Mobile Disco Booking Guide

This guide to booking a mobile disco for your wedding has been written by Richard (webmaster) and Ian Maddock who is a full time professional DJ and Smart FM (Stoke on Trent) radio presenter. Both can be contacted on the forum. Although it relates to weddings, the same also applies for any function that requires booking a mobile disco.

Finding a Mobile Disco

There are lots of places to find a disco for your wedding. This directory has its own suppliers directory. Another way of finding a disco is to look in your yellow pages. By reading this advice guide, I will help you ensure that you choose a professional for your wedding.

When you are looking at booking a DJ for your wedding, do not make your decision based upon price. There are lots of DJ's out there, especially in the yellow pages that will quote you under £100. This may seem a bargain at the time but are likely to be un-reliable and may not turn up at your wedding. A good quality DJ will usually cost around £150 - £500 depending on the size of your wedding reception venue and your location in the UK. There are some important factors to consider and questions to ask before you book. Hopefully this will give you all the advice you need and ensure that you book with a reputable DJ company.

Insurance

I strongly recommended that you book with a company that has public liability insurance (PLI). This is important should anything happen to you or your guests, such as a trip on a lead or a lighting effect come loose and fall on someones head. If this was to happen you need to be assured that the DJ has sufficient insurance against such accidents. Even more so if you will have young children at your reception. You can ask the DJ to send you a copy of his/her insurance certificate to prove that they are insured. We also offer a new service on the directory where you can see at a glance who has cover. We do this by having the companies send us proof of cover.

I would also recommend that you ask the DJ if there equipment is PAT tested. This is a annual electrical safety test of all their equipment. This is not yet a lawful requirement but is a good way of ensuring you are booking a DJ whose equipment will have been checked by a qualified electrical professional. Yet again you may ask for a copy of the certificate.

Booking & Contracts

When you do decide to book a DJ for your wedding, I strongly advise that you get a signed contract from them. If you get a contract, this will give you a legal guaruntee that they must attend your wedding. Be sure to read the small print on any booking form or contract and ask them what happens if they are taken ill or have equipment failure on the night.

Be sure to get a receipt for any reservation fees or deposits they require to confirm your booking. Some companies require full payment, others let you pay in cash on the night. Either way ask for a receipt for any money that you pay, this gives you proof of payment.

Ensure you have sufficent contact details for the DJ. A mobile phone number is not adequate. Insist that you have a full postal address and a landline if possible. I would not recommend paying any money until you have these details.

Music & Play Lists

Ask the DJ what kinds of music they carry with them. These days all good DJ's will carry a wide and varied selection of music. If you are after a paticular kind of music, ask them what they have in that genre. Most DJ's these days will accept play lists, where you can specify what tracks to play and what not to play. These are a good idea and usually helps the DJ in knowing what your musical taste is. I recommend having a playlist for 60% of the evening with the DJ filling in the rest. This gives the DJ the chance to keep the dancefloor busy should they need to change the music slightly to please all your guests.

Check to see that the DJ has your chosen first and if any, last dance. With the resources available these days to purchase music, this should not be a problem. You could always bring your own CD's along if the DJ is short of a few specialist tracks.

Equipment & Presentation

Ask the DJ what equipment they use, such as lighting and sound equipment. This will give you a good idea of the kind of show that they will be using. I recommend jotting the names down and looking them up on the Internet. Another good way of seeing the kind of show they have is to ask if they have a website with pictures of them working. Another important factor is whether or not the venue allows some of their equipment such as fog or haze machines. You may also request that they do not use smoke machines if you have any guests that will not like this.

Remember, ask your DJ what they will be wearing on the evening. Ripped jeans and an old T-shirt may not be what you are looking for so ask them if they will be dressed accordingly. Most DJ's will wear a shirt and tie or a suit.

Hotel & Venue Resident DJ's

Don't rely solely on the recommendation of venue managers. Venues are businesses and in most cases will recommend their "in-house" disco because they are probably the cheapest they could find in order to make a mark up. If you do decide to book an "in-house" disco insist that you are given the telephone number of their disco company so you can check them out.

However, some hotels do recommend high class discos - But insist you make the booking yourself, by doing so you almost guarantee you'll not pay the venue mark-up.

Conclusion (by Ian Maddock - Smart FM DJ and Mobile Disco Directory Forum Moderator)

It can be of great benefit & is important to build up a working relationship & work on a 1 to 1 basis with your chosen DJ from the moment your event is planned to the moment it is completed. Not only will your DJ be responsible for ensuring you have a good night to remember your special day but your disco host should be experienced in many kinds of ceremony & can really help bring the night together. Your DJ will of course be the one who has or should have the most of the experience as although it may be your 1st wedding it could be the DJ’s 100th, so to speak. It is his job after all & has to consider all those special moments on your evening wedding reception, such as the bride & grooms 1st dance & of course those special moments like the bride having a dance with her father & other things like getting the guests to stand in a circle so everyone in the room gets a good photo or a lasting memory of that 1st dance as man & wife or when cutting the cake if that is done later in the evening.

Another thing you may want to do is ask the DJ if he will allow you to pause the show & use the microphone to say a few words of thanks or issue presentations of gifts to family members or important people who have made your day come together or if you wish your DJ should be happy to pass the microphone over to one of the key guests or even yourself. The best thing you can do is try to make a schedule of your day as well as your evening reception, inform your show host in what you want to do & how you plan the reception night to turn out & together you can bounce ideas of each other out so that on the day you can relax in comfort & leave the hard work to someone else so you & your guests can savour those moments & memories for a long time.

Like has been quoted before in this section previously, do not book a DJ simply on the basis he is low priced. It has been quoted many times, a good DJ is the one thing that can make or break your night. When arranging a wedding or similar event the DJ is usually the cheapest thing you will need to hire – the wedding cake will probably cost a lot more than what your DJ will quote - yet hiring the right person will probably turn out to be the most important decision you make for the day. Don't make the wrong choice as you may well regret it & everyone who comes along will probably not remember your party for the right reasons. If you hire a poor quality DJ or if you find one that goes out for really cheap rate's it may be worth remembering that they may not be covered for insurance, use basic or inferior sound equipment, not carry the right music, not be registered by the taxman.. Etc. so your night could cost you a lot more in the long run & your night of fun could be quite the opposite. A poor DJ also only tend to play the music they like themselves & not what gets a dance floor going. Also, chances are they won't carry the music you need to get any atmosphere going.

I myself through doing work in the entertainment industry, as well as doing mobile roadshow & other similar entertainment have built up a rapport with some other wedding specialists & people who are trained & have experience in working with wedding crowds or wedding features. A lot of well established DJ's or entertainers will probably know many of the people whose services may also have been hired at weddings. Also exhibiting at various wedding fayres I have got to know a few caterers, photographers & even believe it or not hair stylists & balloon modellers. The point I am getting at is that if you talk to your chosen photographer, video bloke, limo hire, caterer or whoever they will probably be in the same position. With this in mind they may well be able to help you fill the gaps & help complete the rest of your needs & usually they recommend people they would recommend themselves & know are reliable & worth hiring. This could save you hours of trudging through directories & asking for references.

Also remember DJ's have worked in numerous venue's & may well even be able to recommend a suitable venue to hold the reception & also that a lot of DJ's have worked alongside bands or artists & got to know them, so it may not hurt to ask if your DJ can help fill in the gaps. Asking some of the people you have already hired may just save you trudging around the phone books for weeks on end or it may even save you money and if they are recommended from a good source the chances are they will know who can do the job best.

By following the above advice will ensure that you employ a professional DJ for your wedding. Good luck.