examplebooking

So, You've decided that you want to book a Disco for your function. You may have never booked a Disco before so where do you start? There are 100's of suppliers out there and it's more than likely that there are at least 25 Disco operators in your area alone so how do you choose which Disco is right for you?

Before you even start searching the internet or specific websites, think about what it is that you want from the Disco. Are you looking for the cheapest price out there because you may have a limited budget? In this business you definitely get what you pay for. Some DJ's will go out for a ridiculously cheap price. This could be because they are part-time DJ's and work during the week and the Discos that they provide at the weekend are to enhance their income? Generally, DJ's like this do not put the same amount of passion and commitment into their service as a full-timer would. Their equipment may not be up to the job, they may not have Public Liability Insurance (which is a must have for most venues these days) and their equipment may not have been PAT (Safety) Tested. That's just a couple of things. Do they carry back up equipment should anything go wrong with the equipment they are using? Imagine the scene - You've booked the venue, the food, invited the guests and everyone is looking forward to a great party when all of a sudden the DJ's equipment stops working. Because he does not have any back up equipment to keep the party running, sadly that would be the end. With a part-time DJ you may not get a contract with Terms & Conditions either. These are there for YOU and not just the DJ. It's very easy these days to get an advertisement on the internet and there are various websites out there that offer free listings to Discos so it's also easy to make yourself look bigger and better than you actually are!

There may well be legitimate part-time DJ's out there that operate in a professional manner and offer an excellent service. Sadly, in our experience, the bad ones out number the good ones. You may also find that a number of DJ's will go out very cheap because they need to get the work in as they may not be too busy.

So, let's imagine that you are having a party for your 40th Birthday and you want to start looking around for a Disco. There are various places dedicated to Discos and DJ's and obviously search engines like Google, Yell.com and Bing. Before you go off searching, think about recommendations. Have you ever been to a party where there was a Mobile DJ booked and you had a great time and was impressed by them? You can't get better than seeing something for yourself. It might be worth trying to track them down. The person who had the party will more than likely have a business card or email address for the DJ. Failing that, let's start looking.

We'll use Google for our search. What exactly is it that you are searching for? Do you want a 'Mobile DJ in Basingstoke'?, 'Mobile Disco in Basingstoke'?, 'Mobile Disco in Hampshire'? These should all bring up a list of Discos in Basingstoke and from that list, you can start searching. Have a look at different websites and see what the companies have to offer and how they operate. Most of the companies will have an Online Enquiry Form or Contact Email Address. You'll need to give them some basic information when asking for a quotation if you are contacting the companies via an online form. We would personally recommend that you call the companies and speak to the person in charge. This way you will get a good feeling from the person on the phone. Going back to the part-time DJ's again, you will find that more often than not that there will be a mobile number listed on their website or advertising. This is more likely because they will be working during the day. You may get frustrated leaving voicemails. If there isn't a home phone number then we would recommend not contacting them. We like to give as much information as possible and will take a contact email address from our customers so that we can put everything in writing to them. We also aim to reply to all email enquiries within the hour. Going back to the Online Enquiry / Email method - The information you should really provide the company with are as follows - Your Name, Contact Email or Phone Number, Date of Function, The Venue, Duration of the Disco, Number of Guests and Type of Function. The company should then be able to provide you with a quotation based on the information you have given them. If you do this with a number of companies, you should then be able to compile a range of quotations.

Now, we are going to imagine that you have contacted Shakermaker Promotions for a quotation for your 40th Birthday Party. It's going to be held at a local venue and the duration is from 7.30pm - Midnight. We have spoken to you on the phone and given you lots of information about what we do and what we can provide and we have then followed it up with a detailed quotation so that you have it for your records. You have compiled your own list of quotations from various Disco companies and have decided that you would like to go ahead and book your Disco with us - What happens next?

Once the price for the Disco has been agreed along with any additional services (such as Photo Projection which is a great addition), we will ask you for some extra information so that we can send you booking forms. These can either be sent by post or by email. All of the information regarding the booking is detailed on the booking forms including contact numbers for the venue, notes and special requirements. If the function is a surprise party, we will be as descreet as possible.

Our customers receive 2 copies of the booking form which are both signed by us and a song request sheet. They retain 1 copy for their records (this is also good for Wedding Insurance purposes if your function is a Wedding and we will also supply a receipt) and return the other copy signed by themselves along with the booking fee within 14 days to secure the booking. We also advise that the Balance is then due 7 days before the function. Booking Fees and Balances can be paid either by Cheque or by using Online Banking. We will also send you a confirmation email once the booking form and booking fee have been received. The next thing we do is contact your chosen venue and make sure that they have copies of our Public Liability Insurance and PAT (Safety) Tested documents so that they have them on their records.

When we provide a quotation, the price includes a full sound & lighting system which can be tailored to meet your requirements, early access and set up of the equipment (if the venue allows this) and a pre-function meeting at a convenient time to go over the customers expectations for their function which includes timings, any special requirements and announcements and also specific music requests. We believe that we offer a personal service and the feedback that we receive tells us that our customers like this. This is another thing you should consider when looking for a DJ. Will the DJ visit you like we do? Some will, some won't. Another thing is music requests - Does the DJ have a set limit of songs that they will accept from you, the customer or are they happy to accomodate requests and playlists? Shakermaker Promotions believe that the customer should get exactly what they WANT so we welcome requests both in advance and on the night itself. Another thing is, are you dealing with an Agency that has 100's of DJ's on it's books? Do you know who will be turning up on the night? Will you be able to meet the DJ in advance? Don't forget that the DJ working for you at your party will lose some of his fee as the Agency will deduct their fee from the booking.

So, the booking has been confirmed because the forms and booking fee have been sent back. Our documents have been sent to the venue so that they know we are covered and our equipment is safe to use. We are now 2 weeks away from your 40th Birthday Party and a Pre-function meeting has been arranged so that we can go through all of the details for the night and collect the song request sheet from you. If you have booked the additional service of Photo Projection so that you can share your photos with your guests throughout the evening, we will collect them from you at the same time. Our meetings do not take too long. The aim is to put our customers at ease and fill them with confidence that they have booked the right people for their party. We will provide as much help and advice as we can using our experience to ensure that their function is everything that they want it to be and goes above and beyond their expectations. We will also advise when we will be setting up the equipment and when we will be arriving on the night.

Now it's the day of the party. All of our equipment is loaded up and we have arranged a set up time in advance with the venue. Early access and setting up isn't always possible. This may be because the travel distance is too far (We would advise this at this at the enquiry stage. We do not charge for travel within a 20 mile radius of Basingstoke) or if the function is a wedding and it isn't possible to set up due to space. We advise that 45 minutes - 1 Hour is required for us to set up the Disco. This can be slightly longer if additional services such as Venue Uplighting are included in the booking (Venue Uplighting is dependent on an early set up). Another reason we like to set up early where possible is because it gives us the chance to fully test the equipment to make sure that the sound & lighting is working as it should be and that there are no problems. We do carry back up equipment with us to every function in case there are any problems at this stage or later on in the evening. We are pretty confident that should a problem arise later on in the evening, we are able to get everything up and running again within 15 minutes depending on what the problem is. That's got to be better than having to stop the party altogether hasn't it?

The equipment has been set up, everything is working as it should be and we have all of the details for the party later that evening. The party is planned to start at 7.30pm so we will make sure we are at the venue at least 30 minutes before we are due to start (if the equipment has been set up in advance). We will arrive at the venue dressed smartly, usually in trousers, a shirt and shoes. We will make ourselves known so that the customer knows we are there and will then do a last minute check to make sure that everything is ok. Generally we will start off with the music at a low volume so that the customer can welcome their guests in comfort without having to shout over loud music. As the night progresses we will play the music that the customer and their guests requests and use our skills and experience to encourage people to get up on to the dancefloor by playing a wide range of music for everyone. We are aware that not everyone likes to get up and have a dance (we have 2 left feet ourselves so we won't even dare!), but we will still encourage requests from everyone.

As the party comes to end, we will thank everybody for attending on the customers behalf (unless they want to get on the microphone themselves) and encourage everybody to get on the dancefloor for the last song. Should the party go on after the agreed duration, details of additional charges for extra playing time are in our Terms & Conditions and they are also dependent on the venue allowing this. We will pack away the equipment quickly and not leave any mess. We will then return any items such as CDR's or Memory Sticks that have been used for (example) Photo Projection, say goodbye and leave the venue. We like to get in touch around a week after the event to get some feedback from the customer on the service that we provided. Feedback is important to us and is very much appreciated.

We hope that this information has been helpful to you. Please feel free to contact us on 01256 350792 or 07717 307299 or by email if you require any additional information.

Shakermaker Promotions

Home