There was snow and weddings, the Pope and many Roses – what a fantastic year 2018 turned out to be! We were honoured to be asked to be part of so many people’s special days and to supply huge international events. Let’s take a look back at another wonderful year for the National Event Hire team.
January is for planning
The start of the year is always a flurry of wedding booking after so many gorgeously romantic Christmas proposals. We began by looking ahead to the trends and identified that bush, navy and all shades of purple would be in for 2018. We discussed cake styles, veil options and the all-important guide to surviving wedding fairs on our social media.
We supplied furniture, crockery, glassware, table decoration, bar equipment, catering kitchens, dance floors and lounge areas for every type of wedding in 2018; marquees, vintage, rustic, castle, seaside – you name it! There’s nothing quite like making a couple’s dreams come true.
February is for business
February always marks the start of the big business dinners and none more so than the Cork Chamber Dinner 2018. This colossal City Hall event uses up 1,200 chairs, 120 tables, 2,400 red and white wine glasses, 12,000 pieces of cutlery, 6,000 pieces of crockery and 10,000 pieces of glassware.
We worked alongside Brook Food Services for this event – as we do so regularly – and it all went off without a hitch.
We also supplied Valentine balls this month, as well as celebrating Chinese New Year and equipping Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s meeting rooms for corporate events.
March is for keeping your cool
We battled through the snow to ensure weddings still went ahead in the wintery wonderland of the big snow. We also looked ahead to Holy Communion planning to avoid stressful home catering and celebrated being Irish and all the amazing mothers in our lives.
March was also the month for lights, camera and action at the 2018 Lord Mayor Cllr. Tony Fitzgerald’s Ball in Cork City Hall. It’s always a pleasure working with Excellent Choice Catering and the team at Cork City Council. It was a fabulous night.
April is for big numbers
This month, we got prepared to supply upcoming weddings and Holy Communion events but not before we wished Ireland’s first skyscraper a Happy 50th Birthday! Yes, Cork County Hall didn’t look a day over 28 for the big birthday and we were delighted to be part of the celebrations.
We also popped up again at Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the Cork Convention Bureau #KeepCorkMeeting event and finished the month by taking delivery of 2,000 shiny new banquet chairs!
May was just perfect
Ed painted the town red with sell-out concerts and Mr Sheeran was in safe hands with us, as we ensured extra equipment was delivered on time to many venues around the city. Everything had to be ‘perfect’ for Ed!
It was also exam time for many and many a perfect paper was written at one of our tables and chairs!
June, so soon?
Traditionally our busiest month, the vans were on the road every day during these gloriously sunny weeks, with record crowds out for Cork Summer Show, Midsummer Festival and Taste of Dublin.
We also welcomed royalty, working with various partners to ensure Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Camilla’s visit to Cork went off without a hitch!
We had our masks at the ready for Cllr Declan Hurley County Mayor’s Charity Masquerade Ball at Cork County Council and enjoyed a fantastic night, before setting up for 450 diners at the Long Table. We even snuck in a BBQ or two…
July is the time to party
Outdoor weddings kept us busy for July, along with celebrating American Independence Day and enjoying a brilliant weekend at the Laya Healthcare City Spectacular.
Thanks to the good weather, garden parties made a comeback this year and the best part about hiring us is that there’s no washing up!
August is for big names
The Rose of Tralee is one of the biggest events we supply for every year and 2018 was the most spectacular yet! We provided tables, chairs, crockery, glassware, centrepieces and kitchen equipment for 1,400 people at the Rose Ball, as well as 3,000 chairs for the selection nights. What an amazing week…
It’s not every day the Pope visits Ireland – in fact it’s been nearly 40 years! We welcomed His Holiness, Pope Francis for the World Meeting of Families 2018 in August and were proud to supply over 2,000 chairs for the Papal visit.
We were also found working hard at Electric Picnic, Taste of Fermoy and at Ireland’s oldest agricultural show – the Iverk Show in Kilkenny.
September is a time for culture
What’s more Irish than the National Ploughing Championships? We had a fantastic time there this year – both as suppliers and as guests! It really is a fantastic event and we are proud to be associated with it.
We were also very proud to be involved with The English Market for Culture Night 2018, it was an amazing event that grows bigger by the year as so many fascinating buildings open their doors for free.
We finished the month with an amazing night in City Hall for the Liam Miller Tribute Dinner, after that amazing match.
October is a feast
We enjoyed a weekend of gastronomic excellence at the 42nd Kinsale Gourmet Festival and then made a moooove to the National Dairy Show in Millstreet. A bag full of Halloween treats and an extra hour in bed finished off October nicely!
November make us proud
City Hall was the venue for the Irish Pride of Place Awards and what an inspirational night it turned out to be!
We also supplied many trade shows and expos this month, along with planning Christmas parties and amazing winter weddings. Might be a quiet month for some – but not for us. We even managed a Thanksgiving dinner…
December is a dream
As another year draws to a close, we look forward to being part of so many Christmas parties and weddings. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year and we wish all our clients, guest, customers and friends the most wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Here’s to 2019!
At National Event Hire, we have decades of experience in supplying quality furniture, crockery, cutlery, kitchen equipment and linen to office and company parties of all shapes and sizes. If you require help with planning your Christmas Party call us free phone on 1800 759 759 or email us at info@neh.ie
For Christmas Party inspiration check out www.nationaleventhire.ie