Looking at booking a DJ for your Christmas party but doesn’t know how to get the most bang for your Christmas fund? Well look no further as we’ve compiled some of our top tips on hiring the DJ with a deck to get the dancefloor jumping in bounds of jolly. Or something like that.
Whether you want to put on a festive playlist or if you want to simply leave them to it, getting a DJ to perform at your Christmas party or event is a truly tried and tested way to make sure that the good music keeps on flowing throughout the night.
Let’s just hope your colleagues remember all the hard work and research you put into finding the right DJ for your Christmas party the morning after whilst nursing a familiar combination of shame and migraine. If they do, that’s a sure sign of success.
1. Book early
Now this we cannot emphasise enough book your DJ several months before your Party.
With so many companies throwing a Christmas bash and needing to find the best DJs for their budgets its still mind boggling when it gets to December and yet still someone hasn’t booked yet.
2. Book through an entertainment agency
This couldn’t really be emphasised enough. As said before, you could spend your time comparing rates of DJ to DJ, sending email after email attempting to get just what you’re after (only to find out they’re booked on the day of your party,).
Or, you could simply talk to those who actually have all of this knowledge stored in their brains and ready to be unleashed at the tips of their fingers. It’s why entertainment agencies exist – to provide a meaningful and effective service at finding the absolute best performer for a brief and budget.
3. Make sure you know what you’re getting
And the hypocrisy comes full circle. Do some research, check out what your DJ can do, what he or she is like, and see for yourself if they’re exactly what you’re looking for.
Now that doesn’t mean auditioning, no no; that’s a little too much in most cases. It could be. It could be as simple as reading some testimonials or taking some advice from Red Masque.
By doing so, you’ll be better prepared (and in a safer mind-set) to stick with a choice and most importantly, be happy with it.
4. Explore off peak options
Now of course, everybody wants to have their Christmas party on a Friday – and you all know why that is, don’t you?
Turns out, every DJ knows that too – so expect to pay a premium on weekend nights.
Due to simple supply and demand, the holiday season necessitates a premium due to the sheer amount of Christmas parties going on all around one month. It never hurts to explore different dates and times for your event to get a rate that’s a little lighter on your budget – but won’t leave your wallet feeling too light either.
It might not always work in terms of pricing, but it certainly has the possibility to help if your preferred DJs are booked up for a certain date.
5. Think about equipment
Most professional DJs have their own equipment, but they did pay a lot of money to purchase it in the first place so it’s expected that they’ll want to make a return on their investment. In other words, the cost is pushed onto you.
Now you should never force a performer to use equipment they’re not comfortable with or haven’t used before. That’s a given. But when it comes to stuff like PAs and microphones – well, there’s not much variation apart from how loud (and clear) they’re designed to go.
Look to see if your venue offers a cheaper option to hire the PA from and thus you won’t have to pay extra for someone to lug a van full of expensive equipment across the city centre in rush hour.
6. Budget, and budget some more
It’s personal finance 101, but make sure you have a clear indication in mind of what you’re willing to spend when it comes to booking a DJ for your Christmas party.
Of course, first you have to do a little research into what the general rates are but once you’ve done that, you’ll be in a much more efficient and convenient place to book your DJ without having to worry about negotiating rates or booking a performer too high above or below your initial budget.
7. Don’t hand them a playlist and expect them to play it
DJs are artists too – if you wanted a set list of songs you required playing, do everyone a favour and put a playlist together and leave it at that.
Of course, it’s fine to make requests (it would be ridiculous not to) but professional DJs are experienced at getting the crowd dynamics just right – almost like they know exactly what they’re doing – and making sure everyone has a fantastic time at your Christmas party.
10. Book your Christmas party DJ with us
It’s a shameless self-promotion, but we like to think we know almost everything when it comes to booking the right DJ, act, or performer for any event of any size.
We at Red Masque have every entertainer imaginable to make your party get off to a flying start. Have a browse through our categories and see for yourself why we are becoming ever so popular.
