Back ground: 8 years ago, I provided a "pro bono" DJ show for a 6th grade dance at the local school. Since I also worked part time for the district, I was privy to comments the kids made regarding their DJ entertainment. Most of the kids wanted a dance, but the previous dances were totally forgettable. The entertainment was sub quality and lacking in current music that the kids listened to. There was no "show quality" that one might expect for a school event (I hear this a lot, by the way... bet you have too).
Since I owned a DJ sound and light company, I offered my services to the school, so they'd know what a "real" student dance should look like. It was very well attended, because many of the kids knew me, and wanted to see if I delivered what I claimed. Afterwords, they raved about it for weeks, and asked the school staff to continue hiring my company in the future. Well, guess what? I was more expensive that every previous DJ company, so I was passed over, every time.
Fast forward to last Spring... My daughter attends school there, and informed me about her upcoming "Spring Dance of 2014". This was going to be her first dance, so I wanted it to be special for her. I contacted the coordinator, and offered my services... again pro bono, so that they could once again, experience a high quality DJ show. Most of my daughters class showed up, due in part to her promoting it to all her friends, with the promise that it would be the best dance they had ever attended. It was! The kids talked about it for the rest of the year. Here's the actual picture of what they got (for free):
Fast forward to this Spring... The 8th grade Spring dance was on Friday night, and the high school prom was Saturday night. One of the student committee members asked the student council to give me a call, two months ago, to enquire about my availability and budget.
I asked them what their budget was, and was given a very low number (for the Spring dance and prom? Really?). Since this was less than half of what I would normally charge for these shows, I wondered if it was prudent to even consider this. It's my daughters school, and she would be attending the Spring dance the night before prom... so, I told them I'd do the dances for their budget (for her).
The next day, I got a call, informing me they had found a cheaper DJ, and no longer were considering me. The committee failed to inform the students who they had hired, so two weeks prior to the dances, students were asking my daughter if I was going to be the DJ. When she told them "no", there were rumblings about it.
Last Friday night for the Spring dance... I drop my daughter off at the dance, and accompany her to the staging area. Through the window, I caught a glimpse of the DJ set up. Here's what they purchased for $300 for the Spring Dance (actual picture).
When I pick up my daughter 3 hours later, I ask how it went. She claims there were, at most, 70 kids there. She says it's the worst dance anyone has experienced, and the DJ didn't play anything they requested. The lighting was totally inadequate, and non-visible.
Then, Saturday night (same DJ set up for Prom...). Each student had to pay $30 to attend, with about 150 couples... do the math ~ $9000 income, and they paid the DJ $600 (committee told me that's what they paid him). One of the students informed me most of the kids had left the Prom by 8:30 "because the DJ sucked (student's words), and didn't play one single current song" (yes, it's expensive to own current music).
OK, so here's the point I am after: Yuup, you really do get what you pay for! Do you want your school dance events to be well attended, and memorable? Then, hire an entertainment service that can deliver what the students want. Don't get into that downward spiral of poor attendance and complaining, after the fact. Stop hiring the low quality vendors that don't know how to make an event come to life! "You get what you pay for"... have you heard that before?
