When is the Best Time to Book Your DJ?
The Answer is NOW.
The earlier the better! Did you know that most of the top rated DJs in Manitoba are constantly evolving their skill level?
The movement for self improvement will typically yield higher expectations of price. It does for myself. As I train and build my experience levels in ways that I can translate to my clientele, I can guarantee today that my price today will be the lowest it’s ever going to be. By the time I present my services to someone later on, I could very well have given myself a well deserved raise.
This Does Not Apply to All Companies, or Individuals.
The ones that are continually improving themselves will bring their new skills to the table at their next event, and by the following morning they will have sold themselves on a better wage.
This is typically what you find with sole proprietors in the market. For bigger companies with multiple DJs on hand, they will keep costs relatively the same. The reason being, their employees are mostly part time. Their dedication is not required by the company and do not require heavy training. There are even people out there who operate on their own part time. Simply put: Part-Time Effort = Part-Time Results.
Where as a full time professional single-operator will put in the effort and funds required to educate themselves on the best practices in the industry.
When Should I Book My DJ?
Would you rather wait til all the good DJs get booked up, or would you get the best possible rate for your event even if it’s one to two years away? I personally believe that you should have the DJ booked after you find the Venue(s) and secure your dates. In some cases, you may even want to book your DJ first (that’s right). If your DJ is in high enough demand, you may want to source them out first so you know what dates you can work with before booking anything else.
Do your homework and research your DJs. If you are looking for something specific, hear what they have to say and how they are going to service you and your big Celebration.
You can find out why it’s important to meet the DJ here.
Did you wait too long?
I’d love to hear from you!
-Steven
Redefining the Celebration Experience
www.DJYourLife.com
Top 3 Ways To Sell Out Your Event
I’ve been hired to provide music and entertainment for clients and their events. Some times the turn out can be very low in numbers. Here in Manitoba, our Wedding Socials are events where we can generate money for the Bride & Groom to be and their inevitable Wedding Celebration. However, the attraction of the Social event in itself, is no longer a mandatory attendance for most people.
Follow this simple formula for the best results in a market that’s been over done.
1) Sell Tickets
It’s obvious that you should sell tickets. Sometimes the sales do not add up however. Want to sell more? Try selling way in advance. You should be selling your tickets 6 months in advance. This ensures you meet with every prospective attendee.
A good way to break the ice with a prospective ticket buyer is to start by asking “Hey, do you have $10?” They will most likely reply “I do actually!” Then you say “Great, here’s a ticket to my Social (or whatever event)!”
My recommendation is to over sell your space. And be conscious about how many people you think you can actually attract. Don’t go searching for the biggest venue because it may have come with an easier price point. If you only can think of 100 friends, and think you can sell two tickets each, then that’s only 200 people that may attend. Do you need a hall that can hold 500 people? Most likely not. There are halls for all sizes of audiences. You should pick the one that best suits your needs.
Over sell by at least 100 tickets. This will ensure you have a buffer to fill the gaps for the people that are only looking to purchase ‘support tickets’ or can’t make it after the purchase of the ticket.
2) Put the Right Info On Your Ticket
Does your ticket have a link to your Facebook Event page that you created? (you did create one didn’t you?)
Your tickets should have a link to your event page. Build some community around this event. The more professional it looks and feels, the more enticing the event will look to people whom you may not even know that might attend. Seriously! Ever seen that a friend of yours is going to a show that you didn’t know existed? You know, those notifications you see on Facebook! Now imagine if people saw that you were going to an event that looked like a lot of fun, with an enticing cover photo that showcased your unique theme for the event etc. I bet more people would be intrigued.
Your ticket should also state the theme of your event if you’ve chosen one. Maybe even a goofy picture of you and your fiance! Why not engage people right from the beginning?
3) Follow Up With Everyone
So you sold how many tickets to how many people? Take the steps necessary to follow up with people. Ensure them that it it would truly mean a lot to you if they were to come. This isn’t a ploy. It’s a very true statement. I know personally, that I would love to see all my friends enjoy and be entertained at what I have put together for us. I know that if they were not to come, that I would be saddened.
If you know they are on Facebook, make sure they know where to find the event page and remind them that you are expecting to see them there. There you can post pictures of your prizes that you’ve put together and remind everyone of what kind of fun they can be having.
I would highly recommend checking out my blog “The Average Social is Dead“. There you can find more tips on spicing things up for your event!
BONUS
If you’re getting married next year, make sure to attend EVERY social you get invited to. Why you ask? Because when it comes time to ask those same people to attend your social, you can easily and confidently state (in maybe a not so direct way) that you attended theirs, so you’ll expect to see them at yours 🙂 #reciprocity
Did this help? If so comment below!
Steven Petznik
Redefining the Celebration Experience
www.DJYourLife.Com
What is Up-Lighting and What Does it Do?
Up-lighting or as the pros call it, Architectural Lighting, is how you can change your Celebration Venue’s atmosphere. Colors can change the how your event will feel. Take those tired walls that everyone’s seen 100 times before with the dimmed house lighting, and ad your own personal touch. Some couples love the feel that a completely washed wall looks in hot pink. Others, just want accent colors on some of the beautiful architecture in the room. Some just want an accent wall to draw attention to the head table or other important areas being used during the Celebration.
Which ever mood you want to create with Up-Lighting, control is the ultimate weapon. If set up properly, the person in charge of your lighting can really take command of the atmosphere in the room. From stationary colors throughout the room, to a virtual lighting storm inside the same space; a properly controlled lighting environment will help engage people on a visual level like never before.
Have a look at the video below that will help explain exactly what can be done.
Do you have any questions or requests? Let me know in the comments below 😀