Happy New Year to all of my amazing clients, venues and supplier friends in the industry; let’s hope this year is a lot smoother than the last 18 months!
Today I wanted to write a short blog about the value of getting to know your DJ/Host before you book and why some DJ’s charge a different fee to others but essentially, we all do the same job….. Many DJ’s have lots of different ways of working out prices which can change so much across the country so I just thought I would break it down so you have the peace of mind when comparing different entertainment services.
1. Equipment – This can vary across the board, some DJ’s use a table from the venue and have one or two lights. Other DJ’s use a professional DJ booth, professional lighting rig and have other equipment to enhance the evening.
2. Insurance – Some DJ’s do not have the relevant insurances that venues require to be able to offer an entertainment service. At a very minimum, DJ’ should have at least Public Liability insurance and PAT tested equipment which will keep everyone safe for the event.
3. Access to venue – This is a key element for me as a Host/DJ. If I have to park out the front of a venue, go through lots of doors, up in a lift and then to my area where I will set up, the price will be very different for a venue that has easy unloading. Professional DJ’s have lots of equipment which can be very heavy so this makes a big difference.
4. Times – Again as a DJ, if you do a basic evening set from 7pm – 12am then you would arrive an hour before and unload before playing. However, if you require your DJ to stay in to the early hours of the morning then there would be an additional charge; this becomes very unsociable hours by the time you have packed away and driven home so that has to be factored in. This also works the other way, if you require a DJ to set up early then the early set up fee would be added as effectively the DJ would have to either sit around until required or drive home and back again which would then add mileage etc.
5. Reviews – This is a key focus when customers are looking for a Host/DJ for their party or event. If the reviews are very good for this person or company, this should give you the peace of mind that the service you will be buying is reputable and will give you the entertainment you want at your special event.
6. Preferred Suppliers List – Again, if an exclusive venue is recommending a business to their corporate clients, customers looking to have a party or their wedding couples, this speaks volumes. It means not only do they trust and value the supplier, they would have worked alongside them before, thus knowing their work ethics.
7. Full Time/Part Time – Full time professional DJ’s do this as their full time occupation therefore will probably charge a little more than people that do this alongside a day job. Running your own business to survive is very different to being in a comfortable position with another income so some good DJ’s can charge a lot less as it’s more of a hobby or in the industry called ‘holiday money’….
Lastly, I always try to give the below example when you compare buying a car to buying an entertainment service…. You walk into the new showroom and you can have:
A) The car that has the metallic paint, alloy wheels, air con, full electric, heated seats, computer dash, bluetooth music and sat nav system and the full works
B) The standard version of the car, choice of colour, radio, no alloys, bluetooth music system and electric windows
C) The basic version in either white or black, radio, dialled heating system and no electric windows
All these cars can get you from A-B however the experience is very different with each of them depending on what you are going to use the car for. All I would say is think about your entertainment, like you do with venue decoration or other services as keeping the dance-floor going is one of the things you and your guests will remember the most.
Enjoy the rest of the year and thank you to all my amazing customers that continue to book my entertainment services.
Dean John
