» Listings for March 2013

1. Celebs and DIY makeover

   Posted on 8:12pm Saturday 9th Mar 2013

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   Well you know, as an ex musician and now DJ, I've met my share of celebrities I suppose and Most of the time I'm quite sort of..."Yeah whatever". I must admit though, Sitting next to this lovely lady who actually is probably the only lady left in the develoloped world who actually has that woman look ie: not jeans or trousers all the time, I thought: My god, I've been watching this person on TV for years admiring that look and here she is sitting next to me in another gorgeous outfit and looking even better in real life! Well it was a brief moment and a quick chat, where I admitted to her that when they said who I'd be working with, I thought it was what turns out to be Linda Barker (I've never been to hot with recalling names of TV folks on those magazine type shows). Well I'm glad it was the actual Kirstie Allsopp instead.

   Just a quick thanks to all at B&Q Bognor who looked after me and were great: Tony, Yohan and the crew. And hello to the Spirit FM Crew Who I had a good chinwag with too. I never realised how much the look of B&Q has changed with this revamp until I talked to one of the manageresses today. I'm not much of a DIYer, being a renting tennant, but I do recall that grey warehouse look with pallets up to the ceiling on racking shelves with all the dust that accompanies such a system. Well that's all gone now. Plush clean floor level layout with lots of space and thought into where stuff is: eg: if you want curtains then you should find curtain hooks right beside them instead of in a different department like ironmongery or something! Also it's fully hooked into the web with interactive screens where you can order brochures direct to your home and look up instructional films on youtube. Free wifi instore if you've got your ipad or netbook etc. If you're really savvy you can hook up your smartphone and save broadband data allowance. That reminds me, I need to ditch this blackberry and bear the pain of texting on a touchscreen phone so I can actually see a website when I need to without the use of a microscope! Meanwhile back at the ranch (B&Q), they really seem to have thought it through, with the idea being that if shops carry on the way they have been doing, then even more will go out of business. For that alone I admire the forward thinkingness of the board, or if not then whoever isn't getting the credit right now. They've put the money where their mouths are too investing around £3million in this one store alone.

   On a different note, thanks to kim for recommending Leanne to me. I think that covers it for this one.

   Take care until next time.

   Mike

2. All inclusive wedding packages

   Posted on 6:42pm Sunday 3rd Mar 2013

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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.