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Hi all. I'm getting some worrying news these days about hotels supplying dj's as part of the package. particularly for wedding receptions at budget prices. This isn't anything new, but it's on the increase if all the blogs are to be believed. Well, Just in case you're thinking of going down that route (and who could blame you?) I've heard a lot of complaints are being received from customers about what transpires on the actual night. I guess it stands to reason that if the hotel is paying the DJ a pittance, then a few things will be inevitable: 1. He/she won't know or be particularly interested in the customers individual needs. 2 He/she won't have the budget to invest in decent equipment. you may not think this is important, but believe me I went to a gig the other week and the sound system was so badly set up that the sound output was practically cutting my head in half. I finished my one beer and promptly left the building. 3. The hotel or venue will try and lock you into this deal with some extra charge for not agreeing to the whole sad business. Try to remember that as Paddy Mc Guinness says: Now the power is in your hands. And as businesses compete for your attention, if you stick to your guns and threaten to walk if you don't get the choice, then you will retain that power no matter what happens after. If they're smart, they'll capitulate; if they're stupid, they'll lose your business and somewhere down the line probably will go out of business. I've seen a lot of businesses where I've wondered how they survive and sure enough, many a time I've seen them predictably die.

I hardly need mention this, but if you're a couple in love and want to make your wedding reception the party of a lifetime, then don't let some banqueting manager dictate that you have to have a poor quality, under invested  DJ/entertainer to underwhealm both yourselves and your closest friends and family. By the way, I'm not saying that if the hotel recommends a good DJ who you have chance to talk to before hand and isn't tied into some kind of crippling deal with them won't be rewarding. That isn't the point. I know DJ's who do this and it's all good. If you do meet them and like them, then no problem.

Book someone who is independant and cares what happens at the venue and on the dance floor through the night. I have many competitors in this field, but few of them if any are actually the same guy you talk to beforehand like my self.

I used to employ other dj's when I started out and could still make a lot of money out of doing so if I wanted. However, I rarely do these days as I had some close calls on reliability and decided that ethics and 100% peace of mind- ie: knowing that you can look after the customer and never let them down (short of dying on the way to the gig) with the resulting good reputation was far more important than outsource income. Something that all inclusive package hotels could do well to learn now and not sometime in the future when all the good guys have been priced out of a living.