Blog: Information Relating to our Products

How Strong are your 8-ft Rectangular Wood Folding Tables

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Michael Posted in Chairs, Products in Action, Tables Leave a comment

Bag of Questions We’ve done a number of stress tests on our plastic tables and our plastic folding chairs, but we have not yet done any stress test videos for our wood folding tables. We’re correcting that oversight today with a stress test video featuring our 8-ft Rectangular Wood Folding Table. Our last video was all about how strong our 8-ft NES Reliable Rectangular Plastic Folding Table truly is. 8-ft Rectangular Folding tables are a staple for our rental customers and for our banquet hall owners, so it’s incredibly important that the tables that we sell are durable so they can take a beating and still be useable the next day. NES Wood Folding Tables are commercial grade tables, and, as you can see from the video, are capable of holding an incredible amount of weight!

Now that you’ve seen what it takes to destroy one of our 8-ft NES Wood Folding Tables, I hope that if you have any questions about them, you’ll contact one of our fantastic sales reps. They’d also be happy to put together a quote including shipping if you’re interested in adding these tables to your inventory.

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

6 New Pieces of Porcelain

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Michael Posted in Dinnerware, NES News, Platters Leave a comment

Spring shipments continue to arrive at National Event Supply. Recently we took delivery of a container of porcelain from our factory. In addition to the Quadrato Dessert Plates, the 10 inch and 12 inch Risotto Bowls, and several sizes of rectangular platters, we took delivery of 6 new pieces of porcelain that we’ve been eagerly awaiting since January of this year.


H3951 Hotelier Sugar Bowl with Lid	H3950 Hotelier Creamer

The last time we ordered porcelain, we added coffee mugs, espresso cups, and cappuccino bowls to our Hotelier line. It was only after we took delivery of the new coffee stuff that we realised that if we’re going to carry coffee and tea things, then maybe we should also carry sugar bowls and creamers. With this shipment, we’ve rectified our oversight and have added a 10oz Creamer and an 8oz Sugar Bowl with lid. As you can see below, both items match the styling and colour of our Hotelier line and would be perfect for use in restaurants or at events with family style dining. Both the Hotelier Creamer (SKU: H3950) and the Hotelier Sugar Bowl with Lid (SKU: H3951) are introductorily priced at $6.95/ea.


A1220 Quad Divided Bowl	A1229 Trio Plate

We’ve been selling our Trio Bowl (SKU: A1330) for over three years now and have caterers and rental customers rave over the design. We’ve also been asked if we could get bowls with four slightly larger compartments, and for small porcelain platters with divisions. It’s taken a little while, but we’ve finally received porcelain pieces that will meet our customers needs. The first item is our new Quad Divided Bowl (SKU: A1220). It features 4 individual sections, each of which holds 4oz. The other new multi-segment item is our new Trio Platter (SKU: A1229). It is a three section platter, each of which is 3.5 inches square. We are happy to introduce the Quad Divided Bowl at the price of $11.75/ea and the Trio Platter at $6.50/ea.


A0319 Porcelain Tasting Spoon	A1164 Wide Rim Bowl

The last two new items that we’re introducing today are our new Porcelain Tasting Spoon (SKU: A0319) and our new Wide Rim Bowl (SKU: 1164). The new porcelain tasting spoon is designed for individual appetizers or amuse bouche. They are just big enough to hold a bite-sized morsel of goodness, and they’re intriguing shape will undoubtedly make the an item that your customers will talk about. The Wide Rim Bowl is perfect for serving chips with some sort of dip at a table, or a small appetizer. It holds 6oz, and is 11.25 inches wide. We will be introducing the Porcelain Tasting Spoon to the market for $0.50/ea and the Wide Rim Bowl for $9.95/ea.

While we won’t be getting anymore porcelain this spring, we hope to be adding new products later this summer. To keep up with our new products, why not join our mailing list. If you’re interested in any of our new porcelain pieces, why not ask one of our sales reps for a free quote?

Favourite Finds: April 2013

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Michael Posted in Chairs, NES News Leave a comment

April has been a month of highs and lows—with April Fools bringing everyone a little laughter and the horrendous disaster in Boston reminding us to hug our loved ones a little tighter. Here’s hoping we see some May flowers ahead! Here at National Event Supply we brought in a new variation of our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chair—a Black on Grey combination. We also brought in more stock of our White Resin Folding Chairs, a staple for spring and summer events as well as introduced a new NES Natural Wood Folding Chair—just like our white resin folding chairs in style. We’ve been ramping up our stock for the busy season and the industry seems to have been doing the same! Here’s the round up of the best articles from around the blogosphere.

This may seem counterintuitive but Inc Magazine wrote an article on doing more business with fewer salespeople. Their reasoning? There are few really good salespeople, and most people hate to sell. To read more about their reasoning and how to make your sales department suck less read the article here.

With event budgets finally making a comeback, Special Events Magazine talked with four event planners providing entertainment for events to hear the top trends in event entertainment. To learn more about the hits and flops and how the improving US economy is leading to bigger and better budgets, read the article here.

With ordering tap water at full service restaurants up 8% since 2007, innovating against the beverage portfolio to attract customers in the hyper-competitive Canadian market could mean the difference between sinking and swimming. To learn more about some of the beverage options getting the most attention and additional opportunities to grow your restaurant read the article here.

Finding marketing tactics that you can employ in the next 24 hours to improve your marketing for the long haul is no easy task. Most campaigns take time to build, test and measure. Hubspot did all the hard work for us – bringing best in class experts for their input and expertise that you can employ within a workday to help attract, convert, engage and delight more prospects, leads and customers. To learn more (and really who wouldn’t want to learn more?!) check out the blog post.

Pinterest has become a pivotal and important source of inspiration for more occupations than I can name in one blog post. Event managers / planners and party rental companies are no exception to this. Event Manager blog compiled the 20+ must follow Pinterest boards for event professionals highlighting trends, technology, social media, event décor, speaker selection, food trends and more. Check out the blog post and boards for more inspiration.

With the nicer weather upon us, business is sure to pick up for the whole industry as a whole. Until next month’s edition, feel free to request a quote of our new NES Natural Wood Folding Chairs perfect for those upcoming outdoor festivities.

The BC PST, new Plastic Folding Chairs and White Resin Folding Chairs

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Michael Posted in Chairs, NES News Leave a comment

Tree at Toronto Warehouse It’s hard to believe, but 2013 is now 1/3 over. All across Canada, snow is melting, grass is growing, trees are budding, and everyone is getting ready for the busy summer season. We’re in the middle of our busy spring season. New products and stock are arriving every week and orders are going out our doors just as fast. Although we try to keep things in stock, sometimes we run out of chairs in a certain colour, or we run low on tables. It’s always better to get your orders in early to avoid disappointing your customers.

Return of the PST

For the past 30 days we’ve been adjusting to the dissolution of the HST in BC and the return of the PST. In the past, we haven’t had facilities in BC and didn’t have to worry about collecting the PST. Now that we have a warehouse in Vancouver, we need to charge our BC customers the GST and the PST. However, you purchases may be PST exempt under the BC tax code. If you are PST exempt, just let our sales staff know. If you provide your BC Tax ID, we can set you up in our systems so that you only pay the GST. If you have any questions about the PST exemption, please don’t hesitate to ask.

New in Vancouver

In the past two weeks, a couple of containers have arrived at our Vancouver warehouse. We were happy to receive the first container as it replenished our stock of White Resin Folding Chairs. We’ve been selling this chair for over five years, and every year we’ve set sales records. It’s always incredibly difficult to keep White Resin Folding Chairs in stock in spring, and this year is no different.

We also received a new variation of our always popular NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chair&mdashWedding White on White. We’ve had numerous requests for the Wedding White chairs over the past few months, and we’ve finally been able to bring them in. These chairs are a brighter white, similar to the colour of the White Resin Folding Chairs as opposed to the cream colour of our existing white on white chairs. The Wedding White on White NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chairs are currently in stock in Vancouver and will be available in our Toronto Warehouse in early May.

New in Toronto

Black on Grey Plastic Folding Chair Our Toronto Warehouse also received a new variation of our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chair. Available in limited quantities, we are happy to announce the return of our Black on Grey NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chair. The last time we sold this colour combination, it was due to a shipping error at our factory. This time we’re intentionally stocking the colour combination!

We’re going to be getting additional products in to both of our warehouses within the next month. To find out what has arrived in our warehouse, why not join our mailing list? It’s free and I promise we won’t email you constantly!

Products in Action: Miller Tavern

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Dennis Posted in Chairs, Dinnerware, Flatware, Products in Action, Tables Leave a comment

We had such a crazy busy week last week, shipping a ton of our Plastic folding tables and chairs, a large number of our 60 inch round wood folding tables, and even a bunch of our Quadrato 5” Square side plates, that we decided to celebrate a little and go out for a nice dinner at the newly renovated Miller Tavern. The Miller Tavern (formerly known as the ‘Jolly’ Miller) has been a customer of National Event Supply for the past 3 years and we heard they had recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation at their flagship location in Hogg’s Hollow on Yonge Street, reopening just this past January.

And we were not disappointed. The décor was very nice and cozy and our meal was fabulous. The waitress was also very good. Our waitress introduced us to the Special for the evening – a 35 ounce Tomahawk Steak with all the fixings. Since there were 3 of us, we thought what the heck, let’s give it a try. The steak was outstanding and to boot, we got to enjoy our meal using some of National Event Supply 18/10 Maria cutlery. As you can see from the picture, there wasn’t much left over after our meal was done. We finished the meal with some very tasty crème brule.

During the latter half of our meal, we realized we haven’t really spoken very much about our 18/10 Maria cutlery. This is one of our best-selling patterns and shows no signs of slowing down. Styled after a very successful Oneida Geneva flatware pattern that is also an 18/10 cutlery line, many of our customers just call us and ask for their ‘Geneva’ pattern flatware. The Oneida Geneva Flatware pattern was discontinued a number of years ago, but many of our customers did not want to discontinue their Geneva Flatware. This has helped us land new sales with Miller Sales and Rentals in New Jersey, Best Party Rentals in Clovis, California and of course as we have already mentioned, The Miller Tavern in Toronto.

If you would like to see how our line of Maria 18/10 flatware/cutlery compares with your existing Oneida Geneva flatware pattern, give us a call (1-800-827-8953) or send us an email and we would pleased to send you samples.

New Chair: Natural Wood Folding Chair

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Michael Posted in Carts and Coat Racks, Chairs Leave a comment

Earlier this spring, we introduced our brand new Mahogany Resin Folding Chair. It’s a gorgeous chair with a removable black vinyl padded seat, and deep reddish brown frame. It commands your attention in a way that our white or black resin folding chairs don’t. But make no mistake, it’s as strong as its white and black counterparts. But the Mahogany Resin Folding Chair was not the only chair that we hoped to introduce this spring.

For some time now, we have been looking for a natural wood coloured resin folding chair. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to create a beautiful looking natural wood colour chair in resin. The colours just don’t look right, and it can end up looking tacky and not up to our demanding standards. But our customers were demanding a Natural Wood Coloured Folding Chair, and so we decided that the only thing to do was to go and find a Natural Wood Folding Chair. It took a little time to find one we liked, but early last winter we found one.

Today, I’m happy to formally announce our New NES Natural Wood Folding Chair. Just like our resin folding chairs, NES Natural Wood Folding Chairs are excellent event chairs, perfect for outdoor weddings of garden parties. With their removable, padded, white seats, NES Natural Wood Folding Chairs will provide a traditional feel to your even whether it is outdoors or indoors.

These outdoor event chairs are much lighter than our heavy-duty resin folding chairs, but they are still a commercial grade chair. The chairs are held together with steel mounting hardware and glue for added strength, and the padded seat features a wood base for added strength.

NES Natural Wood Folding Chairs are a snap to set-up or take down, and fit perfectly on our NES Folding Chair Carts. These chairs are also a breeze to clean—just a quick wipe with a cloth will clean most spills of the clear-coated wood. We’ve currently got these chairs on back-order, with arrival expected for mid-June. We will be initially stocking these chairs in Toronto, and we’ll be introducing them at $27.95/ea.

If you have any questions about our new NES Natural Wood Folding Chairs, or you want some more information about our Mahogany Resin Folding Chairs, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line and one of our sales reps will get right back to you!

Favourite Finds: March!

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Stephanie Posted in Flatware, NES News, Tables Leave a comment

How has everyone’s March been? It looks like we’re finally getting into Spring weather in Toronto after what feels like a very long winter. Here at National Event Supply we’ve been kicking it into high gear bringing in a wider range of wood folding tables, new amuse bouche spoons and forks, launched a new website that added smartphone capabilities, French translations, and easier access for event and party rental planners on the go, celebrated 100 blog posts, and exhibited at 3 tradeshows including the CRFA Show, the 2013 CRA Prairie Regional Trade Show and the 2013 Quebexpo. We’re not the only ones getting ready for summer—it looks like the blogosphere and event publications are also gearing up for the summer months. So let’s check some of the best posts out.

Special Events Magazine polled some of the top furniture rental companies across the United States to learn more about the types of furniture styles that seem to be flying out of rental warehouses today. To learn more, check out the article Top Trends in Event Furniture Rental.

The CRFA polled 350 professional chefs to identify what’s hot in the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s fourth annual Canadian Chef Survey. The full survey results detail the top 10 up and comer menu items for 2013, and the top 10 menu trends consumers will see in restaurants this year. To see the entire results document and view the top 10s, read CFRA’s 2013 Chef Survey Shows Variety is the Trend in Canada’s Restaurants.

Getting more Facebook likes is definitely something you should be striving for, but getting Facebook shares is even better—because a share means your content is being passed around social networks and creating buzz for your business. Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith, along with Shortstack created an infographic on the 14 ways to boost your content’s visibility and viral sharing on Facebook. Get all the tips by viewing the infographic.

RestaurantCentral.ca published a wonderful article on how even the best corporate strategy can and will fall short of its objectives if management poorly implements operational activities. To learn more about how the battle for competitive advantage can be won in the trenches, not the boardroom, check out the article Achieving a Competitive Edge Through Outstanding Operations.

With hiring new staff members on one of the many responsibilities business owners have, Inc Magazine reminds us of the 3 common red flags on resumes that we should be looking for when reviewing a potential hire. Check out the article to learn what those red flags are—3 Common Red Flags on Resumes.

Don’t you just love all of these articles and ideas? Make sure to let us know if you find an article that resonates with you and we’ll put it in the next month’s round up. Have a great week everyone!

NES Introduces New Plywood Folding Tables

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Michael Posted in Tables Leave a comment

NES Rectangular Wood Tables Over the past few years we have seen increasing success with our NES Wood Folding Tables. As it is with most things, sales started slowly as people initially discovered that we had started stocking plywood folding tables. Sales continued increasing as people took a closer look at our product and discovered that we were selling a quality plywood table. As sales increased, we started getting requests from customers looking for plywood tables in other sizes. Up until recently, we were stocking 3/4″ inch plywood folding tables in the following sizes in our Toronto, Vancouver, and Indianapolis warehouses:

4-ft Rectangular Banquet Tables (30 inches wide)
6-ft Rectangular Banquet Tables (30 inches wide)
6-ft Rectangular Banquet Tables (30 inches wide)
48 inch Round Tables
60 inch Round Tables
72 inch Round Tables

Now, just in time for the busy spring season, we are pleased to announce that we have added a wide range of new wood tables to our inventory. Effective immediately, we are proud to offer the following plywood tables to our customers:

8ft x 42 inch Folding Harvest Tables
8ft x 18 inch Folding Training Tables
60 inch Half Moon Folding Tables
5ft Serpentine Tables (5ft inner diameter; 10ft outer diameter)
Bar Topper for 5ft Serpentine Tables (15 inches wide)

Just like all of our other plywood folding tables, our new tables feature 3/4 inch plywood that is up to 13 layers thick; grey, powder-coated, wishbone folding legs that are bolted through the tabletop for added durability; support rails bolted through the table top for added strength and PVC vinyl edging. Bull nosed aluminum edging is also available on a special order basis. With the exception of the 8ft Training tables, all items are available in both Vancouver and Toronto. The 8ft Training tables are currently only available in Toronto.

After taking a look at our new tables after they arrived, the new table that we’re most impressed with is our new 8ft x42 inch Folding Plywood Table. In some parts of the country this style of table is called a Harvest Table, but our tables are a durable plywood construction rather than a stressed oak construction. With 8ft Wood Banquet Tables, the 30 inch width can restrict the range of centerpieces that can be placed along the center of the tables by wedding and special event planners. The 42 inch width of our new folding tables allow for bigger centerpieces and makes family-style means more enjoyable. The additional width of the table requires that additional support is added. To that end we’ve boxes the supports on the underside of the table.

In addition to the round and rectangular tables that we are stocking in all three of our warehouses, we also stock bar-height tables in our Toronto warehouse. Otherwise known as cocktail, pedestal, or cruiser tables , these tables feature a ¾ inch plywood top, a long (or short) chrome pole, and a 4-legged pedestal style table base. Currently, we are stocking 24 inch, 30 inch, and 36 inch round tabletops and 24 inch, 30 inch and 36 inch square tabletops. The tables are available as a package including your choice of tabletop and your choice of chrome pole. In addition, the pieces of the table can be purchased individually to allow you greater flexibility.

If you’d like more information about any of our wood tables, or if you’re interested in receiving a quote, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Freshen up Your Tables and Chairs with National Event Supply

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Michael Posted in Chairs, Tables Leave a comment

I’ve written a few blogs about how spring was coming. How it was almost here. How it was time to get ready for spring. Well spring is here. We’ve had several customers start putting orders in for the tables and chairs to replenish and add to their inventories. We’ve had new party rental stores purchase White Resin Folding Chairs so that they can compete with existing rental companies who already have these popular chairs. Event Rental companies are looking at our Chiavari Chairs with their new lower pricing and choosing the colours that they think will rent.

PFC Glides But not everything has to be new. If you’ve invested in our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chairs, and some of the chair glides have gone missing, give us a call. We’ve got chair feet in grey, white, black, and tan available in whatever quantity you’re interested in for just $0.20/ea. The chair glides are exactly the same chair feet used by our factory on new chairs, and are relatively easy to pop on or off. The chair glides are round, and will work with any chair which has legs that are .75 inches in diameter.

If you’ve had your NES Reliable White Resin Folding Chairs for a couple of years, the padded seats may have seen better days. If the chair frame is still in good shape, why not just replace the chair pad? At $5.00/ea, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to refresh your existing inventory and you can use the money you would have spent on replacement chairs expanding your inventory in other areas. The chair pads come in black and white and are available individually.

Chiavari Chair Cushions On the Chiavari Chair side of things, we stock fabric and vinyl chair cushions with Velcro ties in black, white, and ivory. If your cushions are looking a little ragged, replacements can be had for $5.00/ea for the fabric cushions and $7.50/ea for the vinyl. Investing in an alternative colour of cushion can provide choices to your customers who are looking at your venue or thinking about renting chairs for their special event.

NES Reliable Round and Rectangular Tables are incredibly strong, but sometimes they need a little love. We have multiple sizes of round table feet available if yours are missing or if they’ve seen better days. We also have replacement table clips which hold the tables legs when they are folded up. Replacement table feet and table clips are available in whatever quantity you are looking for at a price of $0.35/ea.

Spring is all about renewal. Plants and animals that have been in hibernation or just eking out an existence waiting for the sun to come out and shine down are waking up and getting active. If you have any questions about how you can renew your inventories, or if you are interested in a quote for any of the products that I’ve listed, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

Canada’s Leading Party and Event Rental Supplier Goes Bilingual!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Dennis Posted in NES News 1 Comment

Revamped website adds smartphone capabilities, French translations and easier access for event and party rental planners on the go.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Mississauga, ON) March 26 -National Event Supply, one of Canada’s leading suppliers to the party and event rental industry, today announced the re-launch of their website, with improved usability for mobile users, and complete French translations for their Francophone customers. The revamped site offers visitors from the hospitality, food service, party rental, and event rental sectors a fresh look that is more focused on users’ needs.

The redesigned website has a new user-friendly layout for touch-screen based devices like smartphones and tablets, enhanced product information and regularly updated content in the blog, and improved product pictures, in addition to a complete translation to French allowing for better service for their Francophone customers.

“Our goal is to keep our customers as up-to-date as possible, as well as to provide more efficient service to our clients,” said Dennis Heathcote, President of National Event Supply. “Our latest website improvements are significant because we have made the website fully accessible to Francophones across Canada, allowing those who are more comfortable dealing with commercial activities in French to more effectively utilize our online offerings.”

Also added to National Event Supply’s technological snapshot are capabilities for smartphone apps allowing for enhanced website compatibility through easy-to-maneuver smart devices. This comes as great news for planners and event rental professionals who are always on the go.

“In this day and age, it’s important to place technology at the forefront of your strategic planning, and with the inclusion of a smartphone app and enhanced website, I think we’ve set a benchmark within our industry,” added Heathcote.

For more information and to view the new website, please visit: www.nationaleventsupply.com

About National Event Supply:

National Event Supply began as a home business retailing porcelain figurines in 1992. After expanding to provide commercial-quality products to the hospitality and food service sector, National Event Supply quickly became a one-stop shop for the party and event rental industry.

Today, National Event Supply is a leading factory-direct wholesaler to the party and event rental, food service, and hospitality industry, focused on growth through delivering quality products at great value with excellent customer service, technology, and beneficial relationships with our customers.

Canadian locations for National Event Supply include their main showroom and warehouse in Mississauga, as well as their warehouse facility in Vancouver. National Event Supply has also tapped into the American market with a location in Indianapolis.

Contact:

Chris Dabrowski, High Impact PR

Toll Free: (888) 864-7912

Phone: 1-800-827-8953 Fax: 905-795-8845