Agreements Are Essential

The pandemic of 2020 has caused wedding receptions to be put on hold or only held with limited numbers, while observing restrictive social distancing parameters. Many wedding couples stated that they would not consider having their wedding reception during the pandemic because of the “no dancing” restriction. No or limited dancing appeared to be the biggest ‘deal breaker’ in proceeding with weddings.

Why are they not willing to compromise?

One of the major elements of most weddings is dancing. People just love to dance! In some cultures, dancing is an integral part of their heritage. Dancing is frequently the single greatest opportunity guests have to collectively express the happiness they feel for the newly married couple.

When dancing is not allowed, Facebook wedding groups are filled with comments such as;

“What’s a wedding without dancing? ? ”
“A wedding is not a wedding without dancing.”
“Now we can have all our loved ones at our wedding but no dancing? It’s not a wedding without it. ? ”
“No wedding is complete without dancing.”
“I’m not having a wedding without dancing. ? ”

When the joy of entertainment was taken away, many wedding couples were forced to appreciate the incredible impact that entertainment has on a wedding reception. For some, this was not big news, for others, the value of entertainment began to carry a far greater importance than had previously been realised. When being forced to choose between having a wedding with no dancing or postponing until they are permitted to have dancing, the vast majority of wedding couples chose to postpone.

Numerous surveys conducted with couples following their wedding have unanimously revealed that they would have spent more money on quality entertainment if they had known the true impact it was capable of delivering. Sadly, however, it is frequently the element that is not given the priority warranted during the planning process. In many cases, when the budget has been depleted, whatever is left over is relegated to entertainment.

Tragically, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken much from the world. In response, many of us have been reminded of those things we value most greatly. For it is often in times of loss, that we are sometimes reminded about what we cherish so greatly.

When this pandemic becomes a distant memory, we will be here to help you celebrate again. Remember why you postponed your celebration and ensure you get the best entertainment your wedding can buy.

Prioritise that which was paramount in your decision to postpone your big day.

If your wedding was postponed because it wouldn’t measure up to the level of entertainment and excitement you had been dreaming of, don’t relegate your entertainment to the bottom of your budget. If you have yet to secure your entertainment, ensure this is done early in the planning process.

Prioritise appropriately and we guarantee you will have a celebration that is more than worth postponing for. And like Ren McCormack shouts near the end of Footloose, your DJ & MC will help you in screaming with your guests, let’s daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!

The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

The makeup of an event depends on the event itself, whether a birthday celebration, big family wedding, black tie awards night or teenage party, each will have its own needs and characteristics. The one factor they will all have is the requirement for music. This may be to create background atmosphere, moments of dancing, or to highlight spotlight moments. Whatever the reason, is it enough?

Music does play an important role when used to stir emotions or conjure up happy memories, filling the empty spaces of conversation as background and adding to the ambience of the event. But consider a room with harsh ceiling lighting, no personal touches and minimal room and table dressing. This may not be very welcoming and might not inspire guests to get into the party spirit. Would you put up your Christmas tree decked only with plain fairy lights and not a bauble or sparkle of tinsel anywhere?

There are many options in the marketplace to help create the look and feel you desire, with many experts ready to help and advise on your requirements. Lighting is a great place to start, so ask your DJ or MC Entertainer what solutions they have available or that they can help you organise. From full room up-lighting and washing the walls with colour to ambient lighting that creates excitement at the event entrance or to spotlight a key area such as the cake table. And be sure to discuss dance-floor lighting to set the right mood in the dance area. Likewise, a special dance-floor can be a great add-on if you are looking to encourage your guests to dance the night away reminiscing about the school formal, your hen’s night or bopping away together to family favourites.

To add a personal touch to any celebration, there are a selection of additional enhancements. Light up letters (commonly known as “Love Letters”) can create a great focal point for photo opportunities. For weddings, the initials of the couple, “LOVE” or “Mr & Mrs” are popular choices and readily available but depending on the type of celebration, consider simple emotive words such as DANCE, PARTY and CELEBRATE to enhance the wow-factor of the room.

To add excitement to your event, remember the thrill of the carnival sideshows and take inspiration from this; popcorn, fairy floss and lolly carts, chocolate fountains and photo booth stations with a dress a up box. This can create for some welcome distraction, especially for an all-day wedding where it can be a long day for guests. The photo booth options have exploded over the past years and the choices range from traditional enclosed booths to increasingly more popular “magic mirrors” that are not limited to a closed booth. Rather, up to 15 people at once can gather around the mirror for a terrific and fun group shot. If you prefer something more compact, there are digital based systems in all sorts of hip or vintage styles that take surprisingly little room but deliver fantastic photographic results and many can be sent directly to your guests Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Music is the foundation of a great time with family, friends, and colleagues. It creates drama, stirs emotions, and can spark fond memories of people and places. How all of the ingredients of your event are matched and blended is what will make it remarkable, successfully mixing audio and visual elements to stimulate all the senses.

Is music enough? Not always, but there is plenty of opportunity to work with your DJ or MC Entertainer to create the perfect recipe for your event or celebration.

The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

When searching for a DJ or MC to provide the entertainment at their wedding, most wedding couples don’t know a lot about what they should look for. In nearly every case, the very first thing they ask when the DJ or MC picks up the phone is, “How much do you charge?”. Most people have not considered that the concept of price is only one of three factors that should play into their decision making. These three components are PRICE, QUALITY and SERVICE.

Many couples want the cheapest price, but the highest quality and best service for their wedding celebration. It is important to understand that when one of these three components are compromised, it inadvertently impacts one or both of the other two components.

Higher prices are almost always associated with high quality and high-touch level service. In the case of a DJ or MC, a higher price generally translates to extremely professional, polished performances, strong customer service efforts and great attention to detail. A DJ or MC service that charges a higher fee for their talent and skills, usually has earned this right due to great public and industry respect gained over a long period, by continuously meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

On the other hand, a lower priced DJ service does not generally offer highly trained DJs that have undergone peer reviewed performance critique (quality). Their attention to detail is not always at the level that higher priced services offer, but their pricing generally makes their services more accessible to a wider range of customers that do not require or desire higher levels of service.

Most professional, reputable DJs & MCs will charge a higher fee for their services than a hobby or part-time DJ or MC who is only looking to make a few extra dollars on the side. If a DJ or MC is communicating that they offer absolutely the same quality and service that another very differently priced DJ or MC offers, you should fully vet the DJ or MC services you are considering.

When planning any large event, risk tolerance is something that varies greatly according to the person in charge. Everyone looks at price, quality and service differently. If your risk tolerance is high, choosing a lower priced option may not be a bad decision. You might be ok taking a chance on lower quality or service. On the other hand, if your risk tolerance is very low, finding a DJ or MC with a higher price will increase the odds of exceptional quality and service for the things that you value highly and don’t want to take any risks on.

Consider what you value, how important entertainment is to you, and what your risk tolerance is. This will tell you everything you need to know about price, quality and service as YOU see them (not what some slick sales material is trying to tell you). After taking the time to consider these three factors, selecting a DJ or MC will be so much easier for you and your once in a lifetime event.

The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

In many parts of the world, the Master of Ceremonies (MC) role may be filled by a variety of people from a favourite aunt or uncle to the best man or maid of honour and in other cases, there is no person truly in the role – things just “happen” throughout the event. In many regions though, the DJ will also take on the role of your event MC. In this post, we will explore just a few of the many great reasons why your DJ should also be your event MC.

Your DJ has seen a lot of events and based on that experience, they generally have a pretty good idea about what works and what doesn’t work for countless situations. Most DJs have an incredible ability to recognise when things are not flowing correctly or when moments are missing the appropriate set up. They will adjust things on the fly as needed to ensure all moments create the impact you planned for.

In the case of a wedding, your DJ will come at things from a neutral, third party, point of view. This is very beneficial because when a family or friend is the MC at a wedding, they generally know one part of your audience a lot more than the rest. What can result from this, is that they say things only some will understand or cater more toward one part of your audience, leaving the other half feeling disconnected. A DJ can not make this mistake as they need to research both sides of the family and all of your wedding party (for example) so that it comes off that they know everyone equally.

Speaking on a microphone is typically something your DJ is already very adept at. They understand how to use sound equipment appropriately so that their voice is heard loud and clear without any additional coaching.

Many DJs also undertake specialised MC based performance training (such as MarBecca Method Workshops) to become uniquely prepared at presiding over the special moments at your event in ways that cousin John or Aunty Kim simply will not have the ability to do.

Oh and there shouldn’t be fear that your DJ will become that inebriated MC from that wedding last year. You remember that one, or you heard about that one, right? The things that were said at that wedding scarred some people for life. OK, maybe you didn’t hear about that wedding, but either way, this shouldn’t be an issue when your DJ is the MC. Professional DJs generally avoid all alcohol at events they are hired for.

If the above ideas mean something to you, take time during the consultations you’ll carry out with DJs before selecting the one you’ll hire to get an understanding of their approach to each of these topics.

There are many more reasons than just the above, but this should get you started on thinking about the many reasons why your DJ should also be considered for being your MC.

The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

What if your DJ or MC

• gets sick, has an accident or their vehicle breaks down on the way to your event?
• experiences equipment failure at a crucial moment?
• experiences a power outage?
• has a medical or family emergency?
• does not have a contingency plan to address all these and other scenarios?

Throughout life, we take certain precautions to ensure that should something not go to plan, we minimise or eliminate the likelihood of any disruption. For example, many of us subscribe to a road service, we carry a spare tyre, we take out insurance, we carry a power bank for our phone, etc.

Similarly, your DJ or MC should also be taking precautions to ensure that your wedding or celebration will proceed with little or no disruption. When researching potential entertainers for your event, delve into what back-up processes and procedures a DJ or MC has in place. This might include things such as equipment failure, dealing with inclement weather, staffing, technology and so much more.

Those that understand the significance of your celebration will be able to clearly articulate all of the back-up measures they have in place to ensure your celebration will not be put in jeopardy due to their unpreparedness. Those that truly wish to go above and beyond, will not only have contingencies for all the situations you may be specifically concerned about, but also those that you may not have even considered, such as a sewing kit, a spare garter for weddings, batteries, safety pins, etc.

As a guide, the DJAA suggests that your DJ or MC have the following backup solutions available;

• Equipment Failure – built in redundancy and/or additional items on site
• Staffing – staff on standby or if a sole trader, reciprocal arrangements with other comparable services
• Technology – multiple devices for music playback, multiple microphones (wireless & wired), spare parts, tools for minor repairs
• Power – generator or battery powered solutions
• Inclement Weather – solid Plan B and maybe even a Plan C
• Wardrobe Malfunction – additional appropriate clothing on site
• Physical paper – based backup of timelines and other important information

You will invest a significant amount of time and money into planning your event. Why would you risk it all on an entertainer that may not value your celebration as much as you do, by short cutting things and not having adequate backup procedures and contingency plans in place?

An experienced DJ and/or MC service should have adequate contingency plans for events such as illness or equipment failure. A backup DJ/MC should be available in case of an emergency and solutions the DJ/MC can use to ensure the show goes on in the event of any equipment malfunction.

You don’t want to worry about “what if” scenarios with your DJ or MC, so make sure to discuss what options are available if the worst should happen. Behind almost every good wedding or other event is an equally good backup plan. Knowing that there is a backup plan will help you feel extremely confident in the choice of your DJ or MC and help ensure that your celebration goes off……without a hitch!

The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

A lot of us had big dreams for 2020, but that abruptly changed. The current situation no longer resembles what we envisioned for the year. None of us can truly say when things will return to normal, but we all share the same hope.

This unexpected emotional journey has been trying and challenging for many of us. We can only empathise with couples that find themselves rescheduling their wedding after so much effort and planning. Some couples are struggling to find alternate dates that work for all their vendors, while others are simply waiting to see what happens next.

Without definitive answers, this can all seem a little overwhelming. Putting something on hold that you have invested your heart and soul into can be really frustrating. As wedding professionals, we want all couples to know we are here for you. We know some weddings have to be rescheduled and we are working with you to ease some of the stress.

Many of our industry friends are doing the same thing and working to help ensure couples have their special day, even if that means it is in 2021 instead of 2020. These professionals really do care about your wedding, as well as your health and well-being. To us and our industry friends, it is never just a wedding, we understand that this is one of the biggest moments in your life.

Let’s not lose sight of what a wedding is: the celebration of your love with family and friends. When you have the support and love of your family and friends along with a great team of wedding professionals, wedding dreams come true, even if the date is different.

This article was kindly contributed by Guest Blogger, DJ and MC, Ken Prentice, C Tech of Loops N Jamzz. The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.