Blog posts from October, 2013

Happy Halloween everyone! I personally love Halloween. I love seeing the carved pumpkins, and the decorations everywhere. I love seeing the little ones in their cute costumes (my niece as a banana was adorable). I love seeing adult revelers out in the pop culture costumes, even if you can't swing a black cat without hitting a Miley Cyrus wannabe. And the Candy. Who doesn't love a holiday that involves miniature chocolates bars, Rockets Candy, and all those other wonderful Halloween treats. Well, except for those toffee candies in the orange and black packages that are as hard as a rock. Those are nasty. But all the other Halloween candy is a-ok. I also love the scares and the surprises. I love watching Youtube Videos with surprises and scares.

While surprises are a lot of fun at Halloween, you don't want any surprises when you're purchasing new wood tables for your facility. We had a customer, Jason*, who purchased a load of wood folding tables that weren't actually made of plywood. They were Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) with plywood laminated to it. The tables didn't stand a chance in a commercial environment filled with screaming children, what with all the running, and screaming, and stabbing. Jason told us about these tables when he inquired about getting some of our NES Wood Folding Tables for Camp Crystal Lake. We told him that our wood tables are plywood folding tables made of 11 ply, 3/4 inch plywood. Jason, however, wasn't convinced. He wanted to see what was inside. So we set-up a 48-inch NES Round Wood Folding Table, and turned on our camera.

As you can see from the video, there is no MDF in our tables. So the next time you're looking to buy wood folding tables, make sure you ask the salespeople if the table is plywood all the way through. If you're interested in getting some of our NES Wood Folding Tables for your facility, why not drop us a line.

National Event Supply is seeking a reliable, professional and results driven person who enjoys the challenge of assisting customers, contributing to the growth of a dynamic company and is proficient in French and English both written and verbally. We’re looking for candidates who are passionate in their pursuit of delivering superior customer service, and forming positive, long lasting relationships with our customers.

We currently have the following position open:

Bilingual Inside Sales Representative

Join our team. You’ll get a competitive salary, excellent commission and a stake in our future success. All positions are based out of our Mississauga headquarters, so we need candidates who will be able to get to our office every day-Monday to Friday. No relocation is offered.

Submit your resume to stephanie@nationaleventsupply.com. Please include a cover letter with a few sentences explaining why this opportunity is right for you and how you’d be a fit for our team.

If you know someone who may fit this role, we’d appreciate your referrals!

Stainless Steel is an often misunderstood alloy, particularly when it comes to cutlery. As a result we hope to improve your understanding of stainless steel cutlery with this blog post. To do so we have compiled a list of questions that we are often asked about our stainless steel flatware.

What's the difference between 18/10, 18/8 and 18/0 stainless steel cutlery?

National Event Supply currently offers two levels of cutlery being 18/8 and 18/0. The difference between them is the nickel content in the flatware. The 18 stands for 18% chromium which gives the steel its hardness as well as stain, heat and corrosion resistant properties. The 10, 8 or 0 stands for 10%, 8% or 0% Nickel. Nickel gives flatware its soft feeling and fantastic shine. In terms of the hardness and fantastic shine, the best cutlery that we offer is made of 18/8 stainless steel.

Can stainless steel stain?

It is important to remember that it is called stainless steel, not stainproof steel. We have worked extremely hard over the years to ensure we only provide high quality stainless steel cutlery. With that said it is not stainproof as there are ingredients found in many citrus products, coffee, tea, salad dressing, salt (or foods with high salt content), and vinegar that can cause discolouration in your flatware. Additionally, hard water can cause putting or spotting on your flatware. It is also important to note that soaking your flatware for extended periods of time, particularly when the soap used has a citrus/lemon additive, is bad for the longevity of your flatware and we do not recommend it.

Why should I pick stainless steel flatware versus another material?

There are many reasons to select stainless steel for your cutlery when you are looking at the different options available. The first reason is that it is dishwasher safe making it easy and convenient to clean. Every caterer, banquet hall, golf course and party rental company knows what a hassle and time consuming process hand-washing cutlery can be! Many won't even stock cutlery that can’t be washed in a dishwasher because time is money-especially when you need to turnover cutlery fast. Another reason to select stainless steel cutlery-ownership is relatively carefree and practical as it is resistant to corrosion, rust and staining. It is also very economical because it has a long life while in use and is relatively inexpensive to purchase. Finally and perhaps most importantly, it looks good! A nice set of cutlery can really add a pop to your table top.

Why do your flatware prices vary even though they are equal quality?

Beyond the material used (18/10 versus 18/0), which causes a difference in the price. There are many other factors that come into play in the manufacturing and price of our cutlery. One key factor is weight; generally the heavier the pieces are, the more they cost. That is why knives and large serving pieces are more expensive. Another key factor relating directly to cost is the level of detail in the flatware. Other factors that come into play are pattern detail, extra finishing, and additional pieces available.

Is your flatware dishwasher safe?

Yes, all of the flatware sold by National Event Supply is dishwasher/commercial dishwasher safe. We recommend that any National Event Supply flatware placed in a dishwasher in such a way that the water and soap will not pool on any part of the flatware. This ensures you have the shiniest cutlery ready for your next event at a moment’s notice.

If you’re interested in learning more about the cutlery lines that National Event Supply stocks, feel free to contact us.

Our Serenity Crystal stemware along with our Copa / Eclisse glassware is a popular choice for commercial businesses including party rental companies, caterers, hotels, restaurants and banquet halls. With crystal and glass bearing striking similarities in aesthetics, we thought it made sense to clear up some of the top asked questions.

What is the difference between glass and crystal?

There are a number of differences between glass and crystal that should be known before purchasing stemware. Glass tends to be thicker than crystal as crystal is stronger so it can be worked thinner than glass. While glass can look quite similar to crystal, if you hold up a piece of crystal stemware to the light, the crystal will act as a prism. Crystal also produces a musical tone when you run a wet finger along the rim or when struck, though I wouldn’t recommend striking a suppliers’ crystal – it might not leave the best impression. Glass also tends to have a rolled / rounded rim while crystal tends to have a clean, straight cut rim.

Traditional crystal contains lead. The lead addition adds sparkle, gives more weight to the stemware, and increases its durability. There can be health concerns associated with the addition of lead oxide so many suppliers now have lead-free crystal – which is what National Event Supply carries.

Is lead crystal safe?

Lead crystal has been the primary form of crystal glassware since its inception. With the recent awareness and movement away from BPA due to health concerns, there has been debate on the use of lead in crystal. It is advised that you should not use lead crystal containers to store beverages for periods of time longer than a day. As per Riedel’s website, assuming that "worldwide legal standards are met and also surpassed", there are no issues or concerns with using lead crystal on a daily basis.

How do you clean crystal & glass stemware?

Always make sure to ask the supplier this question before purchasing as there’s no hard and fast rule that all crystal needs to be hand washed and all glass can be placed in a dishwasher. For businesses that deal with large quantities of stemware, it is recommended you look for crystal or glass stemware that is dishwasher safe as this will allow you to turn around your inventory faster while utilizing less man hours to do so. Imagine having to clean the glassware for a 500 person event? Not a fast or easy job.  Being able to use a dishwasher can save you thousands of dollars. National Event Supply only offers Crystal and Glass stemware that is dishwasher safe – keeping our customer’s in mind.

Should I be purchasing handmade or machine made glassware?

This is really a matter of personal preference. Handmade crystal and glass can lack the consistency of machine made crystal and glass. Handmade crystal in particular can be more costly than machine made crystal as some manufacturers employ master craftsman to produce their crystal glasses. While machine made glass and crystal can lack the artisans touch, they generally look more consistent and can be less expensive depending on your supplier.

In our post last Wednesday on the first 4 most important questions to ask before buying plastic folding tables, we referenced load capacity weight, locking mechanisms, table leg gauges and the weight of the tables themselves. What else should you be asking your plastic folding table supplier before purchasing? Without further ado, check out the last 4 most important questions to ask before buying plastic folding tables.

1. Are the tables suitable for both indoor and outdoor events?

Plastic folding tables are the most durable table for indoor and outdoor events and are great for businesses that require lots of moving of furniture like party rental because they’re far more lightweight and durable than plywood folding tables.

2. If Yes, can they withstand the elements?

We wrote a blog post to answer this very question – compared to wood folding tables, plastic folding tables last extremely well to the elements – they’ve currently been outside for greater than 88 days and still going strong. Just give them a wipe and they’re ready for your next event.

3. Does the table have a warranty associated with it?

Making sure that the tables you are buying have a warranty of some kind is a good way to protect yourself in case manufacturing defects show themselves after purchase. All NES Reliable Plastic Folding Tables come with a Two Year Warranty against material or manufacturing defects.

4. What structure supports the weight on the table?

Does the table have a frame? How thick is the blow-mold (plastic) table top? Table frames are an extremely important aspect of plastic folding tables, particularly for commercial quality plastic folding tables as they provide structure, durability and ample load support. Combine a high quality table frame with a high quality blow-mold top and you are sure to have a table that can stand up to your needs. You can do this by checking out the table in person or by looking on your supplier’s website. It is often very obvious when a supplier has skimped on either aspect of the table; the top will look too thin for heavy use and the frame will look unsubstantial. An additional clue can be had by looking at the suggested weight rating for the table (especially if it is not published).