A few things to consider…

1. Size of your guest list a. The more guests you have the larger sound system will be needed

2. How large of an area you need to provide sound in? a. The larger the space the more speakers you’ll need

3. If you need sound in more than one room/area a. The more locations you need sound the more equipment will be needed

4. How involved you need the DJ to be? a. The more time and services a DJ commits the more costs will increase

5. The date of your wedding a. Saturday’s are most popular so expect to pay more

6. Length of time you need the DJ for a. The more time you need to more you should expect to pay

7. Location of your wedding a. The further a DJ has to drive the more it will cost

You also may consider a few other items such as…

1. Do you need the DJ to provide liability insurance? a. This is not cheap so DJs who offer this will charge more

2. Would you like the DJ to offer back-up equipment? a. Equipment is expensive so offering double of everything will naturally increase costs

3. Would you like the DJ to have a back-up DJ in case of an emergency?

It’s amazing how many things a person may consider just to hire a DJ. This of coarse is in addition to all the other aspects of planninga wedding. If you’re like more people this may be the first and last time you’ll seek out DJ services. Asking questions are important so know which questions to ask. There is a reason why the price range from one DJ to the next is so dramatic. Mostly to do with experience, hobbyist vs. part-time vs. full-time, the type of equipment they use, the amount of equipment needed for each event, the type and amount of services the DJ is required to perform, how much money they have spent and continue to spend on their music library and so on.

The simple answer is this, if you’re on a budget then keep things simple. The more time you need, the more equipment you want, the more services you would like the DJ to provide such as personalized planning and providing Emcee services the more you should expect to pay. Naturally DJs love to perform but as any business they all have expenses to cover and if they can’t do that then they won’t be in business.

Sure, you may be able to find someone for $100 or $200 through Craigslist but ask yourself these questions:

1. How can a professional DJ make a living charging so little when most DJs are only hired once a week? 2. How can a DJ cover his or her expenses when charging so little? 3. If this low cost DJ says he or she has a back-up DJ, can they prove it’s not just their friend next door? 4. Is their equipment really professional? 5. Is their music library more than their personal I-pod or CD collection? 6. Do they have any experience at weddings? 7. If they say they offer liability insurance, ask for proof. 8. Do they offer a contract? Time and time again we are called by a person looking to find a replacement DJ because the one they originally hired bailed on them. This is usually because someone else wanted to pay them more for the same date but of coarse they will give you another reason.

PRO DJs is a registered corporation in the state of Washington, we are liability insured, we are an accredited B.B.B. member with an “A” rating, we are the preferred mobile DJ service of numerous Seattle radio stations, we have back-up equipment and we have back-up DJs on standby. In addition we withhold 50% of each DJs pay for up to 2 weeks after every wedding. This gives you time to tell us what you thought about our service. When the DJ receives excellent feedback we then pay them their remaining 50% plus bonus them for receiving such high remarks. This payment method has proved very successful as it encourages our DJs to exceed your expectations as they want to hit bonus and not refund a portion of their performance fee.

At PRO DJs we understand that your event is only one night but the memories will last a lifetime. When you go with PRO DJs there will be no regrets, only great memories. Check out our references at www.prodjs.djintelligence.com/survey/results or get a free automated proce quote at www.prodjs.djintelligence.com/quote

Music is a big factor, if not the biggest when it comes to how students behave at their school dances. We have seen many different variations of idea’s that schools have tried to implement to curb some of the inappropriate dancing and here is the newest twist. DJ companies such as PRO DJs will create a special request link specifically for that school dance. The school will then post that link on their website and/or social media such as Facebook and then promote it.

This link allows each student to request up to 5 of their favorite songs on their own free time from their own smart phone or home computer. The DJ companies web site keeps track of all the requests that are made and compiles them into one big list. If a certain song is requested more than once the web site will show how many times that song has been requested. About 2 weeks prior to each dance the DJ company will provide that list to the ASB student body and/or the school administration. This gives them time to delete songs they feel are inappropriate but keep songs that still represent the student body as a whole.

The beauty of the request link is that the ASB student body and the school administration now have valuable input as to what all the students would like to hear as opposed coming up with a list all on their own. A big misnomer is that just because students are requesting certain songs they must be played. That is not the case at all! If the administration and/or the ASB student body feel that some songs don’t fit then they can delete those songs from the request list.

We always recommend that administration and ASB student body pick twice the amount of songs needed so the DJ still has some room to be creative and mix songs as needed for the best flow and presentation. If only the exact numbers of songs are picked then you might as well pre-record everything onto a CD or on an I-POD, hook it up to a loud PA system and hit play. People have tried to do this in the past at their own wedding but have soon come to realize that it’s not getting their guests out on the dance floor.

We would like to take this time to thank the following organizations for hiring PRO DJs this past weekend.

Cedar Heights Middle School on Friday, March 11th for their St. Patties Day dance. We had a great time with a little over 100 students playing music ranging from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson to Mr. C and the Slide Man to California Swag District. We also conducted a few games as well such as a Dance Contest, a Limbo contest and a game to see which group out of 4 groups could prevent their balloon from falling to the ground the longest.

Roosevelt High School on Friday, March 11th for a formal dance. No games or contests needed here, the students just wanted to dance! This was our first time providing DJ services for this school and we’re glad that they brought us in! It’s a beautiful school just north of Seattle with a traditional old campus feel on the outside but newly renovated on the inside. A BIG thank you to Christina Anderson, vice principle at Roosevelt High School for remembering us from the days we used to work with each other at Ballard High School!

Blaine Senior High School on Saturday, March 12th for their Hollywood themed dance. This is the 2nd time we have performed for them. We are glad to be on the patch to become Blaine Senior High School’s resident DJ service!

The Bellevue Police Officer’s Guild on Saturday, March 12th at the Woodinville Winery in Woodinville. Top notch people with great family values had a chance to cut loose and not take themselves so seriously during this party. Even law officials need a chance to cut loose every once in a while and this party gave them the perfect opportunity! J It was a evening filled with food and fun starting with the cocktail hour, then dinner and an awards ceremony for both serious and not-so-serious events that took through the past year, followed by dancing and a lot of prize giveaways. They even grabbed some hula hoops and showed off their skills…some with more skills than others! J

Thanks again to all who used PRO DJs this past weekend, we are truly grateful to have been part of these fabulous events!

If you are like most schools you probably are rotating through different DJs. Most likely this is because the ASB students are given the power as to who they would like to hire. Unfortunately as the class changes so do the DJs they hire. Other schools are stricter as the administration hires and fires the DJ exclusively while the rest tend to meet in the middle making it a combined decision of the ASB and Administration. Here are some things to consider…

1. If your school has been experiencing issues with the music played and/or the type of dancing that takes place then it is important to find a DJ or company that works and to stick with that DJ or company. Consistency is important to receiving the same quality and level of professionalism. When different DJs or companies are used from one dance to the next then it’s like you always have to start over from scratch needing to re-explain your music and dance policies. Don’t be fooled, not all DJs are willing to work with the administration as they are more concerned about what the students think of them.

2. If you are having problems with the DJs and/or music that is played at your dances then the administration needs to take 100% control over hiring and firing the DJ. A HUGE challenge we run into is the following scenario. The school gives 100% control to the student ASB to hire and fire DJs and also gives the student ASB 100% control over the feedback that is given about that DJs performance. Then the administration tells the DJ what he or she must adhere to in regards to that schools music policy but will not back up that DJ when he or she tries to follow those rules. This makes it extremely difficult for any DJ to go in and win as this situation is setup to almost always fail. If the DJ knows that the students have ultimate power then what reasoning would a DJ have to follow the schools administration guidelines? It is always the goal of the DJ to earn repeat business, knowing that the students have ultimate say then the administration is shooting themselves in the foot.  When the DJ feels confident that the administration controls which DJ is hired then the DJ will have all the reasons to work within the schools policies.

3. Never expect the DJ to provide security or play the role of a chaperone. Once the DJ no longer comes across as the entertainment but rather the enforcement then all credibility for that DJ will be lost. Once the DJs credibility has been lost the students will be much less likely to enjoy themselves. Ultimately the goal of a dance is to have fun in a safe environment while hopefully raising some money. The best way to accomplish this is for the DJ and the administration to work together in unison and not to leave everything up to the DJ.

4. Never assume the DJ knows everything about your school and policies so communicate with the DJ prior to each dance. We provided services for a school where the students had a great time. Not once during the booking or while we were setting up or during the dance did any administrator come up to us to provide any insight as to what their expectations where of the DJ. We asked upon booking and were told they would provide that information to us closer to the dance, which we never received. Upon arrival we asked the person who let us in what we should expect and he said he would have the appropriate administrator come over to explain that to us. Needless to say no one ever did and the dance still had to start on time so we did the best we could. After the dance all they had to say was, DJ should have had more control. Funny part is we never saw any of the chaperones or anyone in the administration try to take control either. We would have more than happy to work with them provided they gave us some insight.

5. Think ahead and book in advance and if possible do not use a purchase order. A good amount of schools have a lot of hoops to jump through to pay for services and to get all the required paperwork in order. If this sounds like your school make sure to start the booking process at least 2 months before the actual date of the event. If you wait too long, some or none of the required paperwork will be in place prior to the dance and could cause confirmation problems leaving you without a DJ. Also try to avoid using a purchase order as this increases the length of time for a DJ to receive payment as well as the added time to complete paperwork, send the invoice, track payment on so on. Some DJs will offer a better rate if this step can be avoided.

6. Have multiple dances each year? Book all of them with the same DJ at the same time and ask if that DJ offers a bulk rate.

7. Don’t go too cheap! This is another BIG problem for schools since dances are meant to raise funds. Problem with cheap DJs is that there usually is a reason for the low rates such as that DJ is just starting out, they do not have all the correct music, they do not have enough equipment and so on. You’d be surprised how many times each year we are contacted from a school who hired a cheap DJ only to have that DJ cancel on them last minute because somebody else wanted to hire them for the same day at a higher rate. Most schools also require liability insurance. Keep in mind that the more costs a DJ has to incur before even being considered to perform at a school will increase the overall cost for that DJ’s services. As the old saying goes, it’s not a great deal if it’s not a great service.

8. Have a Theme Dance! This is one of the best and easiest ways to curtail the questionable music and type of dancing that tends to cause the most problems at school dances. Themed dances opens up the type of music kids are expecting to hear thus not putting so much pressure on all the newer music that is usually expected and problematic. In addition have a best dressed contest. When kids dress up instead of wearing the typical club attire they will take themselves less seriously and loosen up to have more clean fun then acting as if they were at a club.

The answer may be easier than you think. Each event is different so the DJ may need to ask some questions. For example if you need sound in multiple locations then the DJ would need to know that to provide an accurate quote. When the DJ needs to provide additional equipment then the costs will naturally go up. Sometimes two DJs with two separate sound systems will be needed because the ceremony is at one address and the reception is at another.

Understandably costs are always an important factor when deciding on which DJ to hire but don’t rush a DJ off the phone if he or she has legitimate questions. When a DJ asks questions it shows true interest in making your event successful instead of giving you the lowest price possible and then worrying about the logistics on the date of your event.

Bottom line, not all events are equal and just asking for price without providing some information could prove to be a huge disaster at your event.

There are a lot of factors as to why one DJ will cost differently than another. You can put them into the following primary categories.

• 1. Experience
• 2. Overhead
• 3. Professional vs. Part-time vs. Hobbyist
• 4. The Nature of the Business

EXPERIENCE:

When I first started out DJ’ing I of coarse undercut any other DJ locally. How else would I be able to break into the market and begin to build my references? The trade off of coarse is that I was green and still learning. I also was living at home with my parents so I didn’t need to make a ton of money. Eventually though after years of polishing my skills and learning from my mistakes I slowly began to raise my rates. Now with close to 1,000 weddings under my belt, years of experience and many enthusiastically satisfied clients I am confident in the services I provide and know without a doubt that I will do a fantastic job for any wedding client. If I wasn’t so sure of my services I would not charge as much as I do today. Why else would a true professional continue to be a mobile DJ if he or she would not be able to raise his or her rates from when they first started? There would be no money and incentive for that DJ to continue so longevity as a mobile DJ would be extremely hard to come by.

OVERHEAD:

This also plays a big part into what a DJ charges. As I mentioned above I used to live with my parents so my overhead was lower than it is today. I also didn’t have a web site, my equipment was lower grade, I didn’t have a toll free #, I didn’t have liability insurance, I didn’t invest in back-up equipment, I didn’t have a dedicated van for my business, I didn’t have a business license, I had another part-time job and so on. Now that I have been doing this for over 20 years I have made this a full time career and invested in everything I should have when I first started out. With true professionalism comes costs. My overhead is now greater with the costs of more professional equipment, business licensing, B&O taxes, music royalty fees, replacing/repairing equipment, insurance costs, web site development, toll free charges and more. If I did not invest in these things I would not be found for people to hire me or people would not want to hire me after they found me.

PROFESSIONAL VS. PART-TIME VS. HOBBYIST

This makes up another good portion of why some DJs cost less than others. As I mentioned in the EXPERIENCE category of this article I used to charge a lot less when I first started than I do now as a true professional. Most DJs you find will probably fall into the part-time category. By the nature of this business over 90% of the work a DJ receives is on the weekend making it easy for someone to hold a weekday job Monday – Friday and still be available part-time for Saturday and Sunday gigs. This also means they don’t need to charge as much since this is not their only source of income. However part-time DJs usually don’t offer as many of the reassurances and are not able to perform as many events per year as a full-time DJ. The flip side for a full time DJ however is that we only have a limited number of days each week to perform and to make a living. How many weddings have you been to on a Tuesday? In addition, out of that 90% of the work we receive on the weekend, over 65% of that is for Saturday alone. This is why you will notice prices highest on Saturday. Most people and their friends and family have a regular weekday job so Saturday’s make the most sense to hold a party. This way they are not tired from working all day Friday and can stay up later since they don’t have to go to bed earlier on Sunday. Hobbyist DJs typically charge the least but they also tend to perform less events per year than any other DJ and don’t typically offer any (if at all) reassurances such as a back-up DJ, liability insurance, web site, back-up equipment, etc.

NATURE OF THE BUSINESS:

By the nature of this business over 90% of the work a DJ receives is on the weekend and over 65% of that is for Saturday alone. This is why you will notice prices highest on Saturday. Most people and their friends and family have a regular weekday job so Saturday’s make the most sense to hold a party. This way they are not tired from working all day Friday and can stay up later since they don’t have to go to bed earlier on Sunday. How many weddings have you been to on a Tuesday?

BOTTOM LINE:

Not all DJs are created equal and shopping around for a DJ should never be based on price alone. With just price you are never comparing apples to apples. As the old saying goes, it’s not a great deal if it’s not a great service. Spend a little extra time and do some research, it will pay off for you in the end.

Just received some amazing photographs from Jenny GG Photography for a wedding we provided DJ services for. Here is one of the bride feeling the music once dancing began.

Bride feels the music

Here are some other pictures from www.jennygg.com showing guests enjoying themselves to the music we provided.

Groomsmen "Get Down On It"

Bride and guests throw their hands up in the air

Putting on the moves

About 1/2 an hour into dancing we did the Anniversary dance were we found who the longest married couple was. Aren’t they cute?

Anniversary dance winners

After doing a dance for the couples it was time to move on to the singles by doing the traditional Bouquet and Garter toss!

One of the highlights followed immediately after called, “The Reverse Garter”. Never heard of this before? It goes a little something like this…

First the DJ asks the two lucky people who caught the bouquet and garter back to the dance floor. They lady who caught the bouquet is asked to sit in the chair the bride was just sitting in to have her garter removed. The DJ then informs the gentleman he must stick the garter he caught on the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet. Why? Because it’s a little known fact that every inch above her knee is 5 years of good luck for the newlyweds!

But WAIT A MINUTE! What fun would it be if the gentleman could see what he was doing? This is when we decided to blindfold him.

After he is completely blindfolded we spin him around a few times. During all this we secretly replace the lady who caught the bouquet with the groom! We then guide him towards the leg.

We offer a little extra encouragement by reminding him that it’s 5 years of good luck for every inch he gets above her knee!

He REALLY must want the newlyweds to stay together forever! Look at him go!

OK, we had our fun. It’s now time to let the cat out of the bag!

What a great sport! Everyone had a great time however rumor has it that the guy who caught the garter may have mean mugged the DJ afterwords! LOL!

After that it was back to dancing with a Halloween Dress up twist.

Thanks to Toby & Lacy for letting us be part of such a fun wedding! Also a big thanks to Jenny GG Photography for providing these pictures. If you like her work visit her site at www.jennygg.com

If you are in  need of a professional DJ service for your upcoming event, we hope that you will consider PRO DJs. We are liability insured, we are an accredited Better Business Bureau member with an “A” rating, we are the preferred mobile DJ service of 10 Seattle radio stations, we provide backup equipment and backup DJs PLUS we never charge extra for sales tax or the time it takes to set up and pack up. In addition we withhold 50% of each DJs pay for up to 2 weeks after every wedding. This gives you time to tell us what you thought about our service. When the DJ receives excellent feedback we then pay them their remaining 50% plus bonus them for receiving such high remarks. This payment method has proved very successful as it encourages our DJs to exceed your expectations as they want to hit bonus and not refund a portion of their performance fee.

For questions, references or to set up a free, no-obligation consultation please call us toll free at 1-800-9-PRO-DJS

Despite the deluge of rain over the weekend, holiday parties must still go on

At Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle we provided DJ/Emcee and music services for the Physicians Anesthesia Service. Don’t let their name fool you, they are a very lively bunch! After a cocktail hour, appetizers, a salsa routine by one of the employees, a speech by the companies president and vice president and dinner, we tore loose with them dancing up until the very end.

We played everything from Usher, Michael Jackson, YMCA, Salsa, Wild Cherry, Aretha Franklin, Blues Traveler and more. They even wanted to hear Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a prayer” twice within 10 minutes so they could bring in some of their co-workers to sing along with them!

During the entire evening we forgot it was a downpour outside because we were having so much fun inside. There may have even been a time when we had more feet on the dance floor than there were rain drops outside! LOL!

Happy holiday’s to everyone at Physicians Anesthesia Service from all of us here at PRO DJs. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

It’s amazing how many styles and genres of songs are requested while performing at company holiday parties. We just finished one for the Schwabe Lawyer firm held at the Seattle Aquarium on December 3rd, take a look at the variety of songs guests wanted to hear:

Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”, Abba “Dancing Queen”, Big & Rich “Lost in this Moment”, Bobby Darin “Mack The Knife!”, Britney Spears “Toxic”, Lil Wayne “A Milli” and many more.

The point is everyone had a great time because of the flow the DJ created from one style of music to the next. The ability to read a crowd is the most important skill a DJ has to offer and that takes experience. If it was as easy as putting together an I-pod Playlist or a mix-tape then DJs would have been out of business a long time ago.

If you are looking for a memorable evening with your friends, family and co-workers, consider spending a little more to get the skills and experience as opposed to someone who has just the music and equipment. Remember, it’s not a great deal if it’s not a great service

How do you know what will be the right kind of entertainment for your company party? First, ask yourself these questions.

1. How many people will attend? 2. What is the age range and cultural makeup? 3. What day of the week will your event take place? 4. Which location are you having your event?

Some company functions don’t need entertainment because it’s a small group with less than 25 people. Hiring professional entertainment of any sort for a function should typically have more than 25 guests to make the financial investment worth while.

If you have a larger group then a good item to consider is the layout of the venue itself. How conducive is it for entertainment? Some may have noise restrictions, others may have many areas and/or nook’s and crannies making it difficult for guests to be part of the entertainment.

If you have a multicultural staff then ask them what their thoughts are. Do they even want entertainment and if so, what would they enjoy? Will one type of entertainment be enough for your party? Some companies provide numerous types of entertainment for guests such as a DJ, Karaoke, Casino, Comedians, Video games, Photo Booths and more.

Timing and flow to your function is also crucial. Even if you have the best entertainment hired for your event, a bad flow can ruin a great party. Think of an agenda or hire a professional event planner to help with this aspect. A professional event planner can coordinate every aspect from beginning to end including dinner and communication with all the vendors you hired. The more each vendor knows about their role and the timing of their role the more smoothly everything will run.

If budget is an issue, it’s always best to hold your function on a non-Saturday. In the entertainment business most of the demand falls on a Saturday so prices will be highest. Most vendors including venues will have reduced pricing for other days of the week to help them keep their calendars full.