Are you planning a corporate holiday event in the San Jose, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, or Gilroy areas? Last week, we had the privilege of DJing a massive holiday event for Lockheed Martin at the renowned Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.

The Tech Museum is an incredible venue for any corporate gathering. What makes it stand out is its interactive exhibits, which you can explore while enjoying the festivities. Located across from Christmas in the Park, it’s in the heart of the city, but the museum staff made parking stress-free—an essential perk during the holiday season.

This event was nothing short of spectacular. Since it was a large-scale party, we set up a 6-speaker system on the bottom floor. Impressively, guests on the 3rd level could still hear the speeches and music perfectly. One highlight of the evening was a heartfelt retirement speech followed by Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” – an energetic send-off for a well-deserved farewell.

We played a mix of everything: holiday classics, well-loved hits, and songs everyone could sing and dance to. Compared to last year’s flat, sprawling venue, this year’s dance floor was the perfect size. Guests were up and dancing by 8:30 PM, and the party didn’t slow down until the event wrapped at 11 PM.

If you’re looking to host a corporate holiday party that’s engaging, fun, and perfectly soundtracked, you need the right Bay Area DJ. From intimate gatherings to big celebrations, we’ll set the mood and keep the energy flowing.

Contact us today to make your next San Jose corporate holiday event one to remember! Call Black and White Affair Dj Services.

We had two SJSU graduates throw a celebration in San Jose. I arrived an hour early and I was all set up and ready to go with 20 minutes to spare. So what do I do? I start playing the jams. I did notice a lot of older latinos there so I went with the old school Spanish music. We went with the cumbia classics. When it my true time to play, I started with their playlist. It was a lot of reggaeton plus with some hip hop. I was playing as many of their songs as I could since I want it to be as custom as can be.

They were good hosts and multiple people were asking me if I ate or needed a drink. I felt at home with the crowd. They were into the same music that I was into. I felt I was with my right crowd. I was playing hits from the 2000s and 2010s. The folks were singing along with the songs. I felt I had them when I was playing bay area anthems and I felt the energy. We. were hitting hard with the cumbias then going to 2000s sing-along pop then hitting up with some bay area classics. I loved the energy in the room plus I was playing like a minute of a half per song.

They had a mechanical bull that got a lot of attention. I have never seen a mechanical bull at a private party but it was a huge hit. It was just funny seeing if people can get on it themselves without any help and to see how long they will last on the bull.

  Long gone are the days that all the djs do vinyl. Only a few actually do vinyl. If you went down on yelp and called 20 djs then you may get one who plays vinyl or they know of a dj that does that. It is very rare these days. Why is it so rare? Its rare since vinyl turntables are heavy and all the records you have to carry are heavy. Plus also with digital files that are so cheap a dj can spend a whole lot less on music than djs who purchase vinyl. All those djs back in the 80s 90s and 00s mostly sold their vinyl collection since they were gathering dust and had no use for it since they could get digital files that take way less space.

  A few of us kept our collections. Some of use will never part with them due to the value that vinyl had in our lives. Seems like now there is a comeback with vinyl. People are going to places to listen to vinyl and looking for vinyl djs. Older music is making a comeback thanks to Tic Tok which is playing older hits that are revitalizing old songs so the younger folks are getting into it. I do notice it with the high school dances that there are less new songs suggested while the older ones fill the lists.

 The cool thing about vinyl sets are they are rare and really a lost art. Please call Bwadj for your vinyl dj needs.

Homecoming at Kings Academy

This is the first time I am doing a dance right after a football game. The dance starts at 9 and will finish close to midnight. I had a list of over 300 songs. A lot of the songs were very good dance music. These were the songs I can use for the event and could not stray from the list. It does have a feel good vibe with the music. 

 I was underneath a huge tent and my power was close by. I was able to set up my big boy speakers and lights in an hour time. It did take some more time since I had to take my gear through a few gates from my car. 

 I loved the positive energy. Once I was set up a girl from the leadership team asked if I needed a drink or snacks. Then she came up again and asked if I was ok. That was awesome!!!

At the end of the night I got assistance in putting my gear away which was a big help.

At the beginning of the dance I knew it would be different. At the start, students were at the front and cheering in all the students that came in. Imagine hearing the applause when you walked in! Some students would run in. Some of the artists that were on the list were Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. The list itself was preapproved so the content was student appropriate. I did notice they would like to bounce with the cool house/edm songs.

Overall a fabulous night with Kings Academy. These students were ready to dance and they had the positive vibe!

How to Pick the Best Dj in the San Francisco Bay Area

In the San Francisco Bay, many folks plan all different kinds of events such as private events, weddings, and corporate events. Maybe years ago, you may have had buddies who dabbled in the dj field but you don’t know if they still are in the field. But you are throwing an event and you want a professional so who do you turn to?

Check previous experience

These days everyone loves looking at reviews. Check out the Yelp Reviews and Google Reviews. Take a look at their Facebook Business Page to see if they are doing events currently and if they post consistently.

Talk with them

Ask them how busy they are. A good dj is a busy dj. Yes, there are loads of djs out there but the ones that are working are the ones that are sought out. Communicate with the dj to get a sense of their professionalism. Ask them what is included in their dj package. Does the dj bring their own lights and microphones? How many speakers will they bring to the function?  How is their response time? Does the dj respond quickly or does it take days to email or call back?

Look at their Website

A good dj should have a website that talks about what they do and who they are. Does it look professional?

Listen to their mixes

A dj will have example of their mixes either on their website or a page dedicated to their mixes. You will get the vibe of the kind of music that he plays and style of mixing. Some djs can give out usb’s with their mixes and some can even give out cds.

There is so much to do in the Bay Area and there are many planners out there that can find you the right event space and vendors to make it stress-free for everyone. The planner’s job is to be organized and create the event based on your vision.

First and foremost, the company needs to know how much money can they spend on the event and it will help determine if they can afford the planner or not. Sometimes the company elects to have someone from their site with little or no experience secure a venue and also the vendors and hope everything goes well! But if budget allows then it is best to hire a professional who knows the field and knows which vendors can be trusted.

Do some online searches for Bay Area planners who have corporate experience. Pick 3 to 5 that stand out from the searches that you have done. Then it is good to reach out to them and find out if they have done similar events before recently and their level of experience. It would be good to connect with their reviews to see how good their prior work has been. Talk with the planner to see what ideas they have for your event and that would be a good way to see how experienced the planner is.

Once a planner has been selected then have them start on the planning right away since with more time often times equals better results with nothing being rushed. Working with planners, communication is key and check on the progress of your event since it is the company’s manager’s job to worry but the planner will keep him/her at ease!

As for school events, the budget for school dances will not be as much as prom.  Typically it is held on campus to help cut on cost.

The question that comes often is what is the cost to hire a dj and what is included. The djs can bring multiple speakers and lights to fill up the gym. I have seen djs charge 100 to 150 dollars an hour for school dances. The dj has to get a playlist ahead of time so the dj can play the music that the students requested.

Schools should select djs that have edited music so they will not have their vice principal run to the dj booth demanding to change an inappropriate song.

Also on the checklist is to see the dj reviews on google and on yelp to see if they have done other schools and can see their successes.

It would be good to have the dj visit the school to show them where they are going to set up. Some schools are not labeled easily so the dj can be driving around and not knowing where to park to unload. Ideally they want to drive close by to unload all their heavy gear.

Last but not least please talk to your dj about their dj crew. It is good to have the dj have one helper but when they are bringing 3 to 5 people to do a 1 to 2 person job, it just is not professional and can be a liability to the dj company and to the school.

The idea of a corporate event is to step away from the office and create an atmosphere for coworker bonding and building company culture. Often times the party is held outside of work hours and workers are encouraged to participate in the festivities.

 Being part of the Bay Area, there are so many choices to find a rare location. The first step is to book the venue then select the theme for your corporate event.

After the venue has been secured it is best to search for the vendors quickly. The good vendors may have an event so it is good to secure.  The longer you procrastinate the higher chance the vendor may not be available.

Also consider the theme of the event and the message that you want to share at the event.

Finally, you may think about the add ons such as food, and drinks and transportation for your guests. Providing transportation to the event and back will make it convenient for the guests in case they do not like driving to San Francisco for example or deal with parking situation.

Some Corporate events are similar to the year before and change is good. With the Bay Area as your venue to choose from, there are many options for cool activities.  A lot of time the major of the responsibilities is bestowed on one person which can be a bit stressful but with a team it can be easier to handle. Some venues can be all inclusive which can include a coordinator who can secure fun activities for your company to do.