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At National Event Supply we are constantly bringing in samples of potential new inventory items and working with existing customers on custom items they’re interested in stocking. We’ve been doing some cleanup of our showroom and warehouse and decided to get in the holiday spirit by donating a number of samples and over 250 barely used porcelain deep rectangular platters to local soup kitchens in the Greater Toronto Area and Mississauga. We had three non-profits including Good Shepherd Ministries, Syme Woolner Neighbourhood & Family Centre, and Eden Community Food Bank accept our donation.

Here is a picture of some of the items we donated:

The Executive Director of Eden Community Food Bank reached out to us to say:

"Thank you for thinking about Eden Community Food Bank for your donation. They will be put to good use in our food bank and in our new Community Learning Kitchen."
 

Eden Community Food Bank is located in Mississauga, Ontario and is a non-denominational, charitable organization, working to eliminate hunger through food distribution to qualified individuals and families living in selected areas of Mississauga, as well as providing education and advocacy services to our clients and the general public.

If you’re interested in spreading some holiday cheer by making a donation to help ensure those who need it most don’t go hungry throughout the season, please feel free to reach out to the three organizations (links above) and help them out.

The team at National Event Supply are thrilled the items can be put to good use and hope to provide more non-profits around the area additional items in the future.

Like most businesses, as a caterer, you’re looking to dominate your industry in a market filled with competition. In Toronto, when wedding season seems to last a few months, it takes a creative company to find new ways to generate revenue to ensure the “slow season” has a consistent revenue stream. Check out these 5 killer techniques you can employ to dominate your market.

Offer take-home catering to reap the benefits of a constant revenue stream during your low season

Take-home catering can be the solution you need to add a constant source of revenue throughout the year. With a culture that seems to be as fast paced as a NASCAR race, it’s not uncommon for consumers to pick up food from a restaurant, grocery store or a local catering company. What about those same consumers wanting to have friends over for a weekend gathering? By offering consumers the types of food they would pick up for a meal or a small event, you’re expanding your target market and positioning yourself as a go-to resource for meals and gatherings. Restaurants have expanded to offer take-home options – so why can’t you?

Negotiate an exclusive venue contract

In business, networking is an important facet of succeeding. The same is true with catering. Positioning your company alongside highly rated venues that suit your food style will not only help you gain more clients but also more industry contacts. Negotiating with a venue to become an exclusive caterer can be a competitive process but it can also help keep you busy year round. And while you will most likely have to pay dues to the venue, you have the added bonus of a venue’s marketing/sales staff spreading awareness about your catering company to all who want an event at their venue. To wet your feet with an exclusive catering contract, consider talking to new venues in the area as they may be more open to partnering with an exclusive caterer. Also make sure when searching for a venue you’d like to gain exclusivity with, to ensure that the venue hosts similar events to your culinary style – if you only cater weddings, and the venue only does corporate events for instance, your businesses may clash.

Launch a retail line of the food you’re most known for

Is there a hors d’oeuvre that leaves customers weak at the knees or a sweet treat that your customers rave about and order for their events time and time again? What about taking that best-selling item and launching a retail line with it? It’s a sure-fire way to expand your target market and broaden your reach to consumers who haven’t heard of your company before. It also ensures (assuming you keep the supply coming) that you’re able to have a consistent source of additional revenue. Restaurants have been doing this for decades and in our opinion it’s about time the culinary stars of catering grace consumers with their hit foods.

Broaden your footprint by offering educational cooking classes or team building for corporate events

Your most marketable skill (or that of your executive chef and culinary team) is your cooking skills. But everyone does not know how to cook. What about broadening your footprint in the market by offering educational cooking classes for the general public? It gets your name out there, provides value to potential customers and ensures your business and brand are first in their minds. Along the same lines of offering educational cooking classes, you could offer these as a form of team building for corporate events. Corporations are constantly looking for ways to build camaraderie that offers a new and exciting way to bond. Plus, they’re usually willing to pay more for the experience than a traditional consumer.

Promote attractive pricing for catering packages during the slow season for an uptick of weddings

Everyone likes a good bargain and with weddings costing a pretty penny (with the average price of a wedding ringing in at $27000), brides that aren’t set on a particular time of year would be more than willing to book in the off season to save money. Offering attractive pricing for catering packages during the slow season and promoting these packages can ensure you’re booking events during the slow season. Suddenly your business isn’t seasonal or cyclical in nature! To ensure you can offer lower pricing on catering packages, you need to ensure you have the best value on serving platters and other tabletop items.

As the year winds down, we are able to reflect on all the accomplishments we’ve been able to achieve. 2013 was a wonderful year for National Event Supply, our customers, as well as the entire Hospitality Industry. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we’re on an incredible journey and this is only the beginning. We brought in new products like our Polar White Dinnerware, mahogany resin folding chairs, and natural wood folding chairs. We expanded our plywood folding table and plastic folding table selections. We've also expanded our focus to offer a new line of linens including polyester table skirts, rectangular and round polyester table cloths and spandex table cloths in 2014. With Special Events Magazine forecasting an even better 2014, and many different Foodservice & Restaurant magazines/industry research companies forecasting increased growth in 2014, let’s work together to make next year the best year!

While it may be December, we're definitely not slowing down. We're ramping up for 2014 to ensure that it truly will be the very best year in National Event Supply’s history. However, we will be taking some time to enjoy each others company over the holiday season. The Holiday card below will detail when we will be closed during the season.

Regardless of what you'll be celebrating, we wish you a very happy holidays! We hope you enjoy time spent with your loved ones and that you take a moment to reflect on all your accomplishments and what you're really grateful for ahead of the New Year.

National Event Supply recently made the decision to invest in a new line of linens. With the expansion of our table lines in both wood folding tables and plastic folding tables, it became the logical next step for us – and Customers were already asking. Because of this, in order to meet the customer need, we will be stocking two new lines of linens in the New Year. Check out below for more information regarding our new Linen inventory and feel free to ask additional questions in the comments!

What styles will be sold?

We are currently bringing in rectangular polyester table covers, polyester table skirts, polyester napkins, round polyester table covers, rectangular spandex table covers, and cocktail spandex table covers.

All of our polyester table cloths, including the 132" Rounds, are seamless, durable, stain and wrinkle resistant. They're made with 100% polyester and feature 180 GSM (grams per square meter) fabric.

The spandex linens, offer a modern, contemporary aesthetic for any event. Each cover is 100% wrinkle resistant and designed with leg boots to ensure table covers are protected from damage and dirt.

These table covers are available at competitive wholesale prices and ideal for party rental companies, hotels, banquet halls, weddings, and any other venue where you need table linens.

What sizes will be sold?

The following are the sizes we will initially be offering:

Sizes for Rectangular Polyester Table Cloths:

• 60" x 102" rectangular polyester table cloth
• 60" x 126" rectangular polyester table cloth
• 90" x 132" rectangular polyester table cloth
• 90" x 156" rectangular polyester table cloth

Sizes for Polyester Table Skirts:

• 17' polyester table skirt
• 21' polyester table skirt

Sizes for Polyester Napkin:

• 20" polyester napkin

Sizes for Round Polyester Table Cloths

• 90” round polyester table cloth
• 108” round polyester table cloth
• 120” round polyester table cloth
• 132” round polyester table cloth

Sizes for Cocktail Spandex Table Cloths:

• Fits a 32” x 43” high plastic folding cocktail table or a 30” x 42.5” high wood cruiser table

Sizes for Rectangular Spandex Table Cloths:

• 6ft rectangular spandex table cloth
• 8ft rectangular spandex table cloth

What colours will be sold?

Polyester table cloths in both round and rectangular shapes will come in white, black and ivory. Polyester table skirts will be available in white, black and royal blue, while the polyester napkins will be available in white and black.

The rectangular spandex table cloths will be available in white, black and ivory, while the cocktail spandex table cloths will be available in White, Black, Ivory, Orange, Burgundy, Champagne, Royal Blue, and Red.

How do you properly wash the linens?

Our Polyester linens can be washed as follows:

Our polyester linen material needs to be washed in cold water with normal laundry detergents. Stain remover is OK if necessary, bleach is also OK for whites. Dry on a low heat setting. Only dry 1-2 tablecloths at a time due to the weight of the product. Pull from the heat right away. If you use them immediately, there may be a few wrinkles that you might want to iron or steam out. If you fold them for later use, you’ll want to iron or steam out the creases from folding before use.

Our Spandex linens can be washed as follows:

Machine washable with warm water. Tumble dry with low heat setting and remove from dryer as soon as cycle is done. Ironing not required. Do not use chlorine bleach on any fabric containing spandex. Exposure to chlorine can lead to discoloration, stretch and eventual breakage of the spandex fibers.

When will they be in stock?

All linens will be in stock by the end of January – plenty of time before the busy season starts. We will be bringing these new products with us to the number of trade shows we’re attending including the CRA BC Regional Show Jan 10 – 11, 2014, and The ARA Rental Show February 9 – 12, 2014.

If you don’t follow National Event Supply on Facebook or Twitter, and you’ve been too busy with your own events (and who can really blame you), Pantone, the color authority, released its 2014 color of the year. Last year, was the year of Emerald Green. This year's color of the year is:

To get your events up and running for 2014 – check out these awesome event details utilizing the new color of the year!

Photo Credit: Yvonne Design	Photo Credit: theknot.com	Photo Credit: theknot.com

Photo Credit: theknot.com	Photo Credit: theknot.com	Photo Credit: Celebration Chair