In my experience meeting clients – whether it be for a private party, fashion show, corporate event or a wedding reception – most have some degree of what I call “DJ fear.” Who knows how this anxiety started. Maybe the apprehension began when some stoned DJ stumbled into a wedding reception in the mid ’70s wearing jeans and sunglasses and proceeded to play Iron Butterfly all night. Maybe the worries started when a DJ in the early ‘80s arrived late at his corporate event gig and then only spun lite rock hits by Air Supply and Kenny Loggins, songs you usually hear while in the dentist’s chair instead of when on the dance floor.
Whatever the case, there’s a stigma when it comes to the image of the DJ. It’s like many people think most of them out there are the music-mixing equivalent of the Adam Sandler character in the film The Wedding Singer when he becomes rude and obnoxious, and turns events into nightmares. Over the next few weeks, interspersed with other posts to this blog, I will discuss what I’ve found to be the most common negative assumptions that clients have about DJs (in no particular order of importance), and how a client can steer clear of these – and eliminate their DJ fear.
I’ll start this week with the DJ’s appearance. Many potential clients I meet don’t simply assume the DJ will actually dress in a professional manner to an event. Potential clients have asked me before, sheepishly, “Will you be wearing a suit?” I always find these low expectations to be sad, but, again, this seems to be the reality – a lot of people out there think the DJ won’t show up looking respectable unless they ask them to do. Some people have a more optimistic outlook, though they still ask this question and then apologize for asking it, explaining that they thought I would dress respectably, but that they were just making sure. Whether it’s a concern or not, it’s a great idea for a client to discuss appearance when meeting a potential DJ. But the client shouldn’t just ask what the DJ will wear, the client should tell the DJ, or at least guide him or her, to what they should wear by explaining the level of formality at the event, and that they expect the DJ to fit in with it. This way the DJ doesn’t show up underdressed or overdressed. Because either can be bad – no one wants the guy behind the mixer with jeans and a polo shirt at their wedding reception, but also, it can be just as awkward to have a guy in a tuxedo spinning songs at a casual outdoor corporate cocktail party. By giving the DJ an expectation of how he or she should look, a potential embarrassing situation is cut off right there.
Cocktail Hour, Corporate Events, Dinner Music, DJ Advice, dj nyc, djnyc, Fashion Shows, Hiring A DJ, Indie Music, Indie Wedding Music, Jewish Weddings, Multicultural DJ, Multicultural Events & Multicultural Weddings, New York City, NYC & NYC Metro Area Venues, nyc dj, Overcoming "DJ Fear", Theme Events, Wedding Ceremony Music, Wedding Timelines - Advice from the DJ Perspective, Weddings
May 13, 2008