How is 2017 looking for you?
- Thread starter Albatross
- Start date
Just finished the last wedding of the year. Looking at 2017, I have a bunch of repeat events on the books. The rest of the year will fill in as we go forth. Pretty typical.
Right now I have 19 on the books for next year. Without looking back I think it's a couple ahead of last year at this time. I try to hit 50 each year and usually I'm closer to 60 personally and another 25 to 30 for my other DJ's. January to March is the prime booking season here.
I actually have 5 in '18 already signed and booked
As an aside I had a cancellation for NYE this year and nothing else booked so far. If I don't get one it will be the first time since '83 I will be off NYE
I actually have 5 in '18 already signed and booked
As an aside I had a cancellation for NYE this year and nothing else booked so far. If I don't get one it will be the first time since '83 I will be off NYE
A few years back, I stopped working NYE events - I actually didn't 'stop', I just made it unaffordable. If they're willing to pay what I want, then I'll come deal with the craziness. 
A few years back, I stopped working NYE events - I actually didn't 'stop', I just made it unaffordable. If they're willing to pay what I want, then I'll come deal with the craziness.
I've been making it unaffordable since 83 but they keep calling lol
I had 2013 I think off. It was 2013 or 2012...Can't remember which year. I look at NYE as "Do I want to work, or not?" - I usually tend to want to work NYE simply because January/February are SLOW. Need to earn that last bit of money before the dead season.
Now If I had a full time job during the week, I WOULD NOT want to work NYE. In Fact, I would not bother booking it at all. I would want to be like most peple and have NYE and New Years Day completely off.
This year, I am doing a 2nd time wedding for a couple in their late 50s getting married. Only 65 guests I think. Should be a fun night. She already paid me in full when she booked to get the payment out of the way. After I was paid, I had a potential $1800 job come in for NYE down in Virginia...Much farther drive, but would have paid a lot more...oh well. I am satisfied with what I booked for the night.
The agency just booked me on Dec. 30th for a holiday party, so I have a double that weekend!
Obviously not "unaffordable" enough!
Quote $2,500 for 4 hours with no lights, and $500 each additional hour, and see if you still book anything for NYE.
12/31 is our Anniversary. I've suffered too many times from "Oh, go ahead and work honey" where I actually believed her.
Like you...I have recently grown KEEN to that as well. I could tell my wife was not thrilled with me booking NYE this year....at the same time, she has lost her bonuses at work this year, so she is going to earn close to 10K less this year than in 2015...I look at it as "We need all the money we can get".
Who knows what 2017 brings...I have it in my mind that if I can find a good paying job in 2017, I will become employed again...if that happens I won't work NYE next year. I would likely work less jobs in general.
A few years back, I stopped working NYE events - I actually didn't 'stop', I just made it unaffordable. If they're willing to pay what I want, then I'll come deal with the craziness.
I considered charging a premium for NYE, but I ended up coming in at my standard wedding rate. The last couple of years I've ended up playing a NYE club gig, so to be doing mobile work was already a bonus. Plus, it booked recently, so it felt like found money. Probably left some on the table though.
I have 9 weddings currently on the books with a few more pending. I also have St. Charles Pride Fest, which is expected to have about 5000 ppl attend so I'm looking forward to that!
My goals mirror yours. I'm hoping to end up with 20-25 for the year. I think I will reach that goal. What I need to figure out is how to get into the corporate world.
My goals mirror yours. I'm hoping to end up with 20-25 for the year. I think I will reach that goal. What I need to figure out is how to get into the corporate world.
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Corporate events don't occur as often as they use to. However, it's still a market worth venturing into. Unfortunately, Corporate clients who do not go to some website like Gig Masters or Thumb tack are generally going to either go through a planer, OR what happens is that they have an employee who ends up referring someone they know. ...Outside of that, Corporations will often just go directly to a Talent Agency.
The Agency I am with at one time about 10 years ago was booking over 500 contracts during the holidays for holiday parties (December/January). I don't know what they do now, but I am positive it is well below 200 these days...
Unless you become the person they contact for corporate events, One or two exceptional events and its pretty easy to become the go to for others, Im not talking Christmas parties I'm talking conferences, providing audio visual solutions for companies meetings, this is a very lucrative market and is mostly weekday work if I was sitting home during the day wonder where to go eat lunch I would be wholeheartedly after this market if I lived in a major metropolitan area. as it is in a town of under 3000 I have done 5 -10 of these events per year in the past, having a large technical college in town is where most of this came from, but there were always one or two others every year
Are you renting gear for that, or do you have the inventory to support that many people?
But that might mean straying beyond Alto ...
But that might mean straying beyond Alto ...
Totally... I see PSAV locally a lot for bigger stuff. And my day job company does about 4 big conference style events a year and hires a different contractor for the production work.
No doubt there is a lot of business there. But, to me it looks like all of the worst parts of DJing, and none of the fun parts (except maybe cashing checks).
I think there are 2 paths .. full production and AV support .. one is gear only, mainly for smaller events .. the other has necessary artistic components. The 2nd will bring in significant dollars and significant headaches. I think the smaller events, with primarily speaking and minor amounts of music are doable by some DJs.
Mine were usually a sound system, usually I used 4 Yamaha DXR 10s, wireless mics, a combination of handheld, lav and head worn, very little music, and quite often a projector and screen it was / is a pretty easy $500-$700 income on a weekday