How to Work with Your Event DJ to Create a Customized Event Experience

DJs are a critical part of event planning and can turn a dull event into the night of your life. More than just providing musical entertainment, an event DJ serves as an interaction point with the crowd and guides the flow and energy through the night.

The team at 312 Entertainment talks about how to work with your event DJ to create a truly memorable experience. These tips will help ensure your night goes smoothly. Call us today!

Establish a Clear Vision with Your Event DJ

Events can take many forms, and things won’t go smoothly if you and your event DJ have different ideas about what the night will look like. Take some time and review the event and its details to ensure you and the event DJ are on the same page. Go over tentative timetables, the total number of guests, and the general look and feel you are going for.

If you have the same understanding of your overall vision for the special event, things will go much more smoothly. For example, you can talk to your DJ about doing audience interaction, which makes the event more engaging and fun. You can also establish explicit music cues and when they should play certain songs. 

Theme / Atmosphere / Music

Your event doesn’t necessarily need a theme, but having a unique theme is one way to coordinate the accompanying atmosphere and music. For instance, rustic decorations/lighting and country or folk-style music will best serve a Western-themed event. The better your theme, music, and atmosphere hang together, the more memorable the event will be for guests. 

Talk to your DJ about how they can use their music to accentuate the decor and add to the festivities. For instance, say you want to play specific sound effects or a track when introducing the special guest of your event. In addition, change the sound and lighting on the dance floor once the night reaches a certain point. 

Communicate Your Preferences to the DJ

As the event planner, communicating your preferences to your DJ ensures the night goes smoothly. You probably have a preferred way for your DJ to act, so review your preferences before the event starts. For example, the DJ needs to know how to pronounce names or whether or not they should be the MC leading the event. Other preferences can include shoutouts, song requests, and customized announcements. 

Collaborate on a Playlist

So before your event, consider creating a playlist of your must-have tracks and the general musical style you want. Your event DJ can take this list and add to it. DJs are professional musicians who can take a playlist and run with it. 

Your playlist includes times when you want specific songs to play and how loud you like the music. Playlists should also have ‘do-not-play’ tracks that the DJ should avoid for the entire night. Lastly, you can provide general content guidelines about tracks, such as no foul language or sexual themes. 

Consider Incorporating Special Effects

Special effects are another consideration to talk to your event DJ about. If you feel exceptionally adventurous, special effects could include lighting, fog, or even pyrotechnics. Here is an example — many DJs can sync lighting changes and routines to the rhythm of the current song list. 

Another idea for special effects is using dry ice to create a fog effect on stage when the DJ enters. You can get creative with special effects, so talk to your professional DJ services about options. 

DJ Services and Event Planning in Chicago

As the number-one event planner in Chicago, 312 Entertainment offers comprehensive services that include lighting, sound, photography, and more. Our event entertainment is available for all events, from birthdays to corporate events, office parties, and anniversaries. 

Our event planning team and DJs are the best in the business and can make your private event something special. If you are interested in our event planning or want to hire a Chicago event DJ, message us online or call (630) 330-1079!