Please pray for me at this Saturday's gig that all goes well.
- Thread starter MIXMASTERMACHOM
- Start date
It does around here . There are venues that people know there is no need to have security to search people as they are coming in. Then there are places you better have security .
No, it doesn't - there or anywhere else. The venue (VFW, Holiday Inn, Ritz Carlton, Grand Hyatt, MGM Grand, etc, etc) - does not determine if the guests pay to attend YOUR birthday party - the people planning the party determine that - and as others pointed out, if people have to pay to come to a party, they most likely are not coming.
I'd like to clarify a few things. There are pay parties which are sometimes birthday celebrations, award celebrations or retirement parties and they are usually given by organizations or party promoters and usually held at larger night clubs, catering hall or other larger venues. Usually these events are in the tri-state area but also I've seen boat rides, cruises and vacations given by these organizations. These organizations usually have listing of thousands of invited individuals which go out for each events. Quite often these events sellout, I'm still in contact with a DJs that do these type of events. I used to do these type of events as far as back as then mid 1980's. And yes I got paid well. These events are not the same as giving your daughter a sweet-16 or yourself a birthday party. These pay events are public (anyone can come), but where a Sweet-16 would be private, only invited guests.
Now sometimes people decide that they would like to have private party and try to run it as a pay party. This becomes problematic for a bunch of reasons some which you have addressed. As far as it becoming a money making event, far from it. Hopefully they'll get enough money to cover all expenses unless they sold enough tickets in advance. If your the DJ you better get paid it advance to be safe.
Now sometimes people decide that they would like to have private party and try to run it as a pay party. This becomes problematic for a bunch of reasons some which you have addressed. As far as it becoming a money making event, far from it. Hopefully they'll get enough money to cover all expenses unless they sold enough tickets in advance. If your the DJ you better get paid it advance to be safe.
He was assassinated.
I don't disagree .. the premise here (and Mix has brought it up several times) is someone throwing a party for themselves, and charging others to come .. at minimum, tacky. If others wish to throw you a party and ask people to pitch in .. fine.
First things first. I never said anything about guest making up the price to pay to come to an event in a place. The venue itself along with the person having the event determines that price. What I mean is depending on what a venue has to offer, certain things come with a price. There is a difference from having an event in a VFW Hall and a nice catering hall. Normally in a VFW Hall all you're paying for is to rent the place. Which will include a small crew to setup tables and chairs and take it down when the event is over. Sometimes depending on the place itself and the town ordinance you may be allowed an open bar for a few hours or the entire event. That's comes at an extra price of course. Such places normally don't have a staff in place that you have a menu to choose from and the staff members cook the food. Also they usually don't have people to come and serve you and your guest. Unless it's a bartender or barmaid tending the bar.
I've been trying my best to talk my best friends wife into stop being afraid and become an event planner. She is great at it but afraid to take the leap. Now when it comes to a nice venue where they cater the food for your event themselves, they have a menu that you choose from to have food at the event. The price per person will depend on the menu you choose and they require that you have a certain amount of people that are to attend the event at the time of the signing of the contract. Now weather or not a person charges money themselves or they pay for it out of their own pocket, the venue will need to make a certain amount of money to justify someone having their event there. When I did my oldest niece's wedding it was $75 per person for their reception. That price included the food and the reception being in this venue. I don't know what else that included. All I know I paid $300 out of my own pocket to have 4 people attend that wedding that I personally wanted to be there.
Now onto the story at hand. I finally received a call from the guy that is celebrating his birthday this Saturday earlier today. He told me what he wanted for his event. He wanted to make sure music was playing exactly at 2pm. He said he wanted us there between 1 and 1:30. He has no ideal. We will be there no later then noon to get the music playing on time. My plan is to bring the lighted facade for this event and I need help with getting it put in the van and then setup at the venue. So there will be quite a bit to do to have everything ready on time. I also plan to use the tripod stand for some lights as well.
Don't beat me up for what I'm going to say next. I'm just saying what I think is going to happen. This is what he wants. He wants in the beginning for me to play contemporary jazz and gospel. He is to arrive at 2:45 and want to come in on the song I Believe I Can Fly. Then go back to play the same stlyes of music. Along the way there will be people wanting to say something about him and to him. At 4:45 he wants me to play the song Happy while someone does a dance to the song. At 5 he said he wanted line dance songs and then end up with dance music. I already know the last line dance song I'm going to play. The Cha Cha Slide. That way because of the beat I can mix in a song to keep people dancing. I was considering Kenny Bobien's You Are My Friend and go from there. I don't see a lot of dancing at this birthday celebration and I don't expect there will be many guest left at the end of this event. The reason I say this is because of the 2 hour open bar and me knowing a lot of the people that will be there. They are a party crowd who love to dance. And since they know me they will look for me to get them up to dance much earlier then that. It's not my event, I'm just the vendor there doing my job. When the guest come up me to complain I will just have to let them know I'm doing things the way he wants things done. If enough people complain to him he might change his mind. That's his call and not mine.
Wow that was alot of hot air posted. You act like you are enlightening us on new party /venue concepts. We have all been around for a few years, and understand how country club, catering halls, vfw's, etc, etc, etc rentals work.
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No they footed the bill and the cost for them to do so cost them $75 per person. I just paid out of my own pocket to have 4 people there. My best friend, his wife and oldest daughter. Along with a special friend of mine.
Yes .. there is a cost per person for a wedding .. but the guests don't typically pay that .. that's borne by the person throwing the wedding (bride/groom or parents). I suppose your gift to them could be (and usually should be) equal to the value of the cost .. that is also pretty typical .. but I am not aware of people having to pay their way into a wedding if they are invited to be there.
I have often taken exception at the responses I see posted replying to your posts. Now I see you are marching to the beat of your own drummer and that's fabulous. What disconcerting is that it seems your replies are desirous of the membership of this forum to understand, accept, and promote the beat of your drum. Mix, it ain't gonna happen.
Bless you for the roads you choose. Bless you for your kind and gracious heart. Just, please, don't expect rank and file agreement (and respect) for what appears to be a rogue approach towards everything and anything logical in the full-time DJ approach to this industry.
Be well, Mix.
Bless you for the roads you choose. Bless you for your kind and gracious heart. Just, please, don't expect rank and file agreement (and respect) for what appears to be a rogue approach towards everything and anything logical in the full-time DJ approach to this industry.
Be well, Mix.
I never said anything about a person paying to come to a wedding. You said something very interesting. Your gift you give should be close to the price it cost the couple to have you attend their wedding. How would you know how much that cost was?
You said above ..
Forgive us, but that usually means you paid $75 per person out of your pocket to go to the wedding.
As for the gift .. it's really a guess .. it's also based on what you can afford, so if the B/G paid $500 per person to have you, it doesn't necessarily mean you owe them $1000 per couple. But for typical weddings around here, I would expect to give somewhere between $200 and $300 for a gift (depending on how well I know them) for myself and my wife, as the costs are typically in the $75-$150 pp range (unless at a VFW or similar).
I was the DJ that did the wedding. My gift to them was me doing their wedding reception for free. That meant I couldn't be at the ceremony. That wedding was my favorite event I've ever done. Nothing will ever top that event because of how much it meant to me to be the DJ.
Never did answer the question. How much are you charging him for this party and do you have a signed contract?
I will get something for doing it. It's my best friends brother. I 've known his whole family for the last 48 years. This one for me is not just about a money thing like all of them are to you.
By the way please enlighten all of us. If you were doing the gig and they agreed to pay you $950 like you stated that's the price you would have quoted them, what would he get if he paid you that much? In other words convince us that you would be worth $950 to do this event. Please be specific.