In the pass few years I have entertained many company parties. I find many of these to be the same & can be boring. Part of the problem is the person doing the hiring is just told to find a dj. They are not told much more than that. They don’t get any requests from their group & don’t offer any ideas that the entertainment should know. They just expect the the dj to make folks dance. Now it is always assumed the dj is the expert and should know what to play. What We say is if we don’t know your crowd & you don’t help set the foundation it is hard to know what will move the guests.
Most companies have a wide verity of folks working for them. They don’t always dance or like to dance. If the age range is to wide then you run the risk of losing your guests depending from how much you play from any given era. In fact the company may not have anyone that even likes to dance. To days music is very diverse & should be looked at closely when you are planning your event. You the owner or president of your company may like the latest styles but your employees may have a different idea of what is fun to them. If the party is for your staff let your staff pick the music.
The other things to think about when you are hiring a dj is “what do you want the event to feel like?” If you want a night club feel then remember you need lights for the event. If you want a laid back event then don’t think folks will be dancing a lot either. If you saw the dj at a bar, remember they have regulars that come to see them & will like to dance & have fun. This may not be true of your group. Play it safe, stand back & look at your employees & their guests. They are there for many reasons, to make a good impression, to see if they won something or are getting an award or even just to be a part of the event. Most of them are planning on leaving right after the speech or awards are given. You need to ask yourself how to make this a fun event & not dragged out to long. Your entertainment can only do so much & if you don’t give them the right information, neither you or your entertainment will enjoy the event.
The agenda of the event is also a key factor. If you have folks sitting down for 2 to 3 hours before the dancing begins they may lose interest in staying as they may be bored. Think about the event as how to keep the energy in the room alive. Go with a cocktail hour into dinner then right into the dancing. After folks are dancing & having fun do your awards and games or even break up the times of the awards & do them through out the evening. Keep the action alive by mixing it up a little. After the last award is given do a last dance & close out the event. Remember most folks are going to leave right after the speech or awards are done. Also remember if your host dose not dance then your guests may follow their lead.
To sum it all up: to have a great party requires you to know what your guests want & how to have fun. Give this information to your entertainment along with an agenda of the event. Then watch the night unfold. Your dj cannot make folks dance but with the right information can make the night fun.