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.