The kids are heading back to school, student are heading off back to uni, and you’re heading back to work. So it’s time to get the entertainment sorted for all kinds of autumn events, from corporate functions to freshers week, international conferences to company on-boarding.
When it comes to pleasing a wide variety of people across an age range, on a budget, it’s hard to beat a really good DJ who can get everyone up and dancing from the first track to the last.
But what else should you be looking for when booking a DJ for your private function or Christmas party? Here’ are our top tips:
1. Experienced DJs
Experience is key for a successful corporate event. New, fresh to the job DJs probably won’t know the range of music required, or how to mix and match tracks to ensure everyone feels involved and able to join in. So, look for good reviews, feedback and past clients lists. However, if you’re looking for a DJ for a young crowd such as freshers, and want more of a club vibe, look for the rising stars on the scene who may have a couple of festivals under their belt. Who knows, you might book the next Norman Cook…
2. The right kit for your venue
DJs mostly come with the same basic kit, able to play tracks from an extensive digital library through speakers. That’s where the similarity stops! The very best DJs will have a choice of amplification and lighting that is suitable for all sizes of venues, including smaller rooms. There is nothing worse than a DJ so loud in a smaller hotel function room where the sound rearranges your molecules, or a thin sound in a vast space that pushes their kit to the max. Sound should be crisp, sharp, and never booming or fuzzy! Surround Sounds Entertainment specialise in office parties and have a Range of music systems to suit the venue size.
3. Putting on a show
A good DJ is also a bit a magician, turning ordinary dull functional spaces into a haze-y, laser-y dance heaven with lighting, lasers, star-cloths and more. Many carry the new generation of LED intelligent lighting, creating effect worthy of major West End shows. Some can also provide interactive dance floors that add an extra dimension to your event. Firebird Entertainment can even theme their sets to your party theme, and come dressed in dinner jackets and bow ties for a slick, smart look.
4. All the tracks you’ll ever need
Professional DJs know that they need to cover all the eras of pop music, from 1950s rock n roll to today’s dance anthems and more. Many can tailor their set to your requirements, and then use their skill to mix your choices with tracks to delight your guests. Matthew Dunning and the team at Melodic Professional DJ have an extensive track library that covers Motown, R’n’B, Soul Anthems, Funk, Disco, Jazzy Groove, Classic house, Defected and Hed Kandi sounds. For younger birthdays and student gigs they off club classics, current dance chart and electronica. For milestone birthdays they play soul, disco and mainstream dance floor classics.
5. Useful extras
Specialist wedding and corporate DJs can often offer extra kit that can save you money and effort over hiring or getting your venue to provide. DJ martin, for example, can provide PA systems for speeches, background music during your meal, TV monitors, overhead projectors as well as specialist Bose sound systems for smaller rooms.
6. Local DJs for local people
Booking a local DJ is a terrific way to lower the carbon footprint of your event. A local DJ will have less far to travel, so that’s less emissions, less congestion and (perhaps) a reduced fee as well as they can be hour at a reasonable hour. If your event is in Surrey, West and East Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, Middlesex, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and London, Spotlight Entertainment have DJs based near to you, for example.
7. Iconic guest DJs
Want to relive those glory years with a DJ you know and love from the heady days of Radio 1? Tuxedo Class Discos have provided iconic guest DJs for events, including Kid Jenson, Dr Fox, Pat Sharp, Paul Burnett, Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton. A smashing way to celebrate a major milestone party, pop pickers!
8. Book with confidence
DJs are human, so there is always a slight chance that they might get ill or become unavailable for your event. By booking a Matters Musical DJ, you have the reassurance that if something does happen, one call to us and we can usually bring in another DJ of equally high standard. Many of our DJ services acts are collectives, so they can often sort a replacement themselves, for extra peace of mind.