Today we chat to Natascha of Petite Events Hire, a one stop shop offering a range of party services such as unique “petite” decor item hire, dessert table styling, and grazing platters and tables. 

How did Petite Events Hire come about?

We have three kids and this means lots of parties. It was quite a spontaneous idea to hire out our spare party décor after accumulating a bit of a collection, so I started a Facebook page and it just exploded from there. Two years later here we are!

When I first started, I actually thought it was a unique business and slowly started to realise there was a whole industry of amazing hiring businesses which was quite encouraging and also allowed me to make some great contacts.

You have some amazing items for hire, what are your favourites?

I can’t say I have one favourite but I do love to see our hire items used in kids parties. Seeing happy little faces when they play in our tee pees or pick a donut from our donut wall makes me very happy.

How do you source all your products? What do you look for when selecting items for hire?

Sometimes I ask my kids what they they think of an item when I have a new idea. I figure customer research should start by questioning the target audience.

I also look at what’s on trend and try to source products with hot themes.  Often customers ask for items, that we then make by demand. But in general I like to play with colours or styles I haven’t seen before, so I try and get ideas from areas other than the party industry.

Important factors are most definitely weight and materials. Hire items go through many hands, so they need to be easy to transport and put together, light and long lasting.

From the items you’re hiring at the moment, what are the most popular and what trends can you see?

It’s summer so our picnic tables are very popular. I have also  recently introduced a donut wall range,  as customers always enquire about these and so far have been hired out every weekend since they were introduced.

As for the current trend, pastels seem to be the dominating colour.

 

 

Not only do you hire out some amazing items but you also create magic with your grazing tables. How did that come about?

It’s been a growing trend for a while. I had been featuring some amazing businesses on my pages for a while, when I was approached by a client who asked if in addition to a dessert table, I could create a savoury platter. I agreed and from there it just expanded very quickly

I have been lucky that customers have taken very positively to my style and we were booked out for 2017 with grazing tables.

 

What do you think is the secret to a successful grazing table? And what are the must haves?

I think every caterer has his or her own style. I see so many grazing tables, all styled differently, but all amazing. Sometimes I am asked to create a long even platter while other clients like different heights. And of course the food needs to match the theme and colour scheme of the event. Also everything needs to be fresh and prepared under highest hygiene standards. Must haves are definitely cheese, ain’t no decent platter without it!

If you had to choose any theme to style for an event, what would it be?

Having two boys and a tomboy girl that loves red, I don’t have the opportunity to do much styling with pink. Naturally I adore the pretty girly themes like ballerina, kitty cat or shiny diamonds.

My other favourite is the good old tropical party. Even after being in Australia for 18 years now, looking at a palm tree and pineapples still puts me in a happy mood.

Check out Natascha and Petite Events Hire online, on Instagram or Facebook.