Blog posts tagged with 'caterers'

Well, we're back. The staff of National Event Supply are back from their Christmas Vacations and are feeling recharged and ready to start the New Year off with a bang. Projects that have been months in the making are quickly coming to an end. We have a new catalogue with all of our new products in the final phases and (almost) ready to print. The website is being dramatically revamped (again) with an eye towards the mobile web, and improved useability. New business cards have arrived and our new calendars are up and keeping the big dates in our minds.

Spring Buying

Winter has just begun, but it's time to start planning for Spring Purchases. At National Event Supply, we pride ourselves on being a stocking warehouse. We always try to keep things in stock so that if you need 50 folding tables shipped to you immediately, we can ship you 50 tables. We want you to be able to call us up and order a dozen plates (or 100 dozen plates) secure in the knowledge that we'll have them. Of course, sometimes we misjudge our stock levels, and run out of things like folding cocktail tables and white resin folding chairs. That's why we encourage people to let us know what they are interested in fairly early so we can order items accordingly. If you're interested in plastic folding tables for April, let us know now and we can put together a quote for you. Even if you don't want/need the folding tables until later in the spring, we'd like to know about it early enough so we can work to make sure we don't run out of the tables before you purchase yours.

Custom Orders

Now is also the time to inquire about custom orders. Custom orders typically take 90-120 days for manufacturing and shipping to our warehouse. If you're looking for a piece of custom dinnerware, or a particular colour of Chiavari Chair Cushion, now is the time to contact one of our sales reps and let them know what you're interested in.

Trade Shows

January, February, and March are also filled with trade shows. The National Event Supply trade show team will be doing a trade show on each of the last three weekends of January. On January 11 and 12, the trade show team will be in Surrey, BC for the BC CRA Regional Trade Show. On January 19, Dennis and the trade show team will be in Alliston for the CRA Ontario Tabletop Show. The trade show team ends the month back in BC at the BC Foodservice Expo on January 27 and 28. Dennis and the trade show team then get a couple of weeks to catch their breath before they head on down to Las Vegas for The Rental Show. You can get more information about each of the trade shows were exhibiting at here.

2013 has just started and already it's shaping up to be a big year. If you have any questions about our products, about custom orders, or about our trade show schedule, please don't hesitate to drop one of our sales reps a line!

Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's just five days until Christmas (or one day until the end of the world) and we're still going strong here at National Event Supply. I've gotten my oval platter for the turkey and some Serenity Champagne Flutes for the Christmas Morning Brunch; presents have been bought and delivered (but not yet wrapped); and the baking is under control (for the most part).

On the work front we've sent postcards to our BC Rental customers inviting them to come see us at the BC Rental Show, Stephanie is putting the finishing touches on our new catalogue, Jonathan is putting together trade show booths, and Dennis is making sure we'll have enough product for the spring. We're all working on making sure that 2013 will be the best year ever, but before the calendar flips over, we're all going to take a quick break to recharge our batteries.

With that in mind, National Event Supply will be closed from 5:00pm December 21, 2012 until 9:00am January 2, 2013. In this season of good will, we wish you and your family best wishes of the season and hope that you have a happy and healthy new year! And if the world ends on the 21st it was great doing business with you.

Top Image courtesy of Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

National Event Supply is proud to be a member of many different organizations that help improve many of the industries that we serve. One organization that we are part of that is not industry specific however is the CFIB (Canadian Federation of independent Business). The CFIB is an organization that represents over 109,000 small business owners across Canada. They are responsible for policy changes including increasing the Small Business Corporate Tax threshold to $500,000, increasing the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption to $750,000, and defeating the proposed mergers of four of Canada’s chartered banks. While these are exceptional accomplishments in their own right, what are some of the benefits for a small business owner like you?

Lobbying

Lobbying is something that is generally reserved for large companies since they are the only ones that can afford to lobby in a meaningful way. Large corporations are happy to lobby on their own or through industry trade organizations that are made up almost exclusively of large companies. The CFIB however gives small business owners like you the power to lobby the government. Individually we are very limited by time, money, and experience, but together we represent a significant part of the Canadian economy. As a result when the government helps small business owners, they help the government and Canada as a whole. Since the CFIB has the strength of all their members behind them, they are able to watch for unfair practices and policies that adversely affect small businesses. They also help influence the budget to make sure small business is considered. Finally, don’t be afraid to tell them about an unfair practice in your industry, they may be able to help.

Business Support

Another great benefit of being a member of the CFIB is getting access to their business support. Many small businesses do not have the time, money, and staff to make themselves aware of all the legal changes constantly happening around us. We focus all of our time and effort on our business and its customers, making sure our business is profitable and our customers are happy. Many of us are not likely to realize that the government has made changes to a law that affects our business. A great example is the change to the accessibility laws for people in Ontario with disabilities. These changes are important for our businesses to be aware of and compliant with for not only our own sake but more importantly our customer’s sake.

Savings on Services

The final great benefit that I would like to touch on is the CFIB gives you the opportunity to save on some services. You can save on services ranging from credit card processing to telecom to insurance. While saving money on services is always great, they also give you the opportunity to save on business skills training. Things like the Small Business Human Resources Certificate, Small Business Management Certificate, and Small Business Health and Safety Certificate. This goes hand in hand with some of their business support as it allows you to ensure your business is compliant with all of the required government legislation.

This past weekend, I spent some time in our kitchen going through our cupboards and making plans for Christmas. I found out that I'm hosting part of my family for Christmas this year, and have been hunting down family recipes, making schedules for cleaning, baking, and cooking, and generally just making plans. I know that I'm going to have to hunt down a turkey for the big day, make perogies for the day before, and bake enough scuffles, shortbread, butter tarts, buns, and stollen to feed an army. I find making plans is a good thing—it keeps me sane.

While I was going through the kitchen, I realized that I don't have a platter that would hold a turkey. The last time I cooked a turkey, it was just me and a roommate and we picked what we wanted off of an 18 pound bird (which is WAY to much turkey for 2 people, lesson learned) before we cut the rest up and put it in the freezer. That won't fly this year. I'm going to need a platter to serve the bird. I'm also going to need a way to deliver the delicious desserts that my family desires and deserves to the table. That calls for another platter. Luckily, we sell platters.

When you see a turkey on tv or in a movie, it's always a golden brown bird on an oval platter. National Event Supply sells three sizes of oval porcelain platters: 18 inches, 20 inches, and 22 inches. They're made of the same high quality porcelain as our Quadrato and Hotelier Dinnerware, and are perfect for a commercial setting. They are the perfect platters for delivering a turkey to the table.

Sometimes though, you want to shake things up. You want to be a little edgy, yet still have elements of the traditional. If you're looking to go a little unconventional, we have 3 large rectangular platters that could easily handle a turkey or a nice roast. The largest of these platters is 12.5"x19", the medium sized platter is 12"x18", while the smallest is 11"x17". While they don't have quite as large of a lip as our oval platters, they'd still be awesome for bringing the bird to the table.

For delivery the goodies to the table, I'm thinking about grabbing a round porcelain platter. We currently have three sizes of round porcelain platters (14", 16", and 18"), so you can pick a round platter that's just the right size for whatever you're serving. Our round platters are just as strong as our oval platters and are also perfect for a commercial environment.

Sometimes though you need a larger platter. If you're looking for a larger platter, take a look at our Melamine line. With round, square, and rectangular options in a variety of sizes, these platters are perfect for serving a large group. They are also dishwasher safe and work well in a commercial environment. The one thing to keep in mind, however, is that you can't cut anything on the Melamine platters as you will leave knife marks.

Top Image courtesy of Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So everyone, we have an announcement: we’re starting a new series on the last Friday of the month, to offer up a different kind of blog post.

Every month, National Event Supply stumbles across articles and blog posts that we think are fabulous and could add value to your business so we thought we’d share them with you on a regular basis!

With social media a mainstream marketing tool to reach new markets, it’s no longer a marketing channel to ignore. But without the right tools and no idea where to start it can be an overwhelming project to tackle. Check out this article on Social Media Marketing for Caterers—which gives you a lowdown on the lingo—and practical tips to help you avoid a social media breakdown.

Via Catersource Magazine

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) created an awesome and inspirational video entitled “I AM A RESTAURANT.” For a little pick-me-up and entertainment in your day – regardless of whether you’re a restaurant or not – check out this new film telling the story of the CRFA industry and the many ways in which restaurants nourish communities across Canada.

Via The CRFA

There’s nothing better than your phone ringing off the hook but to ensure that you’re customer service skills and phone techniques it never hurts to brush up on your skills – especially as it helps increase customer loyalty, build a better business and increase profits. Rental pulse has a valuable webinar on December 5th – Oh Darn! It’s the Phone Again! – Nancy Friedman, president of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training helps us get back on track with our customer service in 90 minutes.

Via Rental Pulse

It’s a lot of work keeping clients for a lifetime – so often we focus on the new clients and can sometimes be complacent about the existing clients. This article explains how event rental pros keep longtime clients utilizing a range of enticements and strategies.

Via Special Events Magazine

Check back in a month for the next favourite finds! Until then, have a great weekend!