Automating beer service at events requires coordinating purchasing, payment, and dispensing, all while maintaining the quality of the beverage. Arnau Camps explains how FastFest tackles this process with Metabar – a self-service system designed for venues and events with high foot traffic. In chapter 38 of “Toque de Ingenio,” the conversation covers product testing, learning from event organizers, and the commercial decisions that accompany the machine.
Guest: Arnau Camps, CEO and co-founder of FastFest during the interview.
Interview published: February 18, 2025. Episode: 38. Duration: 58 min.
In this episode:
- How can a wait in a bar be transformed into a process problem that can be analyzed?
- Why providing a drink in a repeatable way was one of the central challenges in the development process.
- How the service model and operation are adapted depending on the type of event.
The founders had a strong understanding of the sector, gained through various roles – as assistants, bar staff, and organizers. This experience helped them identify challenges, but the proposal gradually took shape through conversations and testing. This episode reflects the state of the project in February 2025, following the initial versions that had been tested during the previous year.
The queue is the result of a complete process.
Requesting a drink might seem like a simple action, but at an event, it involves selection, attention, payment, and preparation. When many people arrive at the same time, the time taken for each step accumulates. The opportunity for automation arises when the entire process is examined.
Arnau explains that the team spoke with organizers and professionals to gain a better understanding of their issues. The barriers were a significant part of the operation and their revenue. Improving the service should provide a benefit to attendees and a clear justification for those managing the venue.
That project led to an evolution of the initial idea. The interview reveals that being aware of a problem as a user is a starting point, but it’s necessary to understand what the client who will be hiring the solution needs. Costs, capacity for attention, and staff organization also play a role in the product.
For a project of Industrial automation, The approach involves observing where delays occur and identifying which task is most suitable to address. Installing a machine doesn’t guarantee an improvement if the bottleneck shifts to another step in the process.
How does Metabar present the concept of self-service?
Arnau describes a sequence where the assistant selects a drink on a screen, makes a payment, and receives the dispensing. The proposal focuses on consolidating several operations within a single device. Its operation should be easily understandable for users who are using it for the first time in a busy environment.
The interface and the mechanism are directly linked. The display allows for selection, but the result manifests as a drink that must be served correctly. The user experiences both as a single, unified experience, and expects that what they have paid for corresponds to what they receive.
The episode includes speed figures as part of the team’s proposal. To assess the implementation, the discussion encourages considering the conditions of the event and the operation surrounding the machine. The actual flow encompasses user arrival, replenishment, and issue resolution.
From the User experience design, It’s useful to study the entire sequence at the point of use. The steps should be understood quickly, and the status of the process should become clear. A simple decision within the interface can prevent a doubt that, repeated many times, would hinder the service.
The technical challenge lies in the drink itself and in its consistency.
Arnau considers the allocation process to be one of the most challenging aspects of the development. The beer introduces variables that impact the outcome, and the team needs to work consistently. A single, isolated demonstration is not sufficient for addressing an operation with numerous transactions.
Self-service creates an added requirement: customers must pay before receiving their drink. FastFest needed to reduce instances where the outcome wasn’t as anticipated. The development focused on adjusting the dispensing levels and reviewing what was happening during testing.
Arnau took on that job as:
“achieving a standard that ensures the beer turns out well”.
Arnau Camps 20:20.
The interview links that consistency with product utilization. Losses during service impact operations, but the figures mentioned should be understood within the guest’s experience and estimations. The performance of a specific installation requires considering its own specific conditions.
Learning engineering is straightforward: automating a task requires an understanding of the behavior of the material or product being handled. Movement, dosage, and control must be adapted to it. The mechanical component cannot be defined solely by the ideal sequence presented in a presentation.
The pilot tests are changing the design.
Arnau reports that the initial prototype revealed flaws that the team hadn’t anticipated. Certain components required modifications, while others could be removed. The subsequent version incorporated this learning before expanding the use of the machine.
The team encompassed engineering, operations, and business responsibilities, and they leveraged specialized expertise for specific aspects of the development process. This combination allowed them to view the product from both a functional perspective and from the tasks required to bring it to an event.
The conversation also covers service capabilities and sizes. The organizers work with different formats, so the team needs to adapt to each specific configuration. Preparation is an integral part of the process, even though the assistant doesn’t directly see it.
Los prototypes They are particularly useful when they allow you to verify those relationships in a real-world setting. Beyond simply serving a drink, the test should demonstrate what the person in charge of the team needs, how it’s replenished, and what happens when usage is concentrated during periods of high demand.
Autonomy encompasses both replenishment and planning.
Arnau explains that using one or more barrels alters the installation’s autonomy and the level of attention it requires. This decision should be based on anticipated demand and the event’s organization. Increasing capacity has implications for space, preparation, and inventory management.
This example demonstrates that automation doesn’t eliminate all human involvement. It changes the tasks: some actions are handled by the team, while others remain in areas such as assembly, supply, supervision, or incident handling. The service needs to distribute these tasks clearly.
To properly evaluate the product, it’s important to observe the complete distribution. A machine can reduce manual intervention during dispensing, while requiring preparation at a different time. A useful comparison considers the event’s process and the resources needed to maintain its operation.
A different commercial model for each type of venue.
FastFest distinguishes between one-off events and locations with ongoing activity, such as halls or sports facilities. Arnau explains rental fees and combinations of fixed and variable payments. The proposal is tailored to the volume of use and the way the client views the investment.
The initial deployments also need to address concerns about adoption. An organizer might question whether attendees will actually use the machine, or whether it will function properly during the event. Testing allows these questions to be compared with the results obtained at the venue itself.
Arnau also clarified the company’s role:
“We do not sell beer”.
Arnau Camps 42:27.
The distinction clarifies that FastFest provides the equipment and its service model, while the organizer decides on matters such as drinks and sales. Defining responsibilities helps to create a proposal that fits within the existing operation.
What can another development team learn?
- Analyze the purchase, payment, and delivery as a complete process.
- Validate reproducibility using the actual product the machine should dispense.
- Testing the installation, restocking, and supervision process, alongside user experience feedback.
- Adapt the business model to the frequency of use and the customer’s needs.
FastFest demonstrates how a regular daily experience can be transformed into an automation project, with specific product and service requirements. If your company wants to develop a machine to improve a particular operation, i-mas can help you define the requirements and move forward through design and testing. Please tell us about the process you need to resolve..
To continue reading: Awayter’s fresh food vending machine..
Source of article: Interview with Edgar Guerrero by Arnau Camps on Toque de Ingenio, published on February 18, 2025. The quotes link to their passages in the video; the key takeaways are a summarized editorial version of the conversation.
