Tag: Angela Cruz

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A & B FAQ’s: Requesting a Quote

A & B gets a lot of quote requests throughout each year.  Our Event Specialist, Angela, will take you through some of the most common customer questions and will offer some tips to make your experience a smooth one.

What is the best way to request a quote?

This really depends on your preference!  You can call our office (604-879-5281), email our general inbox ([email protected]), or submit a quote request through our website.

Keep in mind that we do get a lot of requests.  If your event is within the next five business days, do not submit an online request or send an email.  The fastest way to get a quote or place an order is to call our office and speak with someone directly.

How do I confirm my quote?

You’ll need to call our office to confirm your quote to a reservation.  We require a valid credit card number, expiry date, and CVV code.

What is the difference between a quote and a reservation?

A quote means you just receive pricing on the items and services you are interested in.  All the items you inquired about are subject to availability until you confirm your reservation with a credit card.

A reservation means that the items you need are booked and no one else can reserve them.  Don’t forget: all online submissions and email requests are classified as quotes until you confirm the reservation with our office!

Is your pricing online for a 24-hour period only?

All the pricing listed online is for a 1-to 3-day period.  This means that if your event is on a Wednesday, you can have the rentals from Tuesday to Thursday at the same price.  This is also applicable for weekend rentals from Friday to Monday.

What if I need the rentals for more that 1 day?

We offer weekly and monthly rates for rentals.  If the items are available, you can book an order for an extended period.  The final rate will depend on the length of time for which you need the rentals.

Can I pick-up the order or have it delivered?

If you have a vehicle that can accommodate the rental items, you are welcome to pick up and/or return your order to/from our office.  Delivery and pick-up services are available during our regular business hours and pricing varies depending on timing and location.

If you are sending an email for a quote or submitting an online quotation request, please indicate if you require a delivery and/or pick-up.  Please include the event address so we can make sure that we quote you the correct pricing.

Do you carry any other inventory aside from other than what’s listed online?

Other than a small selection of disposable resale items like paper napkins and tealights, our entire rental inventory is listed online!  We’re constantly updating our website when new items arrive so check our homepage to see what’s new.  It’s always a good idea to browse through our site to see if we carry what you are looking for before you send an email inquiry.

Do you have any other tips?

The more information you can include in your email or online request, the better!  Providing billing information, event timing, and delivery/pick-up timing and location, will help up put together a comprehensive quote for you.

Once you’ve sent your request in, it may take a few days to hear back depending on the volume of requests that we have received.  We prioritize the requests by event date and will do our best to touch base with you as soon as we can.

If you need to make changes to an existing quote, do not submit a new quote request online since that will just generate a duplicate quote and could lead to errors.  If you are already communicating with one of our Event Specialists, it’s best to email or call them directly.

Occasionally, there may be a technical glitch where we may not have received your request.  If you haven’t heard back in a week, make sure to double-check your junk mail and then follow up with us!

Happy Planning!

~ Angela Cruz

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Valentine’s Day 2017 – Table Inspiration

I have a confession: I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day.  I’m all for celebrating love and togetherness but I hate the pressure of making everything perfect on this one day.  I have a lot of respect for anyone willing to brave the crowds to put a smile on their loved one’s face.  This year, to take the some of the pressure off, we have three easy options that you can set up anywhere!

Simple Romance

Surprise your partner with a romantic dinner for two.  Here, one of our A&B drivers transformed a warehouse space into a dining area by using silver sequin and white banjo drape to surprise his girlfriend with a home-cooked meal.  Lush linens, silver cutlery, and sparkling glassware combined with lots of candlelight and rose petals completed the look that brought tears to her eyes.

Blush Sparkle

Design by Debut Event Design; Photograph by Union Photographers

For those that love glitz, glamour, and sparkle, this setting is sure to wow!  This table, designed by Debut Event Design and photographed by Union Photographers, makes a statement with blush sequins and gold cutlery and china.  It has an old Hollywood feel that is fit for the leading lady (or gentleman) in your life.

Galentine’s Day

Sometimes a party with friends is the best route to take.  Get your girlfriends (or guy friends) together for a Galentine’s Day party to celebrate the day, regardless of your relationship status.  Whether it’s a long table dinner or a casual cocktail party, we’ve got looks for every setting.  For a full breakdown of the items used in these photos, check out our Pinterest board!

The important thing is to make sure your plans are full of details that mean something to you and whomever you are spending the day with.  They’ll love whatever you came up with regardless of what look you pick as long as it comes from the heart.

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Angela

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5 Questions with…Angela Cruz, Event Specialist

Meet the people behind A&B that make all the magic happen! Our blog series, “5 Questions with…” introduces our team of event experts. Today’s post features Angela Cruz. Before joining A&B in 2012, Angela worked for Princess Cruises in a customer relations position for four years. At A&B, Angela is now one of our outstanding Event Specialists.

5 Questions with…Angela Cruz, Event Specialist A&B Partytime Rentals

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What does your typical workday look like?

One of the best things about A&B is that every day is different. Aside from helping customers that walk into the showroom, there’s a lot of time spent on the phone and on data entry. As we transition into our busy season, there’s also a lot of time going back and forth with the warehouse, coordinating details with the other departments, and sometimes even assisting with packing last minute orders.

What are some of your favourite events that you have worked on?

Working on weddings is always fun, especially since so many of the planners and designers we work with are amazingly talented. I also really like working on industry events because those are the events we get invited to!

With industry events, we actually get to see how our product is being used and get to talk to people about what it is we do. A recent example of this was at the Cocktails and Canapes night at the Vancouver Art Gallery. We had a chance to partner with some great Vancouver companies and were able to showcase our new stoneware plates.

Wedding shows like the Hush Wedding Show at Terminal City Club are also fun since it’s an easy way for brides and grooms who are planning their own weddings to ask questions and see examples.

What are some new rental items that you are coveting right now?

I love our new burlap linens! The platinum colour goes well for so many events and the texture adds a little something extra to the table without having to rely so much on décor.

Finish this sentence. They key to a successful event is…

Planning! At any event, something will always go wrong and you’ll need to be able to adapt, but a solid plan is always the best foundation for success.

If you had an unlimited budget to plan the ultimate event of your dreams, what kind of party would you throw?

I’d love to do a large-scale seasonal event like a Halloween Carnival or something for Christmas. I come from a large family and we always go all out for holidays, so it’d be fun to take those celebrations to the next level.