There has to be a lot of coordination when it comes to a destination wedding. Once a venue is secured then the rest becomes easier. These are good questions to ask your venue

Is your Venue all included?

1) Are there options to pick what you want to pick or is there everything included. Get quotes for everything to do a price comparison. Some venues do have packages and some may have add ons.

2) Are you flexible with other vendors?

Some venues are particular in selecting other outside vendors. Sometimes they have their preferred vendors on their list and if you want a particular vendor then they may charge you more or ask for a certain insurance. It would be good to be upfront with the venue on what you would want.

3) What spaces are available for the ceremony and the reception?

 It ideal to have the ceremony and reception in the same area to limit the driving from place to place especially if you have to rely on someone else for transportation. Some if it cannot be avoided if you are going to get married at a church. It would be good to find out how may guests can the venue hold for the ceremony and reception. Also if you are interested in a venue ask them what would happen if weather was not favorable and what would be another option in case they had to move the ceremony elsewhere. A good venue always has a plan B in case the unexpected happens.

I have been in a single operator (single op) for many years so I may have some bias then I did some sub contract work for a multi operator (multi op) so I have seen both sides. Which one is the best and why?

With a Single Op you know what you get when people hire them. Sergio Garcia Entertainment and you get Sergio Garcia as your DJ. You do not have any surprises and you know who you get. All the reviews will mention Sergio Garcia. For a Multi Op you can get someone one year for a holiday party and may get someone else the following year. It all depends if the other initial dj is available. Then there is the question that the other dj that you hired will be as good as the previous one.

If one wants to actually debating on staying a single op or starting a multi op there are many things to consider. Once you start being established as a single op there will be days where you are double or triple booked. With those events, then you refer them to dj buddies you know who do good work. The bad side about that is that does not generate revenue and if the dj buddy does a good job then they will be called instead of you. If you run a multi op and have one of your team do it then you are able to generate money and they can leave a review for your company. 

If a company has a strong Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) then the owner’s standards can be passed down to their team. The staff is representing a band. The most difficult issue with an multi op is finding good help. If someone is really good and driven then they can be with your company for a short term and then can be your competition. In that case, you can have the folks that you hire and train sign noncompeting agreements so they cannot start their own company in a certain area for a certain amount of time.

So, which is better if you ask me now? I think if one is organized and make their employees follow their standard practices then in essence, they are creating clones then the multi op is the way to go. It is better to have your company represented 4 times in one night then when a single op just does one event in one night. There will defiantly be more reach with a multi op. 

With a multi op, they can send djs to do nonprofit or free events to make it good with the decision makers to set future dj events. Also, with an multi op there are more folks helping with the marketing and more folks can call venues and develop relationships with them.

Hey Mr. DJ, I am a single op who has unmatchable talent and I do not want anyone to mess up my brand. Then stick with what you know but you will not be able to grow. There are only 52 Saturdays in the year and you cannot be at multiple places at once.

So, with more reading and learning about how a multi op works, I have changed my mind and find that having a multi ops have more pluses than minuses. With more power, comes more responsibilities. But with a good management software, then running some djs can be a manageable task.

If you are thinking of taking your dj company to the next level contact me at Omar@bwadj.com

My original thoughts of the Multi op versus Single op article

 Less than half a block away from the happening downtown area is a very snazzy hotel called the Los Gatos Toll House Hotel. The first time I went there I was blown away with how classy the establishment was. They have a nice outside area for ceremonies then for the reception they have a nice reception area to dance the night away. They place the dance floor anywhere you want it. The staff members are always pleasant. They are the definition of good hospitality.

I did a holiday party at the Toll House this past weekend. The group really liked to party and they started at the bar first. It was cocktail hour and they wanted some party music. Then dinner started and they still wanted some music to jam to. This was not your typical dinner crowd where you are playing Sinatra and Nat King Cole.  

The owner had some inspiring words to his staff member and he mentioned it was their best year ever. Everyone was ready to celebrate. The party started early and it went straight to closing time. It seemed like everyone was heading downtown night scene which is like a half block away.

Again, if you want a classy place to have a wedding or an event then the Toll House in Los Gatos is the place to go. They have excellent service and a good venue to have a monumental event. And one of the coolest things about it, folks can walk half a block to continue the party if they want to or able to go upstairs to their room if they need to rest from all the fun they just had.

In the South county area one has wineries to choose from for big spaces. But in Morgan Hill there is a restaurant that can boast that it has two areas to have parties. I was able to be part of a company party.

Mama Mia always had a big banquet room where I have djed a few times before. They also had a smaller room for small private dinners. Mama Mia did a genius thing and expanded that small room so it can hold bigger parties. On Saturday they had a band in their bigger room and they had me the dj in their newer room. They were able to add some flowers to the room to add a little color to the room. The party was served buffet style. The staff was on it in serving the party and keeping the space clutter free.

 They do have a private bathroom close to the back venue area but there are also the main bathrooms in the front that have more availability.

 One neat factor was even though a band was playing in the same restaurant I did not even hear any of their music. We were able to have two parties at one in close vicinity without the music interfering with each other. Another perk of the back room is that the back parking lot is only a few steps away so to decorate with flowers or to set up dj equipment is really easy.

 So now Mama Mia’s has two nice inside areas to host events and lets not forget their nice outside area so now it’s a triple threat in hosting nice events.

We believe in prompt responses. Setting up an event can feel like a second job and it can cause some stress. We believe to make the process as easy with possible. We are accessible by text, phone call or email and respond quickly. If folks, ask for quotes then we make sure they get it right away and we do not sugar coat anything. Our job is to make your wedding planning easier.

We help build playlists. We do not play the same old music at every event. We send out lists to our clients and the most popular songs and they pick their favorites and can add some other songs that are not on the list. Each party has its only playlist and they are never the same. We tend to get the requests a week before to ensure we can find the requests in time for the event.

We have played at night spots in the bay area so we had to be able to read different crowds to throw more energy at the dance floor. Not every crowd is the same so we have our experience to keep the party going and keep it going the whole night.

We believe in having back ups to our back ups. We make sure everything is in tip top condition but for some reason something is not sounding well then I have an alternative or two to make it sound better. Often times it is using another cable or connecting another controller to the set up. We always have another computer for those just in case scenarios.

Do You Bring Back Up Equipment?

For weddings that are require ceremony, cocktail hour and reception sound I always bring 5 speakers. Two will be for the ceremony. Most ceremonies only require one but I bring two since I believe its important for everyone to hear the vows and the officiant and the bride and groom. So anytime there is a speaker issue I have 4 others to choose from. From the ceremony, I bring a lapel microphone, a wireless microphone and a wired microphone. Those are back ups to my back up mentality.

I bring two laptops with all the music requested. For some reason one is deciding to not work I have any one that can finish the job. Also I have a connection to hook up to a phone in case I need it so some odd reason. My laptops that I use are only for djing. I do not use it for internet searches. Their only purpose is to play music. For my back up I bring a mini controller incase my main controller malfunctions. It is a small tool that provides a big sound. I have my main headphones and I have regular earbuds in my back pack incase the main ones stop working.

There is no such thing as too few cables. I bring enough for 3 events. I have multiple speaker cables and extension cables that I bring for a great piece of mind. Sometimes the photographer wants to connect to my mixer and I give them the cable to use for that if they do not have it.

I always bring more than I am supposed to but I like to be two steps ahead. A professional dj job is to be prepared.

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.

Los Gatos Lodge is a great place for any social gathering. Typically, I set up by the patio area inside but this last function I was in a different room. The room had a mobile bar and there was plenty of tables in the room. On the side of the room was a long table for the buffet and the desserts. I was scheduled to come in the middle of their cocktail hour to set up and they already had a wireless microphone and music playing in their internal system. Los Gatos Lodge would be an ideal place to plan a corporate event or reunion since they can run sound without a dj in case they did not have one or wanted to save money that expense.

It was a 45-year reunion from a local high school.  It was the class of 1974. I do always ask for a list after I send a list of my own to chose from. Usually what I do then I go and look at the top songs of all the years they went to high school so I search from 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974. I just do not just include the disco but the rock songs. I remember one reunion I did one member said that back in the 70s people were into rock or into disco. I was able to play both. I was able to accommodate requests from the party people at the event. Sometimes that is needed to play a gem that the class jammed to in their younger years.

It was a fabulous party and a lot of folks were dancing to the fun songs they selected.