10 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring a Calgary DJ (And Our Honest Answers)

Hiring a DJ for your wedding or event is one of the most important vendor decisions you'll make. The music sets the entire tone of your night and a bad DJ is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Here are the 10 questions every Calgary couple should ask before signing a contract, along with our honest answers from Vegas Entertainment.

1. Are you available on our date?

Obvious we know, however you should still ask it first. At Vegas Entertainment, we never over-book. Your spot is exclusively yours once you've signed. Many DJ companies book first and figure out how to get a DJ on the event later. Make sure you know how many events they book a night and how many DJs they have on staff.

2. What happens if you get sick or have an emergency?

This is the big one. Many DJ companies have no real backup plan (and if they do, what is the backup, backup plan?). At Vegas Entertainment, we keep on-call DJs available and bring backup equipment to every single event. In 7+ years and 1,000+ events, we have never once cancelled or missed a booking.

3. Will YOU be DJing our event, or someone else?

Some companies take bookings and then assign whoever is available or worse, outsource to other DJ companies. At Vegas Entertainment, you'll always get a Vegas-trained DJ selected specifically for your event. Sending the right DJ to the right event is the reason we have so many positive reviews! And yes, we even have a package where you can reserve ME to come DJ your event if you want.

4. Can we see your pricing before we book?

You sure can! While the majority of DJ companies make you call, or email to get a price. We think that's a waste of your time. Plus you never know if you are getting the rate that everyone else is paying. Transparency within the industry is important to use so our full pricing is available to all at vegasthedj.com/dj-packages. It doesn't mean we don't want to talk to you, we do! It just means the only reason we want to call and chat is to make sure that our services are going to provide what you need and meet your expectations is all!

5. Are you licensed and insured?

Any professional DJ company should be fully licensed and insured. We are. Ask for proof if it's not volunteered. This is a step that 99% of clients never do! It's important because it ensures that you are protected and that you are dealing with a legitimate and reputable company.

6. What equipment do you use, and do you bring backup gear?

Professional equipment is a non-negotiable. Our gear is tested before it is sent out and we bring backup gear to every event because "it's not working" is never an acceptable excuse at your wedding or event.

7. How do you handle song requests?

Our state-of-the-art event portal guides you through all the steps so you can let us know how you would like for us to handle requests on your event. It works with you in advance to build your playlist, including a do NOT play list that we follow without exception. During the night, we balance your requests and your guests requests while filling in the spaces by reading the dancefloor.

8. Do you act as MC?

We can. Your DJ should be comfortable enough on the mic and experienced enough with events to emcee with ease. Our DJ packages specifically include crowd interactions and basic MC duties.

9. Have you worked at our venue before?

We've performed at most major Calgary and surrounding area venues. If we haven't been to yours, we'll do a site visit to make sure the setup is perfect.

10. What makes you different from every other Calgary DJ?

Honestly? Transparent pricing. A zero-cancellation track record. A founder who literally wrote the industry training manual. And a team trained to a standard most newer DJ companies in Calgary were built on.

11. BONUS - Ask for a contract AND invoice!

Professional companies have well put together contracts and invoicing procedures. The quality of a contract and internal processes speaks volumes about the company and how smooth their operation runs. What goes on behind the scenes greatly affects the quality of your overall experience. When it comes to contracts and invoicing there are a few quick rules to follow;

Services - It should clearly state what has been ordered and all that is included in the order. All services should be itemized out with clear pricing.

Time - Check that it shows a start and end time for all services. It's fine if the times change moving forward however make sure preliminary times are set before signing!

Deposit - This should be clearly stated along with what forms of payment are accepted and how to go about making a payment.

Cancellation Policy - this is a BIG one as cancellations from service providers within this industry are insanely high. Most contracts have a cancellation policy sure, however most people complain online about cancellations and lost deposits because they only have a website, cell, email or social for their vendors. MAKE SURE you have a physical address for your vendors. If you are unable to find an address for them via Google, website, social, contract, etc. you have got a possible massive red flag!

Finally, make sure anything and everything you spoke about is in writing. Most people book 8-12 months in advance of their event and no one is going to remember everything that was said 30 days later let alone 130 days later. Take good notes and make sure what you were told and sold is in writing!

And there you have it! 10 MUST ask questions before hiring a DJ company!

Ready to book? Check our availability at vegasthedj.com.