It’s the day before your event. You’ve got everything prepared, and you’re ready to enjoy it. You’ve got an itinerary of the itinerary, a to-do list for the to-do list lists and you’ve organised the organisers. Even the weather is looking positive and not one person has cancelled. It’s a dream event come true. What could possibly go wrong?
It’s the day before your event. You’ve got everything prepared, and you’re ready to enjoy it. You’ve got an itinerary of the itinerary, a to-do list for the to-do list lists and you’ve organised the organisers. Even the weather is looking positive and not one person has cancelled. It’s a dream event come true. What could possibly go wrong?
As you’ll know, an awful lot goes into organising events. Every detail, every section, every element within the event needs careful thought and consideration if you’re going to have the ideal occasion with no (noticeable) slip-ups. But it’s not all down to you.
Organising events can be a complex and demanding task, whether it's a grand wedding or a small corporate gathering. One aspect that plays a crucial role in the success of any event is catering equipment hire. While it may seem like a simple rental service, catering equipment hire goes far beyond just providing equipment. For an event to be truly successful you’ll need everyone, and everything involved in the event to do what’s needed, too. You need every person and piece of equipment to be reliable.
That’s when good hire really comes into play.
The convenience of catering equipment hire
At its most basic level, catering equipment hire offers you an unmatched level of convenience. Some key items and equipment that catering equipment hire can help you with include:
Crockery hire
You’ve got enough to worry about when organising an event so crockery hire will mean that you don’t have to think about whether you have enough plates, whether they all match and of course whether they’re clean - and who’s going to do the washing up after the event. Remember that when you hire crockery from a company, this is what they specialise in, this is what they do every day, and they will provide you with exactly what you need.
Hiring furniture
Even if you hold a lot of events, it works our far easier to hire furniture every time rather than to buy it yourself. First of all, if you buy your own then you have to think about where you store it too, but also not every event is the same or has the same requirements, so while you might want to hire foldable chairs and trestle tables for one event, you could require banqueting chairs and a barrier rope for another.
Catering equipment hire
Whether you’re keeping your food options simple with a Paella dish or you’re choosing to provide a number of different food choices but don’t have the equipment to do it, hire it! Hiring professional catering equipment will allow you to provide the food you want at a high standard.
Seating hire
For conferences and performances, you’re going to need a lot of seating and again if you buy it then where are you going to store when it’s not needed? Hiring your chairs also means that you’ll be receiving clean chairs, you won’t have to worry about dusting them down or that there are any wobbly legs.
Glassware hire
How many glasses will you need? Will they all match? Do you need some for wine, some for water and some for cocktails? Glass hire means that you don’t need to worry about polishing for hours, finding broken glasses, or running out of anything your guests need.
Hiring lighting
Lighting is particularly important at events where you’re having a speaker, a performer, or awards. However, you might want lights for tents and marquees too, firstly for people to see each other, but also for decoration.
Hire a stage
If you’re having a speaker or a performer at your event, then a stage provides a focal point and a dedicated area for them. It’s a good idea to hire a stage as it elevates the people you want your guests to be able to see and creates the perfect platform for them, making the impact even more impressive.
Audio and visual hire
Hiring audio and visual equipment such as microphones and amplifiers for speeches or AV equipment for festivals makes your life easier when organising. And what’s more, if you can get this equipment from the same place as you’ve hired your plates from, then payment, delivery and any other correspondence are all taken care of in one.
What benefits does catering equipment hire offer that go beyond ‘just a hire’?
We’ve talked about the convenience of catering equipment hire, you know, that practical tangible stuff you can touch. But what about the other benefits that go beyond glasses and seating?
Who you choose for your catering equipment hire can make or break your event, so it’s important to not make it a throw away decision. Plus, if you’re hosting a lot of events, choosing the right catering equipment hire will help you foster a professional relationship that you will both reap the rewards of.
Peace of mind
With all that goes into running an event or catering at it, you need peace of mind. We work in a very competitive industry - on price, anyway. When it comes to the level of service, there's far less competition.
With the cheaper end of the market, you'll find less peace of mind, fewer positive vibes, and not so much of that "they'll definitely turn up on time" confidence. We'd be so bold as to say that hiring is almost more about peace of mind than the hire itself!
Our clients know they hire equipment from a company like us because they need it for their event. But knowing it'll arrive on time, in the right place, and in excellent working order is what gives real peace of mind. You can tick it off the list and forget about it. You can carry on planning the other elements of the event, safe in the knowledge that what you order will be there when you need it and it'll work exactly as you want it to.
Your brand under ours
If you've hired us to supply kitchen equipment, crockery, glasses, and cutlery to the site you're working at, then you'll want to be confident that we'll turn up on time and with the right kit. But you'll also want to know that we'll turn up with professionalism and not in some tatty van with a grumpy driver who couldn't care less, and a service that looks from the outset like you cut corners.
That's a terrible start and might affect the peace of mind of your customer has about the service you're going to provide on the day. Don't risk that.
When you get on site, everything is there
We've worked in the industry for long enough to know that hiring can be a mine field. If you're running lots of events at once then you'll need to work with a company that really knows its stuff and not only hires you the right equipment but delivers it carefully, and in the right location.
Turning up to an event, no matter where it is, and finding the heavy plates and kitchen kit in the wrong place is a big issue. It's not something you'd planned for, and the weight of the kit can often mean many trips with smaller quantities to shift it or getting help from other people on the ground on-site. None of this looks good on you and it eats into your food prep time, too!
A good hirer will always ask about the venue the equipment is going to, but also ask where you'd like it all deposited. Having the plates and glasses stacked in front of the ovens and hot cupboards isn't going to help when your waiting staff (tasked with laying up the tables) don't arrive for a few hours, leaving you the job of moving it all.
Mistakes happen, rectifications always follow
Life isn't perfect and mistakes happen – we’re all only human after all! We aim to avoid all the mistakes. With checks on checks and kitchen equipment being given full tests before every single hire, nothing leaves without a full once over
When, on the very rare occasion, we do have an issue with a hire - we're on it straight away. We once went out to site to replace an oven - even though it turned out to be the onsite electrics and not our fault!
Added expertise
Sometimes it can be tough to know exactly what you need for your event and what the best options are. We get that – by working with a reputable catering equipment hire supplier, you get access to a wealth of knowledge and experience. Having worked in this industry for many years, we’re well placed to offer valuable suggestions based on our own knowledge and experience.
More than just a catering equipment hire
When you’re looking at the cost of hire and who you’re going to work with, bear in mind that the cost will cover far more than the wear and tear of the equipment and the fuel to drive it there.
From start to finish, good hire will make sure that all the kit hired is not only correct and accounted for, but that it’s safe to use, clean, and delivered right where you want it. Good hire is also about making sure that when things don’t go to plan, it’s fixed promptly. This is why we deliver on weekdays and ask people to check the delivery as soon as it arrives.
As Plato is SafeHire Certified, we clean, check, PAT test and prepare every piece hire kit in accordance with the Hire Association Europe (HAE) and Event Hire Association (EHA) Code of Practice before every hire to ensure it is perfectly serviceable at the point of delivery. We also provide relevant information including operating instructions and safety guidance to minimise the risk to the hirer and members of the public.
That’s why we say that good catering equipment hire is more than just hire. It’s our way of life. Contact us today to find out how we can help you to make sure your event is a success.