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As the large majority of our customers are party rental companies, we are not unaware of the fact that January – March can be a slower time for the sector. With less major holidays, no major exams for universities and graduations still a far off dream – I can understand how planning event equipment purchases now can seem both premature and/or farfetched. But hear me out. I may even be so bold to state you’re going about buying event equipment wrong – or at least the equipment you know you need for the upcoming season. You’re not a fortune teller after all.

Allow me to list 4 reasons why you shouldn’t wait until April to buy your event equipment.

1. You’ll be first to the market with new products:

We’ve recently brought in a number of new products including new line of spandex table covers, polyester linens, commercial outdoor patio heaters, 13.125" flat pizza plate, an 11" square plate & a 4.75" straight sloped bowl. If you are concerned about being first to the market with new products we offer, buying them sooner rather than later ensures you can be the first to offer your customers new products.

2. No Risk in Stock Delays:

We try our absolute best to ensure we have ample stock of all our products but we can’t always forecast when there’s an outlier order that comes in that needs 700 gold chiavari chairs or 2500 pieces of Nova Table Forks and suddenly we’re in a bind. Buying before April helps ensure you don’t get stuck sourcing additional ways to get what you need. We’d also suggest if you have an idea that you’re going to need something, to let us know as soon as possible so that if we don’t have stock we can get stock in before you require it. Not always possible I know, but we want to work with all our customers (or partners is a better way of looking at our clients) to ensure we can meet and exceed their needs.

3. Less stress:

It’s funny how stress-free buying early can be. You aren’t being held to a deadline and worried about when you need something, if it’s in stock and can you get it delivered tomorrow and so everyone can just relax and enjoy the process for what it is. But as soon as spring rolls around and you have events coming out of the woodwork asking "Are you booked for 100 Tall Folding Cocktail Tables on April 1st?", you’ll wish you had acted sooner on your purchase.

4. You’re not so rushed:

Who wants to be rushed when it comes to spending 20-50k on event staples such as linens, folding tables and chiavari chairs? I don’t know about you, but I like to feel like I’ve got a solid head on my shoulders when I’m making such a serious decision. By shopping for new or replacement event equipment ahead of the event high season, you can make a relaxed and informed decision, and not base your thoughts on silly stipulations like ‘which company is cheapest’ (because let’s be honest – cheaper doesn’t always equate to a good quality product that will get you at least 10 turns of rentals, because in the race to the bottom, it’s usually quality that takes the hit first). We strive to provide high quality products that will allow you to maximize your return on investment while offering good prices.

We had a nice little break after exhibiting at The Rental Show, but now we're approaching our the busiest part of our trade show season. This weekend, the National Event Supply trade show team will be splitting up with our President heading to Moncton, NB and the rest of the team heading to downtown Toronto, ON.

In Moncton, NB we will be exhibiting at the Canadian Rental Association's Atlantic Small Tool & Equipment Show on Saturday March 1st, 2014 from 10AM – 4PM at Casino New Brunswick. Party rental companies in the Maritimes can expect to see the following items at the show:

• Plastic Folding Tables
• Wood Folding Tables
• Plastic Folding Chairs
• Bar Height Plastic Folding Chairs
• White Resin Folding Chairs
• Gold Chiavari Chairs, Mahogany Chiavari Chairs, Crystal Chiavari Chairs
• A Subset of our Porcelain Dinnerware collections
• Glass Stemware & Crystal Stemware
• Porcelain platters & bowls
• Melamine platters & bowls

New in our inventory, and at the show for your viewing pleasure, is our new line of polyester and spandex linens. We sent a postcard to all party rental companies around Moncton in our database. Make sure you bring that postcard to the booth with you to receive a free tall plastic folding cocktail table just for stopping by! As for our show special, we are pleased to inform show attendees that we will be extending our special American Rental Association Rental Show pricing to them if they order and receive delivery by end of March.

In Toronto, we will be exhibiting at the Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice Association Show from Sunday March 2nd until Tuesday March 4th at the Direct Energy Centre – Exhibition Place. Restaurants and caterers attending the show can expect to see the following items:

• All of our Porcelain Dinnerware Collections
• Glassware
• Crystal Stemware
• Flatware
• Amuse-bouche Spoons
• Porcelain Wonton Spoons
• Porcelain Tasting Spoons
• Porcelain Platters
• Porcelain Bowls
• Melamine Platters
• Melamine Bowls

New in our inventory and at the show for the viewing pleasure of all restaurants in attendance is our new line of NES Reliable Commercial Patio Heaters. Available in bronze or charcoal gray, these heaters are on show special with $100 off the list price. Our additional show special includes 10% off our entire lineup of tabletop items.

We look forward to seeing the Party Rental Companies of the Maritimes and the Restaurants/Caterers across Canada at both shows!

One of the fantastic things about wood folding tables is the ability to refurbish the top layer should there be any issues after the continual wear and tear of renting them out. We have been asked on occasion what to do when the top layer of a wood table is cracked and peeling. This blog post will give you two suggestions of potential solutions to this question.

The first thing I would suggest you do is check the thickness of your wood table and the depth of your cracks. Ensuring you have at least 1/2 inch + of thickness with your table will protect you from the tabletop being unable to support weight when in use.

Suggestion 1:

If you plan to use the wood table without table linens or the tables are too thin, unfortunately you should start thinking about table replacement instead of repair.

Suggestion 2:

If you plan to use the wood table with table linens and have at least 1/2 inch + of thickness available you can refinish the table to get rid of the cracks / peeling. To do this I would recommend the following steps:

1. Remove tabletop from table legs and use saw horses to prop the tabletop up.
2. Using a paint scraper, scrape all the peeling areas free of the excess varnish.
3. Examine the cracks and determine if they’re shallow enough to sand out or if they need to be filled with a wood filler.
4. If the cracks need to be filled, get a wood filler that doesn’t shrink after drying and overfill the cracks to ensure the crack is completely filled.
5. Using a handheld or electric sander, start with a coarse grained sandpaper (120 grit) moving to 150 grit and 180 grit for the smoothest finish. You want to be sanding just enough with each to remove the scratches of the previous grit. The reason for moving from a coarser grit to a smoother grit is the coarser sand paper will make it easier to cut through and remove problem areas (such as cracks and peeling) while the smoother grit finishes off the wood to a smooth finish.
6. Once the wood table top has been sanded to your satisfaction, finish off the table top with a clear varnish to protect the wood, reattach the table legs and you’re good to go!

National Event Supply is excited to announce a new way to shop for your event and party rental equipment needs. All our products are now available on www.nationaleventsupply.com with clean, clear photos, specifications and the new ability to purchase product online (including shipping) - via Visa or MasterCard.

Alternatively, should you wish to purchase products utilizing a purchase order, or you like receiving the personal touch from one of our customer service representatives, we're happy to accept calls at 1-800-827-8953, emails at sales@nationaleventsupply.com or contact us via our website.

We're just trying to make it easier to do business with us! If there’s any feedback you’d like to provide us, we would be happy to hear how to make your experience with us better. Please feel free to contact us using the button below and provide us your feedback.

There are a number of party rental and event rental equipment suppliers as well as restaurant supply stores that sell dinnerware sets to party rental companies. It appears that so many suppliers sell dinnerware in terms of "sets" that party rental companies as well as restaurants have been conditioned to expect to be sold dishes that way. When we were recently exhibiting at the 2014 Rental Show in Orlando – we got asked numerous times how much each dinnerware line cost per set. In return, our answer was always "we don't sell dinnerware sets." I admit there were some potential customers that looked at us like we had a second head – until we explained why.

We don’t sell dinnerware sets for the simple reason that our customers don’t have the need to buy sets of items repeatedly. To put it in a simpler context, let’s look at this scenario:

If ACME Party Rental were to buy a 16 piece set (4 piece place setting for 4 people) and rented it out to an intimate event which broke 4 of the 16 pieces – ACME would be in a bind. They would either need to 1) mix and match pieces from their inventory to supplement the broken pieces or 2) buy an entirely new set from us.

Option 1 – mixing and matching pieces from their inventory to supplement the broken pieces works sometimes. But businesses with picky customers wanting a specific look know that option 1 doesn’t always fly.

Option 2 – buying an entirely new set works as well but then you have twice as many of some items and only 1 of the broken pieces. It also can be an annoyance to budget conscious customers who don’t want to pay for a set of 16 if they only need 4 pieces – which is totally understandable.

In party rental and in restaurants it makes much more sense for their businesses to be able to buy only the items they require. Because of this and because we’d rather not bundle sets and create a bad experience for customers, we only sell individual pieces.