Showing posts with label amateur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amateur. Show all posts

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Venue Review - Arnoldo Banquet Hall, Riverview, MI

Today's review is a bit different from the ones I've done in the past.  It's not often that I book photo booth services and not DJ services, but it happens.  When it does, I run the photo booth and give my guys the day off.  On a Friday in May, this was the case, so I headed out to the Arnaldo Banquet Hall in Riverview.


The Hall itself is very "over the top" with a circular ceiling that has twinkling stars and blue lighting to the fountain and faux marble columns that line the lobby area.  They must have spent a fortune on the 12 HDTVs behind the bar, but then decided they would look better if they were behind a waterfall that runs over a plexiglass window, placed in front of them.


On this occasion, I did not get the chance to eat.  But don't worry... this isn't my first time here.  I was here about 5 years ago for my high school reunion and the food was nothing to write home about (I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars).


I was also looking forward to this for one other reason... I can sit back and take in what another DJ is doing.



I made a list of all the pros and cons of this particular DJ.  While the setup is clean and professional looking, there isn't much else that I can add to the list of pros!

This room has the unfortunate layout that forces the DJ to the far corner of the room, with tables placed directly between the DJ and the dance floor.  I've stated in the past how this is completely inappropriate and creates an impossible situation for any DJ to overcome.  Guests should NEVER be seated in front of speakers and lighting the dance also becomes a challenge.

Lucky for this DJ, she only had one light to begin with.  That's right - ONE LIGHT for the entire dance floor!  You'll notice it's sitting on the table instead of being up in the air, where it can be angled down, over the tables and actually hit the dance floor.  I've seen DJs that only use a few lights in the past and for some reason, they think that putting them on the table is acceptable (it's not, it's quite amateur).

She has a lovely twinkling LED backdrop that sells for no less than $400.  Aren't you glad she spent money on a backdrop instead of lighting the dance floor?  She's obviously trying to draw attention to herself.  But if that's the case, she should be standing and not sitting the entire night.  There's a reason for that too...

After hearing her dinner music, which was a compilation of "weddings greatest hits" (including Love Shack, Old Time Rock & Roll, White Wedding, Baby Got Back and MORE!), I was curious to take a closer look.  She was using a desktop computer with WINDOWS "FREAKING" MEDIA PLAYER!!!!  No DJ software, no controller, just a keyboard and mouse.  This explains why NONE of the songs were ever mixed together, why sometimes there was 5-6 seconds of silence between songs and why some songs seemed to suddenly get cut off and another one started abruptly.

"DJ Trainwreck" also managed to fumble through introductions without welcoming guests and getting them seated and forgot to cue the song for the bride & groom's intro!

THIS is what the fabulously low price of $499 will get you for your wedding!  If that's what you want, you could probably just hire a friend to do it with their ipod and they might even do a better job.  People like this give professional DJs a bad reputation and I just want to let everyone know that there ARE professionals like myself that will exceed your expectations - EVERY TIME!

At least one thing went right for this couple... they had a great photo booth that everyone enjoyed and memory scrapbook they can look through for years to come.

(end)


 

The PINK PARTY is this Thursday (June 12th)

Come on out to downtown Howell from 5-9 to celebrate a great cause.  This is one of the few public events I do through out the year and it's a great chance to see what I do.  Unfortunately, I don't MC this event as they have a separate MC, but I'll be playing music right next to the courthouse on the stage between various events.  I also light the historical courthouse up in Pink at 9 PM!


The Pink Party is a town wide fund-raiser to raise funds for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Livingston for supportive care and breast cancer research. the Pink Party is an after hours adult, town-wide ticketed event for retail shops to help raise funds for a great cause, invigorate a small downtown and strengthen our sense of community. Proceeds will be donated to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Livingston. Tickets can be purchased in advanced for $25 at participating businesses.

The Pink Party is a ticketed  event for adults. You must have a passport (ticket) in order to receive giveaways, specials, etc. from businesses. Items are limited and on a first come, first serve basis. Remember, this is for a great cause and will help so many!

Your ticket includes:

  • A generous discount at participating retail stores
  • Food & Wine Tasting
  • Massage Stations
  • Queen of the Night Awards for Most Creative Pink Outfit
  • The parade of men
  • Groups purchasing 8 tickets or more at one time will be escorted by a tuxedo wearing, handsome James Bond type. He will be with your group to open doors, carry shopping bags and umbrellas, fetch coffee and remind you of just how fabulous you are!
  • Festive Party-like atmosphere throughout town
  • Roaming entertainment
  • Belly dancing
  • The DJ Guy
  • Zumba
  • Live music and entertainment on the main stage
  • Special handouts on the courthouse lawn

Look for another Venue Review next week!







Sunday, September 1, 2013

Don't get ripped off... Call us, not them.

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to do a "lighting only" gig.  The client had already booked a DJ and photo booth (with another company), but wanted lighting, which I was more than happy to provide.

I thought this would give me some insight into what other local DJs are doing, what they are using and what they charge.  I was shocked at what I found...

I will not name the other company, but I will say that they offer DJ, photography and photo booths in Michigan, Ohio and Florida.  They have about 8 DJs that work for them on a "contract" basis.  Many DJs do this to fill gaps in their schedule as we all have to work to make a living.  I do 3-4 contract events per year, myself (not for this particular company though).

I was shocked to see this...



This picture could have easily been taken back in the '90s, but it was taken this past Friday in 2013!  The equipment and extremely small collection of CDs are relics of an era long gone.  Don't get me wrong, CDs are fine for home use, but not for a professional.  At the most, this DJ had no more than 5,000 songs with him.

The DJ Guy carries nearly 100,000 songs with instant access to any one of the 26 million songs from iTunes or Amazon.



The lighting he uses wasn't any better... par cans with incandescent bulbs and gel colored sheets over them to provide a whopping FOUR colors! (and the only other light was from the spot and disco ball)

The DJ Guy uses all LED lighting.  It's brighter, more vibrant and doesn't burn out (20 year life expectancy).  Our two par cans flood the dance floor with up to 16 colors, in addition to the specialty gobo scanner and whole-room pattern lighting of our other specialty lights.

You'll also notice that his speakers are on the floor.  This is an absolute no-no.  When speakers are left on the ground, you get horrible sound that doesn't reach very far and certainly CANNOT be heard at the other end of the room.  This is a problem because announcements, speeches and toasts will not be heard by the guests.

I arrived back at the end of the reception about 20 minutes early for lighting removal and walked in to see if it had ended early.  There were about 5 people dancing so I stood out in the hallway waiting.  I got to hear him speak, which he did very professionally, so there was no problem there, but... the songs he played at the end of the night were all very dated.  I realize that every couple has different music tastes, but having met the (young) couple myself, I don't think these were their choices.

I did ask him what company he was with and the next day, I inquired about a wedding DJ for 6 hours at the same venue.  I first received a automated reply, which stated: "We deliver ALL of our services using a very high minimum standard.  It is our passion, time and experience that puts us above the rest, and we show it time and time again!"

If standards are so high, why isn't the quality of the equipment?  Why is the DJ carrying such a limited selection?  Why are the speakers on the ground?

I was dying to know what they charge for an event and finally a few hours later, I got my answer - sort of.

The email said they had my fictitious wedding date available and that they would like to speak to me about the date (though I had already provided everything needed for a proper quote.  At the very bottom in small print was a link to pricing...

$900!

I couldn't believe it.  For that same amount you could get our Gold Package, which not only includes a FAR better DJ, sound system, music selection and lighting; but also two additional services of your choice!  (up lighting, ceremony sound, monogram projection or slide show).

This particular company had a very nice website, which other than my own, is rare.  Having done web design in the past, I know the importance of a good, easy to navigate site.  A good website isn't everything though and that's something this other company needs to learn.

I also inquired about their photo booth. Their photo booth is TWICE the price of ours!


As the owner of The DJ Guy, I GUARANTEE that you will have the absolute best in sound, music selection, lighting and professional looking setup; at the best prices.

Call us today to book your "once in a lifetime" event!