Booking DJs or Hiring A DiscoTips On Hiring A Quality Mobile DiscoDon't Leave Your Function To An Amateur!Booking DJs or hiring a disco is easy to get right if you know the essentials. The following are some basic tips on booking DJs to make sure you hire the very best mobile disco service for your money. Most functions are one-offs, so you want to make sure you get it right. The tips are in no particular order of importance, but all should be considered.
Let's face it, in a week or two, most of your guests won't remember what food they had, what the flowers were like, how great the cake looked or the reception decor ... But ask them whether they had fun and I'll bet they'll remember, and who do you think carries the can for that? Too right, the DJ. If you're paying £300-plus for the wedding cake and who knows how much on the flowers etc, why would you expect to pay less than a few hundred quid for a professional DJ? But we're getting caught up with the wedding thing when we're just trying to find a good DJ for you. So here are 9 fail-safe tips for booking DJs: Booking DJs Tip 1: Right type of function? Ok, let's face it, there's no substitute for word of mouth recommendation. However, make sure any 'highly recommended' DJ was hired for a similar function to the one you're about to organise. A professional DJ's approach to an 18th birthday is markedly different to the approach for a wedding reception. (And you thought we just turned up and pressed a few buttons?) Booking DJs Tip 2: Getting asked the right questions? Next, if you call a DJ and he/she gives you a price without asking you any questions about the event you're going to be holding, that should set off warning lights. Questions a professional DJ should ask include:
Booking DJs Tip 3: Legal Requirements! What else should you know about your potential DJ? There are a couple of legal requirements on health and safety you need to know when hiring a disco DJ.
Ok, this one might seem obvious, but make sure when hiring a disco the company you're dealing with confirms everything in writing and that they have a written Booking Agreement for you to sign. The Booking Agreement should lay out all details of the function - date, venue, times, overtime rates etc. This agreement is to protect both the company and the customer and should not be heavily biased in any one party's favour. Booking DJs Tip 5: Back-ups 'in case of'? Does the mobile DJ have back-up equipment in the unlikely event that anything packs in on the night? I say 'unlikely': if they're professional, they'll use pro equipment and this tends to be very sturdy and not given to blowing up at a moment's notice. However, a less than professional DJ, the kind that are just in it for the beer money, will use very substandard equipment, even (I hate to say) CD players such as you'd find in your average home hi-fi system. What happens if the DJ is taken ill on or before the date of your event? Do they have a plan for making sure another suitable DJ will do the job? Booking DJs Tip 6: Know your DJ! While we're on the subject of mobile disco companies using other DJs ... Is the person you're dealing with, either on the phone or via the company website, the person who will be doing the actual DJing on the night? When someone calls Big Mix Mobile Disco enquiring about hiring a disco they are talking to me and it's me that will be turning up. I don't sub-contract work out to other cheap DJs. If I'm not available for a function I'll pass on details of other DJs to you, but I won't take the booking or act as an agent. How many shows does the company send out on any one night? If a company sends out 4 shows on a particular Saturday night, there's a 75% chance you won't get the DJ you spoke to when booking. If you need a gas engineer, legally they have to be CORGI registered to do any work. There is no such legal body set up to protect you when hiring a disco DJ, so when dealing with a company that does multiple shows, how do you know the DJ who turns up is going to be suitable? Answer ... you don't! So make sure you're talking to your DJ, before the event. Booking DJs Tip 7: Quality promo and websites? A quick word about mobile DJ websites ... If you're browsing the web for a professional mobile disco service, you can tell a lot from a company's website.
Maybe these seem like minor points, but a sloppily designed website could be an indication of a less-than-professional outfit. Booking DJs Tip 8: General attitude ... Ok, some very quick things to bear in mind ...
Booking DJs Tip 9: The price gives you a clue! In closing, please do not skimp on price when it comes to hiring a disco. Any professional who meets all the above criteria won't come cheap, and I wouldn't hire them if they did. Price can depend on location, but don't expect to pay less than £200 for a 4-5 hour show. Any less than £200 and I'd be seriously concerned that they weren't entirely legal! To summarise ... Remember what I said at the start? The entertainment you hire will be the thing that the majority of your guests will remember most, and it works both positively and negatively. Get it right when hiring a disco, look for a professional mobile disco, and the wonderful memories will last a lifetime. You can also view and download this useful hiring a disco tips page to keep for future reference.
P.S If you wouldn't mind, please could you briefly let me know your opinion on this 'Booking DJs' tips page (using the form below)? Thanks very much!
Related pages:
DJs for hire - Why is it better to hire a professional rather than a DIY disco hire package? Meet the DJ - Find out about the DJ behind Big Mix. Customer Feedback - Previous customer testimonials. About us - Where it all started. return from booking DJs to the big mix mobile disco homepage
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