Booking Advice
Charlie Wilson of Diamond Discos has over 10 years experience as a professional DJ and offers an insight into what to look for when booking a DJ for your party or special occasion.
Finding a DJ or Mobile Disco
When you are looking at booking a DJ for your event, the biggest mistake you could ever make is by making a booking based upon price. There are some DJ's out there that will quote less than the going rate (ask yourself why?) the going rate is between £180 - £275 depending on what part of the country you come from. When you have booked with someone that's charged the going rate you should receive a service that is capable of catering for up to 225 people. The cost can exceed the going rate depending on the size, extras or any other requirements that you might of made.
From being in the trade a long time I have noticed that the DJ’s that quote stupidly low prices are actually pulling off something that's called the low ball scam, this is were they will still be quoting for your event date even though they have already been booked by you however they are now quoting the going rate and above as they can afford to due to having your booking to fall back on. Should someone else book them you will then be left in the larch or passed down to a bedroom DJ. This I have seen time and time again and is typical conduct of the un-established DJ’s, I’ve lost count of the amount of times people ring me at the last minute in desperation trying to re book someone else. I always ask how much there original DJ quoted and it’s always been stupidly low, sometimes I can even remember quoting for the job originally and remember being baffled as to why I didn’t get it. Guess its because I quoted the going rate!
Anyway there are a lot of other important factors to consider also, hopefully this will give you all the advice you need and ensure that you book with a reputable DJ/company.
Insurance
I strongly recommend that you book with a company that has public liability insurance (PLI). This is important should anything happen to you or your guests, such as a trip on a lead etc. If this was to happen you need to be assured that the DJ has sufficient insurance against such accidents, especially if you will have young children at your event. You can ask the DJ or disco company that you are thinking of booking to send you a copy of there insurance certificate to prove that they are insured.
I would also recommend that you ask the DJ or company if there equipment is PAT tested, this is an annual electrical safety test of all their equipment. This is a good way of ensuring you are booking a DJ whose equipment has been checked by the proper authority. Yet again you may ask for a copy of the certificate.
Booking & Contracts
When you do decide to book a DJ for your event, I strongly advise that you get paper work from them. If you get a contract or a booking form this will give you a legal guarantee that they must attend your event.
Ensure you have sufficient contact details for the DJ/company you are dealing with, a mobile phone number is not adequate. Insist that you have a postal address and a land line, a professional DJ/company will have either a 0845 number (local call rate) or a 0800 number (free call) I would not recommend paying any money until you have a postal address and a land line. If you have paid a deposit and don’t have these details and didn’t receive any paperwork either by the way of a booking form or a confirmation form and after persistent requests you still aren’t getting any ware then I would suggest that you book someone else ASAP and cut your loses, 9 times out of 10 under these circumstances the DJ will not turn up and you will be thanking your luck stars that you re-booked with a professional.
Music & Play Lists
Ask the DJ what kinds of music they carry with them. A pro DJ's will carry music from right across the board and will be able to do requests. Most DJ's will accept play lists, where you can specify what tracks you would like to be played and what you wouldn’t like played. This is a good idea and usually helps the DJ in knowing what musical taste you have, I recommend having a play list for 30% of the evening with the DJ filling in the rest. This gives the DJ the chance to keep the dance floor busy should he need to change from your requests slightly or completely change it to save the evening and to keep your guests dancing and having a good time.
Check to see that the DJ has your chosen first and if any, last dance. I would strongly recommend that if you are having a wedding reception that you make a copy of the first dance and bring it with you just in case.
Equipment & Presentation
Ask the DJ what equipment they use, such as lighting and sound equipment. Names like Technics, Denon, Allen & Heath, Martin, Abstract, Peavey, QSC, Crown, Cerwin Vega, Jem and Shure should be mentioned as they are industry standard and above, however there are many more top brands out there not to be dismissed. This may give you an idea of the kind of rig that they use, anyone that sounds unsure about what type of equipment they have got maybe suspect as a pro will know the equipment inside out and will be an expert from having worked with pro audio over the years. Another good way of seeing the kind of show they have is to ask if they have a website with pictures, look out for banners in the pictures though they might of just copied and pasted off someone else’s site. Another important factor is whether or not the venue has noise restrictions placed upon it, if so the DJ will need to be made aware of this in advance. Also find out if the venue allows some of their equipment such as fog, smoke, haze or bubble machines.
Remember, ask your DJ what they will be wearing at the event! Ripped jeans, trainers and an old T shirt may not be what you are looking for so ask them if they will be dressed accordingly. Most DJ's will be smart/casual unless you state otherwise e.g. black tie, black tie usually cost a little more but then what would you expect.
Hotel & Venue - Resident DJ's
Don't rely solely on the recommendation of venue managers. Venues are businesses and in most cases they will recommend their "in-house" disco because they are probably the cheapest they could find in order to make a mark up. If you do decide to book an "in-house" disco insist that you are given the telephone number of their company so you can check them out. However, some venues in my experience will only recommend professionals as a poor DJ will reflect badly on them and will lose them valuable future bookings.
Conclusion
The DJ is responsible for ensuring that you and your guests have a good time, your DJ should be experienced in many different kinds of events. A professional DJ will of course be the one who has the most experience! So be respectful, it may be your 4th event for example however it might be the DJ's 1000th! After all it is his job. The DJ has to consider all the time slots and special moments at your event e.g. speeches or the bride and grooms 1st dance for example.
Another thing you may want to do is ask the DJ if he will allow you to pause the show and let you use the microphone to say a few words of thanks or issue presentations of gifts to family members or important people who have made your event come together or if you wish your DJ should be happy to pass the microphone over to one of the key guests. If this is what you want to do then think about weather or not you will want a radio mic, why not ask the DJ he has probably worked at the venue before and will know better than anyone.
Prior to the event should you need to you can make a schedule forward a copy of this schedule to your DJ, inform the DJ about what you want to do and when you want to do it. Then when it comes to your event you can relax in comfort and leave the hard work to someone else.
Do not book a DJ simply on the basis that they are a low price. It has been quoted many times, a good DJ is the one thing that can make or break an event. A good DJ will charge the going rate at the very least. When arranging a wedding or similar event the DJ is usually the cheapest thing you will need to hire, a wedding cake will probably cost a lot more than what your DJ will quote yet hiring the right person will probably turn out to be the most important decision you will make. Don't make the wrong choice as everyone who comes along will probably not remember your party for the right reasons. If you hire a poor quality DJ or if you find one that goes out for really cheap rate's it may be worth remembering that to quote a cheap price they will of had to of made a compromise somewhere along the line they may not be covered for insurance, the might use be using basic or inferior sound equipment that is not P.A.T tested, they may not even have an extensive music collection or they might not be registered by the taxman, etc, etc. A poor DJ also only tend to play the music they like themselves and does not tend to carry much of anything else, guy's like this don't entertain or know how to create a good atmosphere. A pro DJ will play the right music in the right order (this is know as the delivery in the trade) and he will mix each track from one to the other seamlessly regardless as to whether or not the tracks can be beat matched.
DJ's have worked in numerous venue's and may well even be able to recommend a suitable venue to hold your event at, also most DJ's have worked alongside bands, artists and assistants and over the years have got to know them well so it may be a good idea to ask if your DJ can help find any additional entertainment you might want to book. Asking some of the people you have already hired may just save you trudging around the phone books for weeks on end or it may even save you money and if they are recommended from a good source the chances are they will know who can get the job done.
By following the above advice hopefully it will ensure that you employ a professional DJ at your event.
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