How Pourify Could Save Festivals Millions in Lost Revenue

A recent article on HLN.be revealed a staggering insight: the Gurtenfestival in Switzerland lost an estimated €1 million in 2023 due to free drinks handed out by bartenders. While generosity behind the bar can sometimes feel like part of the vibe, uncontrolled pouring at scale is a serious financial drain—especially at large festivals where thousands of drinks are served per hour.

At Pourify, we believe there’s a smarter way.

The Festival Dilemma: High Volume, Low Control

Festivals are dynamic environments. Speed is everything, queues are long, and bartenders often work under pressure. In such a setting, it’s easy for:

• Drinks to be given away without being tracked,
• Pours to be inconsistent (often more than the paid volume),
• And inventory to become unmanageable in real time.

The result? Massive financial losses—just like Gurtenfestival experienced.

How Pourify Solves This (In Real-Time)

Pourify’s smart pourer and real-time tracking system give event organizers and bar operators instant insight into every single pour—without slowing things down.

1. Track Every Drop

Every drink poured is automatically tracked via the Pourify Smart Pourer and synced to the cloud through the Pourify Hub. No more guesswork. No more hidden losses.

2. Prevent Freebies

By connecting pours to the POS, it’s instantly clear whether a drink has been paid for. This discourages the casual “free pour” and keeps your revenue in check.

3. Motivate Staff (Instead of Policing Them)

With our gamified dashboard, staff are rewarded for accurate, consistent pouring—turning precision into a point of pride, not punishment.

4. Live Monitoring for Organizers

Festival organizers can monitor total sales vs. total volume poured in real time, identifying issues before they become a €1 million problem.

For Large Events, the Savings Are Huge

Whether you’re running a weekend-long music festival, a sporting event, or a city-wide celebration—Pourify delivers control without complexity. With smart, data-driven tools, you:

• Cut unnecessary costs,
• Prevent loss,
• And improve profitability without changing the flow of service.

Let’s Raise the Bar
(Without Overpouring)

The Gurtenfestival story is a warning—but it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to rethink how we manage drinks at scale, and to embrace a smarter, more profitable way forward.

Pourify helps festivals pour smarter, waste less, and earn more. Ready to take control?