Are You Having A Wedding Soon? http://www.thedjgroup.net/weddings.html
Looking For A Great DJ Company?...Read Our Top 10 To Ask your DJ Before Booking List.
1. Do you offer a written contract?
All of the wedding disc jockeys you interview may not have the same
standards of professionalism. A written, legal contract is one of the
first indicators of whether a DJ is professional and reliable.
Furthermore, a contract establishes the DJ’s
obligation to the client and outlines what is required for the DJ’s
success, by
outlining his setup requirements and other factors related
to his performance. For this reason, a written contract is absolutely
essential and any DJ not using a written contract should not, in our
opinion, be considered for a wedding reception.
2. Will you be the DJ at our wedding?
Often, the person you speak with is not the person who will be your DJ
on your wedding day. This is a very common practice among large
agencies. It is absolutely paramount that you have an opportunity to
interview, in person, the specific DJ that you will be working with and
determine whether you feel comfortable with them. You should also expect
that the individual DJ’s name is specified on your contract – it is the
only way you can be guaranteed his or her services at your wedding.
3. May we meet with you in person before we sign a contract?
Many wedding DJs attempt to conduct their interviews over the telephone
and through email instead of meeting face-to-face with prospective
clients. In our experience, there are two reasons a disc jockey would do
this – either they don’t feel you are worth their time, or they have
something to hide. Some deejays are very different in person than on the
telephone and what is presented on their website, and you should insist
on meeting in face-to-face so you can judge for yourself whether they
are a good match for you and your wedding. Your "gut" feeling is very
important in selecting the right disc jockey, and it's practically
impossible to make this evaluation unless you are together in person.
4. How long will you hold our date for us?
When you contact a professional disc jockey, they should be willing to
hold your date for you for a reasonable amount of time in order to give
you a chance to meet with them. They should also give you ample time
after your meeting to make a decision and give you time to interview
other DJs. Some DJs will use
pressure sales tactics to “hard close” you
at your meeting, offering a special sale that ends that day, or claiming
that another couple is meeting with them for the same date – attempting
to pressure you to make a decision on the spot. Any DJ that uses these
types of tactics is unprofessional and is most likely doing so in order
to keep you from meeting other DJs (whom they know you’ll like more than
you like them). One week is a reasonable amount of time to expect your
date to be held for you following an initial meeting. we give two weeks.
5. Do you work exclusively for this company?
Most large agencies use independent DJ subcontractors to perform their
events. Often, these DJs work for several agencies and also accept
bookings directly. A disc jockey, or the agency through whom he is
booked, should be able to explain the DJ’s obligation to that agency and
what will happen if he leaves that agency. Often, there is nothing
more than a verbal confirmation between the independent DJ and the
agency for each booking -- a frequent cause of problems. If you choose a
DJ who subcontracts for several agencies and books his own events, you
need to be clear on what will happen if he is accidentally double-booked
for your wedding date, or what would happen to your event if you
contract the DJ through an agency and he decides to skip out on your
event to book something else for a higher price. To find out whether
your DJ is available independently or through numerous agencies, try
performing a web search for their name and the word "DJ".
6. How long have you been a DJ and how many weddings have you done?
A wedding is such an important occasion, and you don't want your DJ's
first wedding to be your own. The number of years someone has been a DJ
will give you some indication of their experience level, but some DJs
only perform for a few events (and fewer weddings) each year. A DJ with
half as many years in the industry may have many times as many weddings
under his belt, so you should also ask how many weddings the DJ has
done. Also be sure to ask if the DJ has any formal training, either
from a DJ company or a DJ school.
7. How many weddings do you do each year?
Just like any other profession, performing for weddings requires one’s
skills to be in top form. If a DJ
performs for only a few weddings per
year, they may not be “at the top of their game” by the time your
wedding date arrives. Asking how many weddings they do per year will
give you an indication of their level of commitment to your type of
event.
8. How many other types of events do you do per year?
Different DJs focus on different types of events – some consider
themselves a “jack of all trades” and claim expertise in all types of
events, and others are specialists. The ratio between the number of
weddings a DJ performs for and the amount of other, non-wedding events
they do will tell you where their focus lies. If you are looking for a
“low-key” wedding DJ and someone you meet with does mostly school dances
or Bar Mitzvahs, they may not be very focused on the type of
sophisticated presentation you want for your wedding.
9. Do you perform for more than one event in a day?
Some DJs will do as many events as they possibly can, and often try to
pack their weekends with all types of DJ work. If a disc jockey has
already done an event in the afternoon before your wedding, they will
likely be physically exhausted by the latter half of your wedding, which
is exactly when they need to be the most alert and active. This is most
common at large agencies, where “weekend warriors” may perform at four
to six events over a three-day period. It is hard to believe that any DJ
could give that many couples an adequate
amount of attention leading up
to, and on, their wedding day.
10. What makes you different from your competitors?
Any professional wedding disc jockey will take pride in their work, and
be able to answer this question honestly and communicate the things
that make their services unique. Some DJs, however, will take this
opportunity to “bash” their competition and say negative things about
specific DJs or agencies. We consider this type of behavior
unprofessional (in fact, doing this is strictly forbidden for members of
the American Disc Jockey Association), and is a poor reflection on
them. In fact, you may want to consider making it a point to meet any DJ
that they say something bad about – DJs that engage in this type of
thing will often target the DJs they're afraid you’ll book instead of
them, and they’re probably right
We hope you take this advice into mind when booking your wedding DJ.
Please visit us at: http://www.thedjgroup.net/
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