and strike timing -- plus advance setup on the afternoon before service. That preparation let the team arrive each morning focused on service instead of solving preventable problems on the show floor.
The result: 500+ guests over two days
Across two eight-hour service days we served more than 500 guests. The cafe welcomed senior executives, board members and business leaders representing organizations from mid-market firms to major multinational and Fortune 500 companies. Professional baristas, a broad menu, dual-station capacity and detailed custom branding gave Aon a hospitality activation that was both functional and memorable: guests received handcrafted beverages, and Aon gained an engaging place to welcome attendees and reinforce its presence at one of the industry's largest events.
Coffee catering for conferences and brand activations
New Life Coffee Company provides premium coffee catering for conferences, trade shows, executive meetings, corporate events and brand activations in Philadelphia and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. From custom cups and latte art to high-volume espresso service and complex venue coordination, every detail can be built around the host's goals. If you are planning something on this scale, start with our conference coffee catering page or send us your dates and we will build a plan around them.
Planning an event like this one?
Send us your date, venue, and guest count and we’ll come back with a service plan and a quote. Or just send a message and ask a question first.
Prefer to talk it through?(717) 966-6301
