We love testing our chairs and watching them fail under enormous amounts of weight. The last time we tested a chair, we weren't able to get enough weight onto the bistro chair to get it to fail. We've made videos where our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chairs collapsed under the weight of the salt. We'd shown our plastic folding chairs holding weight overnight to show their durability. But our stacking bistro chairs? 1800 pounds resting on the chair and no collapse.

Our goal when we bring in new products is to bring in quality products. We're not interested in bringing the cheapest products if they're going to fall apart the second time that our customer use them. Durability was one of the key issues we had when we brought in our Natural Wood Folding Chair. We were already selling an incredible White Resin Folding Chair (see the stress test video here) and we didn't want a weak wooden chair that would disappoint customers looking for a wood folding chair as strong as our resin folding chairs. Earlier this year, when we shot the footage for the most recent set of stress test videos, the Natural Wood Folding Chair was high on our list of products to get tested. How did it hold up? Check out the video below.

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Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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!

Today's the final day of the 2014 Rental Show. Our Tradeshow Team has been having a great time in Orlando, and they've been showing off our stress test videos. People visiting our booth could see what it takes to destroy our NES Reliable Folding Chairs. They could watch our time lapse video showing the overnight test we performed on our plastic folding chairs. And if they didn't get a chance to see it before heading to the show, they could see our white resin folding chair stress test.

One of the videos that they are showing on the floor, but that we haven't blogged about is our NES Reliable White Bistro Chair Stress Test. Similar to the Grosfillix Miami Bistro stacking sidechair, bistro chairs are perfect for outdoor events or a restaurant patio. Whether in a tent or out in the elements, plastic bistro chairs are a practical and durable option. The key question is: will this plastic stacking chair be stronger than the folding chairs that have been tested before it? Because this chair is so similar to the miami black bistro chair or miami white bistro chair we often get asked for a comparison. We think this video speaks for itself in terms of our chair's durability.

So how much weight can a bistro chair hold? Watch the video and find out!

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We've been testing our tables and chairs for almost a year. We've done tests to see how much weight it takes to destroy our NES Reliable Folding Chairs. We did an overnight test showing that our Plastic Folding Chairs have no problems holding 396 pounds for over 12 hours. And we've tested our bar-height folding chairs to prove their strength.

Today we're going to be testing one of our most popular event chairs, the NES Reliable White Resin Folding Chair. Rental companies buy white resin folding chairs because they are perfect for outdoor events on a sunny summer weekend and can be used inside when the weather is snowy and miserable. Sales of our white resin chairs have been increased every year that we have offered them. People just love our white resin padded chairs!

Some people are a little hesitant about purchasing a chair made entirely of plastic, and this video is for them. Find out how much weight our NES Reliable White Resin Folding Chairs can take by watching the video below!

White Resin Folding Chair Stress Test

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net