It makes your life much easier if you know the venue, its staff and its procedures. If it’s a venue you’ve never worked with before, you should always touch base by email or phone before the event. I recommend doing this at the point of booking and again closer to the date. If appropriate, you should also conduct a site visit.
This will help build relationships that then lead to referrals and more business. I’ve been lucky enough to play at some amazing venues with whom I’ve built strong relationships over the years. I would never force myself onto a venue’s preferred suppliers list and feel that the best approach is to let it be an organic relationshipbuilding process. - Training and rehearsal time - Your presentation (outfits and appearance) I advise DJs to work on a tailored basis.
No two events are the same, therefore you cannot charge one set fee to fit all. For some events, you may spend a year planning and working with a client, whereas for other events it may only take two weeks. How much you charge should also be an accurate reflection of the experience you have. The more knowledge you can transfer, the more time and money you’ll save your clients, which then justifies a higher fee.
1. Build Relationships With Venues Social media is a useful platform on which to sell yourself, but in my humble opinion it is just the icing on the cake . 2. Know Y our Worth Kwamé Knight aka DJ KNIGHT, an internationallyrenowned DJ who specialises in performing at luxury weddings The fee you should charge is based on how much time and money you invest before, during and after each event.
It isn't just about the live performance date – you should factor in preparation time and other elements such as: - Location - Transportation - How many meetings you will have prior to the gig - Emails - Telephone calls - Equipment - Insurance - Music licences - Purchasing music 3. Market Y ourself Effectively Terry Lewis, 6-time award winning wedding DJ Social media is a useful platform on which to sell yourself, but in my humble opinion it is just the icing on the cake.
The cake is yourself – namely, the service you provide, not just the equipment you own or the songs you play. You should ask yourself: what makes you an M&S product as opposed to an Asda product? One way in which you can increase demand for your services is by creating a website made up of different navigational points which allow your USPs to speak for themselves. If you can create five USPs that others would struggle to replicate – for example, places you’ve played and your specialist genres – and you can find a way to amplify these USPs, you’ll open the safe to the wedding booking vault.
" " Carl Lewis, aka CarlTunes Mobile DJ When I first speak to a couple, I ask them what their musical preferences are and the responses are always diverse. I've had rock and indie only weddings and an African wedding playing a supplied playlist of African music. In fact the only common theme is that I am regularly asked specifically to not play cheesy wedding music! Some people supply an extensive list they want, or they ask wedding guests to request a song on their RSVPs.
Sometimes, wedding DJs can overthink what they should be playing. It can be tough to decide what’s going to keep people on the dancefloor, with so many other things going on at modern weddings that can alter the mood. The key to success is combining the ‘insider knowledge’ supplied by the couple with the DJ skill of ‘reading the room’ to work out the best track to play at any given moment. As I am sure is the case for many other DJs these days, all of my music is digital.
I store it on 2TB hard-drives and always keep backups of my songs, as the music I've purchased over the years has cost me £1,000s. Needless to say, you should always keep multiple backups in different locations for ultimate security. Terron Murray, a London-based mobile wedding, corporate and events DJ As I frequently play live, I’ve taken out Equipment cover and Public Liability Insurance. Having Specialist DJ Insurance is vital for my peace of mind and I know I’m protected if anything goes wrong.
Not only does having insurance help you get your equipment repaired or replaced if it malfunctions, it also looks good on you if you can show the venue your credentials. In fact, most venues won’t let you play live without proof of Public Liability, so having this cover opens more doors for wedding DJs. I would advise all other DJs to take out specialist insurance. If you’re involved in an accident and you’re not covered, it looks bad on your behalf if you’re perceived to not be diligent enough.
4. Choose The Music Carefully It can be tough to decide what’s going to keep people on the dancefloor, with so many other things going on at modern weddings that can alter the mood " " Most venues won’t let you play live without proof of Public Liability, so having this cover opens more doors for wedding DJs . " " 5. Avoid Unnecessary Risks
