The Hobbs Building - Feasts of Fancy

Just wanted to write a quick post about a venue I had the privilege of performing at for this first time last weekend:

The Hobbs Building - Feasts of Fancy
1427 W 9th St # 201
Kansas City, MO 64101-3201
(816) 841-0166
http://www.feastsoffancy.com/

I've worked at a LOT of venues around town, but this was one of the best experiences I've had. They're operation is TOP NOTCH from start to finish.
Almost three months prior to the wedding, I met with Gail to take a look at the venue, and it is truly a unique space. They even have a outdoor patio, that during the warmer months makes a VERY cool place to have your cocktail party. Gail provided me with a time line the SHE had made (99% of the time this is left up to the Bride, and ultimately the DJ), a diagram of what the setup would look like, even the color scheme.

When I arrived on the night of the wedding, I was given a updated timeline and Gail explained to me where the Bride and Groom would be "hiding" prior to the Grand Entrance. Usually I ask the bartender to have drinks ready for when the couple arrives, but Gail had already taken care of that, and everything else!

Gail, the event manger stayed the ENTIRE night, and actively managed the party. The event staff help release guests to the buffet, reset the chairs when they got up, and made the entire event run smoothly.

The reception went great, and this was actually the FIRST wedding I've ever DJed where (other than the first and parent dances), there were NO SLOW SONGS!!! The guest had an awesome time, the wedding couple was happy, even the photographer (who ALSO had some phenomenal shots) commented on what a great reception it was.

If you're looking for a top notch wedding, you MUST check out the Hobbs Building and p.binder photography... and of COURSE Sound Extreme Entertainment :)

Sound Extreme Entertainment
http://www.soundextremekc.com

Feast of Fancy:
http://www.feastsoffancy.com/

Photographer:
http://www.pbinder.com/

I have a friend who said he'd DJ my wedding for $200

Money Money Money... When it comes to shopping for a DJ in Kansas City, a LOT of people use price as their starting point. While price can be huge factor, especially when your budget is limited, it should NOT be the deciding factor when choosing the DJ for your wedding... Here's why:


The way I see it there are 3 "pricing tiers" for DJ services. For this example I'll use a 3.5 hour wedding reception:


1) Amateur DJs - Price range $200-400. You usually get no lighting included, but if you do it's NOT professional. Setups are often old and outdated, music is questionable, and quality is low. If you have a stack of CDs, and about $500 to spend on equipment, you can be a DJ!!


2) Professional DJs - Price range $450-1000. DJs at this level are insured, experienced, have have a great music selection, and top of the line equipment. Your DJ should show up on time, be ready to go at least 15 minutes before scheduled. Your DJ will be dressed appropriately and will NOT be drinking.


3) Professional MCs - Price range $600-2000. Essentially the same as Professional DJs, except they spend more time getting to know the couple, usually will have a MUCH more hands on approach. They are a great option if they're in your budget.

So, if you're looking for the Cheapest DJ, you'll end up with an amateur. For a little extra you'll get a true professional. Be SURE that you are confident in your DJ!! The DJ is responsible for the ENTIRE FLOW of your evening!!

A year after your wedding, what will people remember? The flowers? The cake? The decorations? or that they spent the entire night on the dance floor, having a GREAT TIME!
Spend a little extra and get a professional!

Should I make sure my DJ has insurance?

Issues happen, unfortunately, and for us Sound Extreme Entertainment (your Kansas City Wedding DJs :), as well as other wedding DJs in the world, they can mean the difference between a great reception and a failed reception. Avoiding a disaster can be as simple as adding a few extra minutes to your travel time just in case you have to trace down a cable to find out why a channel is out, or search through some wireless UHF bands to find a noise-free frequency for your wireless mic so that the wedding party toasts are crystal clear.

There are other disasters that are simply unavoidable: natural disasters, the sometimes inexplicable things that party guests might do. That's why Sound Extreme Entertainment, along with many other DJ companies in Kansas City, choose to take the additional step of buying liability insurance. This insurance covers not only Sound Extreme Entertainment, but ALSO OUR CLIENTS, and VENUES. So if one of your guest trips over a speaker cord, or climbs on the speaker and it falls on them and they decided to sue YOU or US, you're covered! Some venues REQUIRE DJs to have insurance, so be sure to ask your venue. Here's a brief outline of our policy:


Here's what our insurance covers:
•Liability limits $1,000,000 per Occurrence, $2,000,000 Aggregate
•Products & Completed Operations Aggregate $2,000,000
•Personal & Advertising Injury. $1,000,000
•Damage to rented premises $50,000
•Professional Liability Limits $100,000 per occurrence


For your own peace of mind, be sure to choose a Kansas City DJ that has liability insurance.

Quality, Professional Equipment -- You're not really a DJ without it.

Have you ever gone to a wedding where the DJ did NOT use professional equipment? Chances are you have (I hear the stories all the time)...

Professional equipment is a MUST when choosing a DJ, because it can have an enormous effect on your wedding or event. Nobody wants to hear a CD skipping during their first dance.

What do I mean by professional equipment? I mean speakers, computers, cords, lights, etc. If your DJ uses equipment that's cheap and out dated, the sound will be cheap and outdated.

I've seen DJs with HOMEMADE speakers, and milk crates of CD'S (how do you think that went at their event?), that's NOT what I call a DJ, that's just some guy with spare time.

Sound Extreme Entertainment on the other hand uses ONLY high quality equipment (Brands such as Mackie, Peavy, DELL, Martin, Chauvet, etc.). From our power cords to speakers, from laptops to LED Lights, it's all PROFESSIONAL equipment. That means when we DJ your Wedding or Event, you will hear crystal clear music, smooth bass, and overall great sound.

Professionalism - Not All Kansas City DJs are Professional

If you browse CraigsList, not to mention a quick search on google, you'll find that there are a LOT of DJs out there... But true professionals are hard to find, and some people define professionalism differently than others. So here is what I consider professional conduct to consist of:

Timeliness - You show up when you say you will

Cleanliness - You LOOK like a professional

Equipment - Your equipment is professional quality, and applicable to the given task (you don't show up this 2 10-inch speakers for a wedding reception with 150 people)

Conduct - ACT like a professional, no profanity, or drinking while you work.

All these attributes combine represent a professional DJ.

Professionalism is VERY important.
I get request from Brides all the time looking for a "Last Minute" DJ, because their original DJ (who they where paying $200, hasn't returned their calls, or has canceled)... SO beware, make sure you're hiring a professional...

When in doubt, call Sound Extreme Entertainment :)

Price shopping for a DJ

I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me simply for my rates, or packages. It seems in today's economy people are price shopping. The problem is, if you are comparing DJs based solely on price, I honestly don't even want to try to compete. We are NOT the most expensive DJs out there.... we are also not the Cheapest, but we ARE the best.

There are a few things that need to be considered other than just price:
Professionalism
Equipment
Insurance
Skill

Those are just a few... I'll discuss them later.... stay tuned...

When it comes to DJ questions, I hear it all.

First blog post!
I decided to start a blog to talk about various things having to do with DJing here in Kansas City. We DJ weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, company partes, chistmas parties, etc. Needless to say, I've seen a lot of good things at events I've DJed and some not so good things.

The idea behind this blog is to provide some help to those brides, grooms, parents, company organizers out there on what I've seen work, and what I've seen NOT work. Also, hopefully, there will be some fun involved!

SO.... Hopefully I will be able to find time here and there to add to this blog. I hope you find it useful!