Tips for picking your party venue

How many guests are you inviting?

The type of party you have will depend on how large your party will be, so here are some things to think about before approaching venues.

Venue capacity:

 

It may sound obvious but many venues will not be able to cope with the extra space if you add 20 extra guests at the last minute. You should have a good idea of numbers before you start searching and choosing a venue. The amount of people attending will also have a bearing on what equipment a DJ or Band will require. Larger venues require more powerful equipment just to fill the space with music even if you only require quiet back ground music and this is often a reason for increased costs.

Dining or a buffet?

 

A formal sit down meal will obviously require more space than a stand up buffet, so a venue whose seated capacity is 75 might well be able to accommodate 150 for a finger buffet reception.

Entertainment facilities:

 DJ’s, Bands and other entertainment can take up a large amount of space, (some DJ’s can offer tiny high quality set ups to help in confined space venues) as can your dance floor, so decide when and importantly where in the room you want the entertainment to place their equipment and hold the entertainment ,this is often restricted by power points and fire doors and required access areas but an experienced DJ will take all this into consideration , and check with the venue that this can be done in the space available ,safely and to your requirements.

What type of venue?

Historic venue.                                                                                                   Castles, Halls, country houses and even stately homes are among the venues many dream of for their event. If your budget can stretch to it, this offers a once in a lifetime dream opportunity to take full advantage and enjoy the use of a stunning classic building.

Hotel Venue.                                                                                                        
There are so many different types of hotel some fall into the historic venue category and some are modern, custom designed function rooms with a massive selection of types of hotel in-between. Having accommodation on the spot is, of course, a very big plus and ideal if you are travelling a distance to the venue and intend to have a few drinks.

Marquee Party.
 If you have access to flat spacious gardens or another flat outdoor space, a marquee could be worth taking into consideration. Often people are surprised at how expensive it can be to hire a marquee for their wedding, but the plus side is that you can often take control of wedding catering and could save a considerable amount by providing your own alcohol. If hiring a DJ or band making sure adequate and safe power is available and also that no sound restrictions are in force is very important plus access to the marquee for loading and unloading heavy equipment is also a factor to consider.

Sports or Social Club party. 

 There are many types of club premises can be perfect for a party. Do plenty of detective work and research and you could find one that is in a lovely and beautiful location, too. For example, some golf clubs have picturesque vistas, and can often be hired at a very reasonable price, especially when compared to traditional wedding venues.

Restaurant or Pub Party.
 We all like to have a good meal and many also like a drink these are often the main ingredients for a successful party along with quality entertainment, so where better to have your party than a restaurant or pub? Please take into account that these types of venues are often better suited to a smaller intimate party .These type of venues are often great choices if you are on a tight budget.

for more information see my website and for even more tips Click here

New Wedding DJ Manchester Page

Just a bit of news on my website i now have a dedicated page for weddings detailing a little of what I do.

I always like to , where possible, have face to face meetings with potential customers,  way before the event and again closer to the date  to plan as much and as many details as possible to suggest new ideas ,this is  to give the benefit of my years of experience and to talk about the tone and type of party the happy couple require, I also like to emphasise how important a tidy and neat set up is in my opinion and why is a smart well presented DJ.

With social networking being so popular its not surprising how many people share photos of there friends parties and wedding receptions , and often I see photos where a lovely room and lovely guests and bride and groom in there best finery but a DJ has turned up with scruffy equipment with a birds nest of wiring and the DJ looks like he is going to an audition for a Movie part as a carnival extra!

I feel having a tidy set up and myself being dressed appropriately is important so my customers are never embarrassed by friends posting pictures from their wedding reception.

so to show this attention to detail I have made a dedicated DJ wedding page  which I hope will help couples  to make an informed choice.

I can help ....but I need your help first

When it comes to organising a Birthday party, wedding reception, christening, or any other type of event one of the main concerns is cost.

            I understand this.  

 I have a large, close family and I have had to organise a few parties and ceremonies in my time personally. 

This budget stress often makes smart and intelligent people ask questions that have no real answer , I myself have under the financial stress asked the typical "how long is a piece of string questions". 

I often get calls that sound like this; 

Me .. Good Morning Rob Star Entertainments how can I help?

Caller..  Is that Rob Star Entertainments?

Me.. Good morning, yes it is how can I Help?

Caller.. How much for a disco mate?

Me .. Well for me to give you a quote I need a little more information from you, for example the date of the event as I maybe already booked and the location of the event.

Caller ..so you won’t give me a price?

Me..I will give you a quotation but I need a few more details from yourself first.

Caller .. a mate down the pub said he would do it for £80 can you match that?

Me ..sorry sir but I need more information from you first

Caller.. Oh I don’t know I will call you back.

Many callers seem to get the impression that DJ’s are stalling and trying to get the most money they can from them because they won’t give them an instant quote.

This is not the case at all and I will explain why

I can’t quote until unless I know;

1.   The Date of the event, I may already be booked up on that date.

2.   The venue location, as I am based in Denton Manchester. If the location is the other end of the country then of course my price will be very different than if the venue is just up my street, unfortunately due to fuel prices this is not something I can absorb in my costs but I don’t exploit this as a way to charge unfairly either.

3.    The times I am required, remember that most DJ’s tend to on average work 4-5 hours of performing time but also remember they are working when they set off from base, They are working when they get to the venue and set up. They are still working and then during the performance and they are still working when they are breaking down the equipment at the end of the night, they are still working and they actually finish only once back to base .So a 4 to 5 hour performance can mean 5 to12 hours actual work time depending on the location of venue and set up times. So of course a quote will vary massively depending on these factors. This is without the time involved during planning and consultations etc

4.   The type of theme of event you require. Some people want a full on show , all the lights all the sound for example for a 21^st Birthday , this requires lots of lighting and more amplifiers and bigger speakers so a lot more equipment , if you were to just hire the equipment and not have a DJ this would of course cost you more so my prices reflect that. If you require uplighting again these are extra costs. If you require Karaoke for example this is an extra factor in the quotation price.

Regarding the typical conversation detailed above here is the true or secret hidden cost of the £80 DJ... for many and on several occasions I have had follow up calls that explain that the £80 mate from the pub has let them down and cannot make the date and they need a D.J urgently (as in that very day!) or I have even heard stories of venues refusing a DJ access to their function room as they don’t have PAT tested equipment or lack Public liability insurance ,which of course I as a professional D.J I have, often £80 mates do not.

 So they had to, at very short notice get another D.J who does have the proper certification this means that they will have to pay the going rates and sometimes with other D.J’s pay a premium for short notice professional DJ’s to save the day.

Often because callers are obsessed with the price and nothing else they do not spend time thinking about what they require or asking for free advice which I freely give.

Often they will make a rash buying decision purely based on price, we all do this in all walks of life and I genuinely understand in these tough times the importance and value of hard earned money.

 Occasionally we do get an absolute bargain and get something that is very high quality, reliable at a rock bottom price but these bargains are few and far between.

We know that on average quality does cost but often not that much more than some tacky smart price budget products and services. 

But I am sure I am not alone in purchasing a cheap alternative and regretting that I hadn’t spent just a little bit more to get a quality product or service and regretted it every time I used that product ( if it was still working) or looked back on photos that showed that poor budget service.

D.J’s can also fall into this line of thinking, now I know that I personally am at the lower to mid price sector but I truly believe I offer excellent value for money, as a professional I obviously know the going rate for comparable services and that’s where the crux lies “comparable” services .

I plan events, I don’t just wing it. I use professional equipment, not adapted home quality equipment. I take pride in my work and care, this is my sole source of income so I rely on giving excellent service to generate repeat customers and for them to spread by word of mouth how their event went with me as their DJ. 

This is where I get most of my repeat custom and work. These customers often from the recommendation get told how I operate. That I like to visit people first, have a chat to find out all the details for your event, carefully plan what is needed, supply a detailed and very competitive quote based on plenty of discussion, then deliver on those promises.

So this is why I will not just offer a price over the phone unless you help me with a little information first.

Play it next!

As a Mobile Disco DJ I sometimes get people who come up to me whilst party people are dancing to a genre that the person requesting a track doesn’t like.

They ask that a track must be played NEXT! 

For example I could have a dance floor early on in the evening full of people dancing to Motown or doing a jive to some rock and roll and they will come up and say something like play “That Dubstep track “Synking Sand - Syndaesia” NEXT!

Now let’s think about this from a service provider’s point of view.

 My job as a mobile disco DJ is to keep as many people as possible happy, to keep the floor as full as possible for as long as possible , if I played that request next in the middle of a set of songs (I will come back to this later) it would almost certainly clear the dance floor of the people I currently have dancing, also I may have had requests made before the “Synking Sand - Syndaesia” next request so they would have priority so.. I can’t play it next.

Also it may have been a song that the party organisers and people whose party it is may have requested not to play so.. I can’t play it next.

 Another factor maybe, that I may have been given a strict playlist of songs again by the party organiser so again.. I can’t play it next.

Another reason maybe that while the person requesting this track was late arriving , at the toilet , having a smoke break, talking to friends that i have played that request in the last 20 minutes so again.. I can’t play it next.

But there is also another factor: It won’t mix easily and smoothly and I already have it in the set for later on or I will be playing that track not next but later in a set of songs that will go well together.

And finally the most unlikely, I may not have the track so..I couldn’t play it next.

 In private conversations with other DJ’s this is the excuse they most often give to people when they do actually have the track!  but they think it will bomb and ruin the atmosphere and clear the dance floor or it is a track that the DJ doesn’t like. Personally if it doesn’t fall foul of any of the scenarios above and I have the track I will play it.

I am a DJ and not a jukebox this means I don’t just randomly pick tracks and play them, I like to take people on a musical journey, flowing different songs and genres, now if this flow is good and seamless you tend to have a full dance floor, if you just chop one track into the next it’s a sure fire way of seeing dancers looking at each other deciding if they like this track and walking off. A good “set “ for the average function will cover most genres and flow through different styles , decades and tempo providing something for everyone. Unless this is was a specified musical genre type event. 

I have hosted some events as a mobile DJ where the birthday boy has asked for example only Northern soul and Motown to be played so “Iron maiden - bring your daughters to the slaughter Next !” wouldn’t be played.

Don’t get me wrong I won’t refuse any reasonable request but I reserve the right when to play it, this is not me being awkward but my way of ensuring more people enjoy themselves as possible, when making a request to a DJ please don’t say Next after the request, often there is plenty of time in the night for it to be played , now if it is with the flow of the tracks being played and I know people will carry on dancing then of course I will fit it in sooner or even next.

But demanding NEXT when it is not possible for the reasons detailed above still makes me disappointed that even one person has not been given what they wish, often if the person is patient I will build a small mini set of songs around that request later on and I often get thumbs up and “cheers mate” and “thank you” or affirming nods while they are dancing to their request.

I almost always play the request but not always NEXT!

Rob 

Rob Star Entertainments

Welcome to my New Blog

Welcome to my new Blog detailing what events and adventures I have as a  mobile disco D.J and Karaoke Host.

Last Friday the 9th of July I Hosted a Great Party , The Dance floor was full when the party started.

This wasn't a lucky accident but down to planning as you will soon discover.

I got a call from a really nice guy who is a Captain of a golf club whose normal DJ couldn't help him on this occasion. It was fairly short notice but i suggested we meet up and discuss what he had in mind.

So armed with sat nav , I saddled up in my trusty estate car and went to Mellor golf club , it was a lovely sunny and hot day.  I had never been to Mellor before but was really glad to visit this beautiful part of the country.

I am not a Golfer but watch the occasional match on the telly but even i was blown away at how beautiful this course is , the club house is overlooking the final green and you get a great view of  matches from an awesome balcony view point.


I mentioned the Captains name and the doors opened to the club and on this very hot day i was pleased to meet the captain and his lovely wife at the bar , an ice cold coke went down a treat!

so we had a chat about what the event was "Captains day" is a informal day to celebrate the Captain , Now he and his wife had some brilliant song suggestions , that they wanted played on the evening and i wrote these down on my consultation form , this is a little form i have devised that i fill in so i know all the details like peoples names , the venues contacts , start and finish times , lighting requirements , venue access times etc .

Finding out these details rather than just turning up on the night means a smoother more professional show , I try to leave nothing to chance, because of this we then went to visit the actual room that would be used on the night.

A lovely , well sized room , with a large dance floor , I took note of the , power socket position the fire exits the height of the ceilings , loading access and  nearest toilets (not for myself  but its amazing how many guest ask the DJ where the loo is!)

I don't smoke myself but i noted where the smoking areas were again for if i was asked by guests.

So I gathered all the information I needed and normally i leave and post a quotation but they were happy with seeing me and noticed how I do business that they paid a reservation fee to confirm the booking after I gave them a verbal quotation.

On the day of the event unfortunately it was not the glorious sunshine of the free consultation visit but a muggy sunshine thundery day , but this did not put a dampener for me and i enthusiastically set off for an early set up.

 Here is my tidy and neat set up , note how there are no dangerous wires to trip over and that it is a dedicated stand with a star cloth rather than a box plonked on a table. The appearance and look of my set up is very important to me as is the safety of guests, this is why my set up looks this tidy.

For their party they wanted a good light show but not something that was overly fast and "in your eyes" so I used four LED par cans these give a wash of colour , these cans are connected together and synchronised to give the same colour of many available different colours in time to the beat of the music. I also used two LED scanners and a gobo moonflower effect.

I arrived early and set up my equipment. I then went back home to get showered and changed.
At the start of the evening i was just playing background music as speeches were taking place in the other room.
Some ladies from the party  came into the function room and sat down easily being able to talk and catch up to low level back ground music. I was watching to see reactions to this back ground music and through my experience of reading crowds this would prove useful for later on in the evening. I could see feet tapping and singing along to quiet background music so i knew  certain tracks would hit the spot later on when the party started.

The speeches over ran a little so when they all came into the party room , i soon got into , lets get started party mode. I knew that some people would like to dance so early on  so a little Motown soon got a few on the floor , I could tell some were great dancers and so i switched on instinct to songs they could Jive to , well the floor filled and they were all Jiving away to rock and roll and sixties and even wham's wake me up before you go go. Many of the older guests were about to leave the dance floor at the end of a song but as soon as they heard the next track they couldn't and kept on dancing, Some had to give up as jiving that good for so long is tiring for professional dancers but after a short rest they were often back up.

The function manager came up and asked me to announce the buffet was served in the other room , so i did so , some stayed dancing but the allure of the lovely smelling food was enough for many so , I had to kick start the party once again after the buffet was cleared , I took  inspiration from the captains and his wife's playlist and a bit of  Blondie,The human league and Bowie soon got the floor packed again on the play list was a few from the blues brothers and The Commitments

Later on I started to mix in current music tracks and the younger and older guests loved these The Black eyed peas and Ne-Yo kept them dancing all night , unfortunately we had to finish as we ran out of time and we finished with the captain in a circle surrounded by his lovely friends family and colleagues.

For me the best part of the evening was when the captain came and shook my hand said what a great time it was and how he would recommend me.

I am only happy when i know i have done a good job and that people had a very good time . as people were leaving as i was packing away i got lots of thank you and thumbs up.
Here are a few more pictures of full dance floors

So I Hope you like the first of my new Blogs