|
May/June 2008
As Seen On TV!!! Back in May I
provided DJ services at a wedding which was being filmed for the
popular BBC3 series 'Don't Tell The Bride'. You never know - I
could be famous (although I won't hold my breath!). The series
airs late summer/autumn 2008.
The Wedding Season has hit with a
vengeance - I'm delighted to say this year is extremely busy.
I've noticed a slight shift in my client base, towards those
with more specific requirements, additional services and more
all-day functions. This is a great challenge, but real fun, and
it is lovely to be so involved in such a special day, ensuring
everything goes according to plan. I've also been very fortunate
in that all of my clients are such nice people. Having a good
relationship is certainly conducive to a great event.
Bookings for the Projection Service
and LED Uplighting Service are ahead of my anticipation, which
is excellent news, and means I will probably invest in even more
equipment for next year (where will I put it all!). Likewise the
mini-PA hire is up on next year.
My new 'Ultimate Wedding Package' is
almost ready to be announced, and is in response to the number
of enquiries I get for all-day functions. Watch this space!
April 2008
It looks as though the Wedding
Season has got off to an early start, and already looks like it
will be an extremely busy one. I have read a few reports in the
Press saying that Weddings are on the decrease due to the
current extortionate cost of living. I totally understand a
younger couple preferring to put savings towards property rather
than their Wedding, but I do believe that just as many people
will get married - just that some will wait longer before doing
so. Fortunately for me enquiries and bookings have been as
regular, and my 2009/2010 bookings are very slightly up on this
year's. I think that Couples are starting to book their Core
Services earlier, which is brilliant, leads to less
disappointment and also shows that those who have got Engaged
still believe in showing a long-term commitment to each other by
booking things so far in advance. Last week I took my first
booking for 2011!
I am also delighted and honoured
to announce that I was recently appointed Secretary for 2008 to
the National Association of Disc Jockeys. This should be a
fulfilling and challenging role, and I hope can help give a
boost to the membership in the North East. The
NADJ work
to improve the profile of the Professional DJ, setting standards
of professionalism and development.
January - March 2008
At last I have been able to take a
short break and managed to get away for a few days - much
needed! Business has slowed down a little as is usual this time
of year, and I am taking the opportunity to plan my equipment
purchases for the year. For the larger event I will be investing
in an Abstract VRX lighting system to complement my existing
Abstract equipment. It is VERY nice!
I have now fully launched 2 new
services. Firstly the Projection Service, which offers either a
large (6x4) screen with full drape kit or a 42" Flat Screen
Monitor, plus managed laptop service, including hire of a
quality Pentax camera if required. This is a fantastic service
for those getting married abroad who wish to share their photos
at their UK reception, or for those who wish to share the day's
memories with evening guests. Its also lovely if you have loved
ones who for whatever reason are unable to attend - by showing
photos of them you can feel their involvement. See
here for more
details.
Secondly the LED Uplighting service
is proving very popular. These lovely lights can 'decorate' your
venue in accents of colour to match or complement your theme, or
in virtually any colour you wish. They can even be programmed to
fade between colours all together or alternately if your theme
is 2-colour! An essential for Marquees but will give warmth and
atmosphere to any decor. Even better, they are cool to the touch
so wont make the room uncomfortable or burn inquisitive little
fingers, and use very little electricity! More details can be
found here.
It seems every update announces
Recommended Status with another venue, and I am delighted to
announce that exclusive
Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle now also recommend
Colin's Disco for their Weddings and Party events. Susan and her
team will go out of their way to ensure that every attention to
detail is made to give you a fantastic night!
December 2007
Well December was very different
this year! Instead of lots of Xmas parties I still had plenty of
weddings - in fact 14 across December, with a 25th Wedding
Anniversary for New Year's Eve. What a wonderful end to the
year, and a fantastic start to the New Year. The Xmas parties I
did manage were all great fun, from the small Karaoke Disco at
Tall Trees to Tesco's large Christmas Disco for 300! I'd like to
take this opportunity to thank all my clients for being so great
throughout 2007, and I truly hope that continues into 2008. I'm
also delighted to announce that I have been appointed
Recommended Supplier to lovely
Eslington Villa in Low Fell, Gateshead. With a Michelin Star
restaurant the food there is fantastic, and the Events Manager,
Nicola is putting together some very special Wedding Packages.
October/November 2007
Still no let up! It seems as though
the Wedding season isn't ending this year, and my bookings are
taking me right through till the New Year. I'm delighted to
announce that
Alnwick Garden have made me their Preferred & Recommended
Supplier. That's a great honour, and added to
Auckland Castle,
Durham Castle,
Hatfield College and several other fine venues in the North
East is sure to keep the enquiries coming in! In November I also
purchased a new deckstand/lighting truss which is not only very
smart, and ingenious, it helps to reduce my setup times for
those occasions where I have to set up during the room
changeover. It means I can set up the bulk of the show outside
the room, then wheel it in, place the speakers, connect up,
which up the lights and I am ready to go!
August/September 2007
Phew! It's busy. I don't really have
time for much of an update, and apart from just being extremely
busy there isn't much actual news! I'd like to thank all my
clients though - I have met some wonderful people, had some
great meetings and been to a lot of fantastic Weddings! Back in
June I started to upgrade my Sound System yet again, and bought
a full powered system. Not only does this RCF system sound
fantastic, but it fits in with my desire for the neatest,
tidiest system around. You will see photos appearing in the
gallery and around the site with the new equipment, and I hope
you will agree my 'rig' looks extremely smart and tidy.
June/July 2007
Wedding season is in full swing, and
so far not only my busiest but also the most enjoyable. Thanks
to all my clients - you have all been so friendly and
enthusiastic, its been brilliant working with you all!
This year I have also taken on
some Summer School Karaoke/Discos, for foreign language students
in the UK. So far they have been very successful and great fun.
In fact Corporate work generally is increasing, and although
very hard work so far I have thoroughly enjoyed it all - even
the 13 hour gig after a 150 mile drive, tyre blowout, and only 2
hours sleep from the previous night's Wedding!
Children's Discos have become
even more popular this year and I still really enjoy doing them
- great fun whether its for 5 year olds or 15 year olds!
No other real news to talk about.
Bookings are substantially up on last year, and both 2008 and
2009 are looking like being very busy already. Bookings for my
new Mood Lighting service are starting to come in, and I'm
looking forward to getting some great photos of them in action.
Oh yes - been doing some research
into my business generally and the figures look interesting.
Approximately 40% of all my work now comes from recommendation
and repeat bookings. Another 40% comes directly from my website,
with the remaining 20% split between various directories, the
Yellow Pages and direct marketing.
My Client Satisfaction Surveys
show that Clients feel real benefit from the pre-event contact I
give, including Event Questionnaires and my new Wedding
Checklists. Clients also like the way I communicate and discuss
their requirements, rather than just turn up and play.
Thanks again to all my clients,
and to anyone viewing my website!
April/May 2007
Well the 2007 Wedding Season is
truly under way, and so far is looking like a very interesting
one too! Several of my Brides & Grooms have practiced unusual
First Dances, which certainly adds a different twist to the
occasion. On the other hand, many other couples are choosing
more traditional songs for their First Dance too, whereas last
year it tended to be quite modern songs. Last year's most chosen
First Dance was Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars'. So far this year
the old classics such as Savage Garden's 'Truly Madly Deeply',
Stevie Wonder's 'Sunshine Of My Life' and other classics such as
Harold Melvin's 'If You Don't Know Me By Now' are marking a
return to the real love songs of yesteryear.
I'm looking forward to all my
Weddings this year - and so far have bookings at some fantastic
venues including Auckland Castle, Alnwick Castle, Morritt Arms,
Copthorne Hotel Newcastle, and several other lovely places, not to
mention the ones I have already done. Should be a great season!
One thing that I do find strange
though is how many couples leave booking their Disco till the
last moment, then are surprised that none of the decent
companies are available. Please, please choose your Disco
carefully and book it as far in advance as possible. I have
bookings already till 2010 so at least some couples are getting
in early lol! By all means contact me just for a chat if you
aren't sure what to look for in a Disco. I don't charge for
advice, and even if I am already booked I'll happily try to find
someone for you.
Plenty of other parties going on
too, and I have done several 16ths/18ths, a couple of 40ths and
even a 65th - there is a bit of variety! Also had a couple of
Karaoke parties too.
Let's hope its a good Summer
weather-wise, and that all the weddings go as smoothly as
possible!
February/March 2007
RECENT EVENTS - Well the
St Chad's Day Disco at St Chad's College, Durham Uni was a
complete blast! 150 very drunken, very good-natured students who
had set themselves the task of having the best time imaginable!
It was a great night, and the video on my Home Page shows them
all doing their thing to the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena and
Cotton-Eye Joe. Those guys love their cheese!
Similarly the Darlington
Spraire Lasses thoroughly enjoyed their fund-raiser disco
back in January. This under-10s girls football team and their
friends/family showed just how much energy they all have. At
about 10pm the organiser kicked all the youngsters off the
dancefloor so that she and the other adults could dance to 'some
proper music' and we played some real Disco hits from the 70s &
80s. The youngsters retaliated by demanding a 'dance-off', but
they were no match for the hardened dance skills of the over
30s, who showed them what 'real dancing' is all about!
Other events this last few weeks
have included a couple of christenings, 2 more children's
parties, a spattering of general birthday parties, and a great
surprise 21st party! 2 weddings make up the remainder, including
one at beautiful Durham Castle, World Heritage Site.
EQUIPMENT - For a while
now I have been wanting to upgrade my sound system. Although
it's already of very high quality, I'm always looking to improve
what I offer. I've especially wanted to upgrade the sound of my
smaller rig.
Well I am delighted to announce
the addition of a pair of the incredible DAS DS-115A Active speakers.
Being 400watts each they are also extremely powerful and will
also help bridge a gap at slightly larger events where the function
room is upstairs. With a RRP of almost £2,000 a pair they
certainly aren't cheap, but are a definite investment, and allow
me to offer an even higher quality service for the money.
Other upgrades include the
replacement of my lovely Behringer speaker system with a superb
pair of DAS PF-112 mid-top speakers, and Class-D bass bins. The
bass bins are lighter than my previous ones, but of equal sound
quality. They will also be upgraded in the near future.
A new trussing system is in the
pipeline (no pun intended!) for the summer, which will make my
setup look even neater than it already does.
BOOKINGS - Bookings are up
substantially on this time last year, and my calendar for the
summer Wedding Season is filling up quickly. Also, bookings for
Xmas 2007 are looking good, with only a few spaces still
available. The 2008 Wedding season is about 30% booked, and 2009
following closely behind! Although my prices have risen slightly
for the 2008 season, and will again in 2009, I have decided that
any 2009 bookings made before the end of this year will be taken
at 2008 prices, which will save some of you a little.
OTHER NEWS - Auckland
Castle's new Wedding Brochure is due out in the next few weeks,
and looks to be an exciting publication. As the Castle's
recommended supplier, I have taken some space in it, and already
the number of Auckland Castle bookings has increased
dramatically. It's a beautiful place for a wedding, and the
staff are friendly and highly efficient. They go out of their
way to make you feel special and give you the most magical day
of your life. My business has been built on similar principles -
high quality, reliable and friendly service, which is perhaps
why they continue to recommend me. Thank Yous due all round!
Photo Gallery Service -
Well I knew this would be popular, but so far everyone I have
mentioned it to has wanted it! And it's free - perhaps I should
have made an extra charge for this service!! Basically it's a
great way for your friends and family to see some photos of the
night - all in one convenient place. Let me know at the time of
booking, and get everyone to send/e-mail me some pics, and I'll
build a gallery on my website for you, free of charge, which
will stay online for up to a month. Click
here for more details.
I'll update this page regularly,
well when there is any news to be shared lol!
Colin |