Blog posts tagged with 'party rental'

Corporate holiday parties have been a source of networking and good employee morale for decades. With the downturn in the economy, it was thought that the corporate holiday party would meet its demise. Special event planners, party rental companies, caterers, restaurants, and hotel venues can breathe a sigh of relief-with BizBash and Seamless surveying more than 1,500 event professionals, it appears corporations still have reason to celebrate. With answers to burning questions such as when the parties are held, and where the food is from, check out this infographic on the BizBash site to get an idea of the event rental needs you should be stocking up on.

Source: BizBash

The impending United States Government Shutdown has far reaching impact on tourism, first time home buyers seeking government backed mortgages and IRS taxpayer services to name a few. What most may neglect to see is the effect the shutdown will have on events such as political fundraisers.

While I wish I had better news on this issue, this unfortunately is not a pleasant post to write. With the government shutdown, fundraising events put on by both the Democratic and Republican parties will come to a standstill.

So what does this mean to caterers, party rental companies and event venues such as hotels, golf courses and banquet halls?

Politico, a publication focused on tough, fair and fun coverage of politics and government, interviewed a Democratic fundraiser that stated “The caterers are still going to charge for food and possibly labor – some could charge 100 percent of estimate if you cancel less than 72 hours. They have already ordered the food by now and in a union shop the staff has likely been scheduled so depending on the cancellation policy they likely will get paid”. The same should ring true with event venues, and party rental companies – assuming they have contingency plans built into their contracts such as cancellation policies and non-refundable deposits.

To read more on Politico regarding their thoughts on the impact of the government shutdown on events, click here.

Much like my previous post, 5 Problems with Plastic Folding Tables, this post will focus on the 5 most common problems with Wood Folding Tables. Chances are if you have ever considered purchasing a Wood (or Plywood) Folding Table, you have also considered the difficulties that you may experience with this particular type of table. Without any further ado, here are the 5 most common problems you can experience with Wood folding tables.

Wood Tables Can Split and Splinter When Dropped

Plywood tables unfortunately can splinter. This typically occurs if they are dropped; the area that sustained the impact will show damage similar to the picture. If you have the facilities to turn a damaged table into a smaller table (8-ft into a 6-ft) then this risk may not affect your purchase decision. If you do not have the facilities to make a fix you will likely need to purchase a new table.

The Table Feet Fall Off

Okay so apparently this is a problem with both wood and plastic folding tables! Again like the plastic folding table feet, the wood folding table feet generally don’t just fall off, they are pulled off unintentionally. The most common culprit is still the soft ground. While not a major issue by any means it certainly can be an annoying one. To solve this issue you will occasionally need to buy replacement feet so the tables won’t scratch or mar the floor surfaces where they are being used.

Table Legs Don’t Stay Folded in Place

Unlike plastic folding tables that use clips to hold the folded legs in place, wood folding tables use friction from the folding mechanism to stay folded. With time, wear and tear causes there to be less and less friction meaning the legs can start to unfold while the table is being moved.

Wood Tables Do Not Survive Well Outdoors

If you have spent some time checking out our blog, you will have seen our long term Plastic Folding Table and Wood Folding Table outdoor durability test. In this test we have taken things to the extreme, absolutely nothing has been done to either table since they were set up months ago. From the blog posts you can clearly see that if the table is going to be spending very much time outside exposed to the elements, you will probably want to purchase plastic folding tables.

Maintenance Can Be Tedious

Unlike plastic folding tables that require a quick wipe down and little else, wood folding tables can require additional maintenance. While not required and generally dependent on the use, many wood folding table owners opt to refinish their tables every year or two. This process involves sanding, staining (if desired), and a final varnish coat. If done correctly the table can look just about like new but keep in mind there is significant effort involved in this process.

At National Event Supply, we offer 3 styles of cushions for Chiavari chairs; the traditional fabric Chiavari chair cushion, a vinyl cushion and a plywood base cushion. Each of the three cushion styles is available in White, Black and Ivory. Custom special order colours are available for the Chiavari cushions but can take 120+ days to source since not all the same custom colours are available from our suppliers.

Fabric Chiavari Chair Cushions

This are the traditional style of Chiavari chair cushion that is secured to the chair by Velcro tags at the back of the cushion. This is the most popular style of Chiavari chair cushion that is used extensively and gives the classic Chiavari chair look. The fabric cushion is available for $5.95/cushion or included free of charge when you purchase a Chiavari chair from National Event Supply.

While the fabric Chiavari cushion is the most popular style of cushion, it also comes with the highest maintenance costs as the fabric will need to be washed on a fairly frequent basis. The fabric is also more susceptible to staining and discolouration. This is more problematic with the white and ivory coloured fabric coverings versus the black fabric coverings. And while the washing effort is not all that difficult, putting the foam cushions back inside the fabric coverings can be quite time consuming and challenging to say the least. The other issue that can occur with the fabric Chiavari cushion is occasionally the Velcro tie tags will pull away (and off) from the back of the cushion. To fix this the Velcro tags either need to be re-sewn into the cushion or the fabric cushion needs to be replaced with a new cushion.

Vinyl Chiavari Chair Cushion

The vinyl Chiavari cushion has the same shape and classic look as the fabric style Chiavari chair cushion only the covering is made of vinyl. Vinyl Chiavari cushions are available at a cost of $8.45 each or a $2.50 upcharge if you are buying Chiavari chairs from National Event Supply.

The vinyl Chiavari cushions will perform dramatically better than the fabric cushions and will be more resistant to staining and discoloration. With that said however they do occasionally become stained or discoloured (particularly from red wine, tree saps and bird droppings). In addition, since the vinyl Chiavari chair cushions have the same Velcro tie tags as the fabric cushions; these will also need to be repaired.

Plywood Base Chiavari Chair Cushion

The plywood base Chiavari chair cushion comes with either a PU (Polyurethane) covering or a vinyl covering and cost $9.45 each or an upcharge of $3.50 if you are buying Chiavari chairs from National Event Supply.

The Plywood base Chiavari chair cushions have a Velcro strip on the bottom of the plywood base which helps to secure them to the seat of the Chiavari chair and creates a very elegant, finished look for the Chiavari chair. As a result, this option has become a very popular choice for customers looking to upgrade the cushions on their Chiavari chairs.

Day 88—September 4, 2013

The last time we looked in on our long-term table test, our 4-foot NES Rectangular Plastic Folding Table was going strong while the top layer of our 4-foot NES Rectangular Wood Folding Table was starting to peel badly. Now that summer is over, we thought it would be a good time to look in on our table test and see what August’s heat and humidity has done to both of the tables. We were really curious to find out if the peeling had progressed on the wood folding table, and whether the weather was starting to deteriorate the plastic table. So after almost 90 days, how are the tables holding up?

As you can see from the picture, the layers of the plywood have continued to separate with the top layer curling and the layer below starting to buckle and form waves. The tabletop continues to discolour from exposure to the elements. However, while the wood deteriorates, the metal hardware on the table has not begun to rust and the powder-coated table legs are still in pretty good condition.

The plastic table is still showing no ill effects from its time out in the elements. One would merely need to wipe the table off and it would be suitable for use at an event. Again, the metal hardware on the table has not taken any damage from the moisture in the air, or the rain storms that we have had.

After the last check in on the tables, I was wondering if we would see more peeling on the top layer of plywood or if it would completely separate as the glue holding the layer together weakens. The top layer has continued to separate, but it is still firmly attached to the table. The buckling of the second layer sort of surprises me. I didn’t expect that we would see deterioration of an inner layer simply because it is somewhat protected by the top layer of plywood.

I’m not surprised by the lack of deterioration of the plastic table-top. I was sure that if anything was going to survive a test of the elements, it was going to be thee plastic top. I am very happy that they metal table-legs on both tables are coming through this test in with flying colours. It will be interesting to see what happens to them as the temperature decreases this fall, and what effect snow will have on the tables.