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I found this wonderful piece by Milton Olson while searching for some important documents today and I couldn’t help but relate it directly to the DJAA and our growing group of members.

It was on an old piece of faded yellow paper which I’ve been hoarding since the pre-email days. Every now and again I read over it and the message is as strong today as it has ever been.

I hope it resonates with you as it did with me.

Honour Others As Geese Do.

The next time you see a flock of geese heading south for the winter flying along in a ‘V’ formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on it’s own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can better get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the trust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone…and quickly gets back into the formation to take advantage of the ‘lifting power’. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those that are heading in the same direction as we are (and willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others.)

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs. With people, as with geese, we are interdependent on each other.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraged and not something else.

Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with that fallen goose until it is able to fly again or dies.

Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation, to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other in difficult times as when we are strong.

Milton Olson.

IT STARTS WITH US.

This post was contributed by Brent Officen. Brent is an Accredited Member of the Alliance based in Brisbane, Queensland and runs Decibels Entertainment servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and beyond. Brent also offers Live Music, Photo Booth and complementary services.

This week I travelled to Sydney for the 2017 DJAA National Conference. This is the fourth of five annual conferences that I have attended that our Association has held. I wasn’t aware of the inaugural one until a few months after it had been held, but now that I’m on board, I will certainly not be missing any in the future.

This is our industry Association and while in its infancy, it has managed to bring together hundreds and hundreds of DJs not just in person, but ‘virtually’ for the betterment of our DJ community and more importantly, for the benefit of our clients.

I have been in this industry for over 30 years and I can honestly say that in the last four years since I’ve been a part of this Association I have learned more than I did in the previous thirty. Not only do we have a wide ranging array of presenters from both Australia and New Zealand but also the USA.

Many of the benefits I receive  often come from the hallway meetings, breakfasts, dinners and breakouts in between presenters where I have learned so, so much. I can’t wait to get back to work and put some of these tips and concepts into practice.

I even learnt how to do a little magic this trip!

This year I also did Bill Hermann’s Entertainment Experience Workshop. I’ve heard quite a bit about this ‘experience’ over the years and was thrilled when I heard Bill and his lovely wife Maureen were coming down under to present at the Conference and also to offer this Workshop, naturally I jumped at the opportunity. Each day of that course I was up early and champing at the bit to get back into that room to stretch my imagination, push my boundaries and see how far this can take me – and my performance as a professional entertainer.

Professional development is it worth it? You bet it is!

See you all in Adelaide next year!

This post was contributed by Brent Officen. Brent is an Accredited Member of the Alliance based in Brisbane, Queensland and runs Decibels Entertainment servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and beyond. Brent also offers Live Music, Photo Booth and complementary services.

The most important thing about your life and asset in your DJ business is YOU. Without you there is no business. Taking care of yourself, looking after both your mind and body, is actually an integral part of your business and that which contributes to its growth. And the part that makes you unique is your mind. Your ability to think and reason before taking action is a precious gift,  and throughout life, we need to improve our thinking. The ability to improve our quality of thinking makes it easier to solve problems. Our ability to think positively lets us see the many opportunities around us. Negative thinking shuts doors to success.

With all the technology these days making things so much easier, it is also gradually turning our minds to ‘mush’ in the process. Once upon a time, everybody memorised telephone numbers, addresses, birthdays and lots of other facts. Today these are stored in a device as reminders. Just think about how many of us struggle to work out a financial or mathematical problem when we do not have access to a calculator. The human brain has virtually no limit to the amount of information it can remember – a calculation by Professor Paul Reber suggests that the human brain can store 2.5 Petabytes of data (2,500,000 Gigabytes). So why would you want to turn this ability off?

If you don’t make yourself a priority in your DJ business, it will suffer and if you want to build a successful and sustainable DJ business that will help you live the lifestyle you want to live, you will need to exercise your brain the same way as any other part of the body. You need to make regular investment in self-improvement and your professional development to not only exercise your mind, but also improve your worth through increased knowledge. Looking after this very important asset ensures that your value will increase.

An event such as the DJAA National Conference can truly act as a conduit to your personal fountain of knowledge in many ways. There are always new products & standards, performance & business skills to be learnt, unique situations to talk about and a multitude of ideas to share with colleagues. And almost all of them are happy to share their knowledge with you. Your return from attending will certainly depend on how you choose to invest your time there, and yes – it can actually be hard work! However, if you invest your time properly, the benefits you stand to gain from attending, WILL make it well worth the effort!!

With positive thinking and lifelong learning, you can continue to find new ways to be a value to your customers. You can jump years ahead of your competition by developing new skills and experience success. By valuing yourself as your biggest asset, you can catapult your DJ career and life to higher levels. As a service professional, your business is YOU, so be sure to be aware of how important you are to your business and continually take steps to ensure you are increasing the value of this KEY asset.

This post was contributed by Serge Olivieri. Serge is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee, is based in Sydney, New South Wales and runs DJ:Plus! Entertainment.

I began my career as an accountant. Once I had completed the studies required in order to be considered ‘qualified’, I needed to join one of the recognised professional bodies for accountants, which in turn required me to undertake a minimum of 20 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or Education (CPE) per year and a total of 120 hours in any three-year period in order to maintain my qualification.

Had I chosen not to become a member of this professional body, my employment prospects would have been somewhat limited, as in the main, employers required that this criterion be met as it assured them that their employees were undergoing CPD, were governed by a Code of Conduct and subject to disciplinary processes for any nonprofessional conduct/practices. Membership also indicated to the employer, my commitment to professionalism. It would have been no different had I chosen to become a lawyer, doctor, dentist, engineer or any other respected profession in society.

When I started working in the financial markets sector, my employer also required me to undertake various forms of ongoing training in systems, use of specific software, legalities, business practices, recruitment, business skills, occupational health and safety, managing staff, legislative requirements, etc., etc., etc. so that I was always equipped to deliver my best performance in dispensing the responsibilities of my role within the organisation. This continued throughout my financial markets career until I decided to move to full-time DJing in 2005.

When I started my then part-time DJ business way back in 1975, there were no real barriers or requirements whatsoever to becoming a DJ, other than having access to, or the funds to purchase the necessary equipment to do the events. I didn’t need to, for example;

• know how to mix,
• have great music knowledge,
• know how to read a crowd,
• know what licences and legal requirements were needed,
• know how to market my business,
• understand the importance of customer service,
• understand how to determine the business break-even point, cash flow or a budget,
• know how to determine what I should be charging to make a profit,

nor was there any requirement to undertake any form of ongoing performance and business training to become better at my craft, offer a better service to my clients, grow my business and a multitude of other skills required to run a small, medium or large business – lucky for me, that I had the background and business sense to seek out relevant training and educational material on a continual basis.

Unfortunately, many in the industry just plod along from event to event continually doing the same things they have always done and at some point, wonder why their DJ business never manages to progress to that next level, they wonder why they aren’t achieving the success that others are and get frustrated when not taken seriously because what they do is regarded as a hobby, rather than a respected profession by clients, the general public, and even other event industry professionals.

So here we are in 2017 and sadly, if one wants to become a DJ or start a DJ business, there is still no requirements or barriers and with the leaps in technological advancement, it is easier and cheaper to enter the market than it ever was. But without any training and continual education, the myth that what we do is not a real job or profession is constantly validated to society at large with each unprofessional performance.

Why is Continuing Professional Education Important?

Continuing professional education is important because it ensures Entertainers continue to be competent in their profession. It is an ongoing process that continues throughout any professional’s career and delivers benefits not only to the individual, but their profession and also the public.

As mentioned above in my personal example, sometimes CPE is mandated by professional organisations or may be required by codes of conduct or codes of ethics. But at its very core it is really a personal responsibility of true professionals to keep their knowledge and skills current so that they can deliver consistent high quality service that safeguards the public, meets the expectations of clients and the requirements of their profession.

Perhaps you feel you already know everything you need to, or that taking a course, attending a workshop or an industry conference, reading a book, listening to a podcast, networking with your peers, etc. will take away valuable time from your other business responsibilities. But today more than ever before, professional development is one of the most valuable parts of your long-term professional development and business success. Consider all the important benefits you get from continually developing your skills:

• CPE ensures an individual’s capabilities keep pace with the current standards of others in the same field.
• CPE ensures that knowledge and skills are maintained and enhanced to deliver a professional service to customers, clients and the community.
• CPE ensures that knowledge stays relevant and up to date. Being more aware of the changing trends and directions in our profession. The pace of change is getting faster than it’s ever been – and this is a feature of the new normal that we live and work in. If one stands still they will get left behind, as the relevance of individual knowledge and skills becomes out-dated.
• CPE assists in continued meaningful contributions to your profession. The individual becomes more effective and assists them to advance their career and open up opportunities where they can lead, manage, influence, coach and mentor others.
• CPE helps individuals stay interested and interesting.  Experience is a great teacher, but it does mean that one will tend to do what they have done before.  Focused CPE can provide a refresh of unused skills and open one up to new possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas.
• CPE can deliver a deeper understanding of what it means to be a professional, along with a greater appreciation of the implications and impacts of one’s work.
• CPE helps advance the body of knowledge and technology within our profession.
• CPE can lead to increased public confidence in individual professionals and their profession as a whole.
• Depending on the profession – CPE contributes to improved protection and quality of life, the environment, sustainability, property and the economy.  With regards to our profession, there are also a range of intangible outcomes such as lifelong memories for the clients, friendships formed as a result and ongoing referrals.

I don’t think anyone can deny the benefits of networking; you hear about it all the time. Professional development offers a special kind of networking opportunity. Not only will you meet new professionals from all stages in their development, but you immediately have something relevant to discuss and to act as an ice breaker – the course material!

In any profession, continuing education is essential for competence. Should DJs, MCs or Entertainers be any less committed to lifelong learning in their craft? Let’s change the perception of our profession!

Footnote: In line with the DJAA’s core mission of “To raise the standard for professional DJs and MCs, giving clients and venues an informed choice of quality entertainment.”, the DJAA provides numerous educational and networking opportunities from the monthly online chats, mentor program, extensive listing of educational resources and its annual National Conference, so there is really no excuse for the DJs & MCs of Australasia to not undertake any continuing professional education or development, which is readily available no matter what stage you are currently at in your DJ or MC journey.

This post was contributed by Serge Olivieri. Serge is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee, is based in Sydney, New South Wales and runs DJ:Plus! Entertainment which specialises in weddings. With a focus on quality and high level customer service, DJ:Plus! Entertainment has been awarded numerous State, National & International awards.

Whenever economic conditions get tough it may also cause wedding budgets to be tightened and as a result, some couples seem to think that wedding professionals should also reduce their prices accordingly. After all, any money saved is money that remains in your pocket, yes? Many couples therefor believe that wedding professionals should accept a booking at a lower rate rather than them losing that business altogether. Well this thinking is not quite right – just think about how you would feel if your employer came up and said, “Sorry, but things are a little tight at the moment, so I will need to reduce your pay by 25% for the next few weeks, but you will still have to come in and do the same amount of work.”

What couples need to appreciate is that wedding professionals are in a service industry. Negotiating the price when buying a new car, for example, is an entirely different scenario. In this instance, you are simply asking the car dealer to lower their profit margin. They pay a certain amount for the vehicle, factor in any overheads and sell it for a higher price. The higher the price, the more money they make, and so the listed prices are typically inflated to leave room for negotiation. A wedding professional, however, is essentially selling themselves. They provide a service and base their pricing on the time, effort, and resources required to provide that service. By asking them to lower their price just because you are unable to afford it, you are in essence devaluing them, requesting them to provide a level of service and quality that is compromised. Most wedding professionals certainly do not appreciate this.

Another issue is that more often than not, couples have absolutely no idea the amount of work individual wedding professionals put into their wedding. All that is seen is the finished product. For example take a Floral Designer, couples don’t see the hours spent searching for component products to use, or the time spent designing, planning and calculating their customised wedding. They have no idea that it takes at least three to four hours, or more, just to unpack their flowers, cut them, and prepare them for working with them. They can’t comprehend the number of actual hours it requires to make all of those boutonnieres, corsages, bouquets, centrepieces or displays, and to add detail to them. Add all of those glass, cylinder vases and candle holders that have to be washed, boxed, loaded, unloaded, and unpacked on-site. All that is seen is the beautiful bouquet or wonderfully decorated room.

You really need to think of negotiation as a compromise: this is where both parties agree to give something up in order to get something in return. For example, should a certain photographer be out of your budget, you could ask for a reduced rate in exchange for less hours of coverage at the wedding, or fewer included photographic prints, or a smaller album. This way, you pay less and the photographer spends less time and/or resources on your event, and the quality of the service does not need to be compromised. Everybody wins – this is a partnership, and both the wedding professional and client need to feel that they are winners! This is important to keep in mind when negotiating with a wedding professional.

This post was contributed by Serge Olivieri. Serge is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee, is based in Sydney, New South Wales and runs DJ:Plus! Entertainment which specialises in weddings. With a focus on quality and high level customer service, DJ:Plus! Entertainment has been awarded numerous State, National & International awards.

When I sit down with couples to discuss the music for their wedding, a question that always comes up is “What is the best song for the first dance?”.

Choosing a first dance song can often seem daunting to the Bride and Groom. In my experience there are generally two types of couples – those who embrace the idea of celebrating the moment and those who are happy to get it out of the way as early as possible. I can fully understand the prospect of having 100 plus people watching your every step a little nerve wracking, especially for those couples with two left feet…you know who you are :-). At the end of the day, you are among your family and closest friends who are honoured to be there to share this special occasion with you. If you go in with that mindset I guarantee you will not feel the pressure to perform!

So what are some popular first dance wedding songs you ask? Whether it be a choreographed wonder covering the entire dance floor, a mash-up of slow and fast tracks or simply a classic melody that lasts two minutes – I always leave the choice of the first dance song to the Bride and Groom. No matter how well I think I know a couple, I feel that I can never fully understand the full meaning or background of a particular song and what makes it so special to them. The memories created from a first dance should be left up to the Bride and Groom and song selection is an intricate part of this process.

To show the vast array of song choices couples have made with me and to emphasize that one track is simply not a better choice than another, I have put together a Spotify playlist of some first dance songs I’ve played over the last four years. You’ll see there are some obvious classics in there, as well as some unique covers of popular tracks. Use it as a guide if you’d like, but most of all don’t limit yourself to anything, be creative and don’t be shy of choosing something that is right for you and your partner.

This post was contributed by Kevin Knower. Kevin is an Accredited Member of the Alliance that is based in Melbourne, Victoria and runs Insatiable Nights which services all of Melbourne. Specialising in Weddings, Insatiable Nights can cater for your entire music and event needs.

It’s all about focus. Increasingly, I have found that couples are asking if their DJ can also undertake MC duties in addition to their DJ role. Some DJs do not believe that they can undertake both these roles and do them justice, while others believe they can, and that’s ok. What I have found, because these two roles are just so naturally intertwined, that a better outcome is obtained.

Some couples, when planning their wedding come to the realisation that asking their DJ to also be their MC might be a better option than asking a relative or friend. Of course, I think that they would be right, we have seen the results of both options and the ‘overwhelming majority’ of the time, an experienced DJ will also make for a great MC with better results all round.

I say the majority of the times because, choosing an MC that doesn’t have the right experience and skills, is as big a mistake as selecting one that has not taken the time to find out and understand what the couple want, but also fully understands what the role of an MC actually entails.

Sometimes it can be easier to define what you want by describing what you do NOT want. From my experience, couples tell me that they do NOT want an MC that thinks they are the one in the ‘spotlight’ on the wedding day. Couples overwhelmingly say they just want an MC to help make their night ‘flow smoothly’ without ‘taking over’.

The MC that understand the difference between ‘taking control’ -vs- ‘taking over’ at a wedding, I believe, will deliver a better outcome for their client. In ‘taking control’, the MCs focus is on what the couple want; with ‘taking over’ it makes it all about the MC and if this is the case, they don’t have the client’s best interests at heart.

This post was contributed by Paul Collier. Paul is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee. Paul is based in Brisbane, Queensland and runs Paul Collier Wedding DJ servicing Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and beyond. Paul also offers Photo Booth and complementary services.

For years and years, I’ve lugged a backup laptop to my gigs and recently stopped doing so because my MacBook Pro has been running flawlessly since I purchased it in 2012.

During an event not too long ago, I was set up and ready to go. Then I went to turn on my Mac and soon discovered it wasn’t loading past the start up screen. I tried re-starting the Mac, and the same thing happened. My heart pounded faster. Remaining calm, I tried looking for a solution on Google. To my discovery, I found out the problem I had was the ‘white screen of death’ (see photo), usually caused by problems with the system’s hardware or software.

The first thing I did was try a safe boot. To do this, turn on your computer while holding down the Shift key,then release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo. Apparently, this can remedy some simple issues with a Mac getting stuck on a white screen during boot.

Failing that, I then proceeded with a ‘run disk utility’ to see if it was possible to repair the drive. To do this, turn on the Mac and hold down the Command and R keys until you see the Apple logo. Once in recovery mode Select ‘Disk Utility’, then ‘First Aid’ and repair drive.

Failing all attempts to recover my Mac. . . I finally, made the call back to base and arranged for someone to deliver the backup laptop to me! Thankfully I had arrived at the venue nice and early, so I had an hour to spare before guests were to arrive. So, I plugged my phone in and had Spotify Premium playing some background music in case any of the guests arrived early. My laptop arrived ten minutes before start time and I got through the night with no hitches.

Final recommendation . . . always carry a spare laptop (if you’re a laptop user!) and get to the venue nice and early for set up. You might just run into other issues such as an unexpected traffic jam, car problem, or another equipment failure on the day. So, remember, always have a ‘Plan B’ and should anything go pear shape, do not panic!

This post was contributed by Shawn Simmons. Shawn is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and is based on Queensland’s Gold Coast. He currently holds a position on the DJAA Committee and runs Ace DJ Hire. Ace DJ Hire provides Professional mobile DJs, Photo Booth hire ,  Special Effects , Flower Wall Hire and Karaoke for a range of events including Weddings, Engagements, Corporate Functions, School Formals, Bars, Clubs & Birthday parties in the Gold Coast & Brisbane regions.

I’ve been playing music as a DJ to people for over 20 years. About 5 years ago I decided to bring my style of DJing to the wedding industry, and I was going to change the game. Instead, the ‘game’ has changed me – and I am so grateful for it.

When I started DJing back in the mid 90s, being able to mix was what it was all about. Of course playing the right song helped, but if you couldn’t string two tracks together seamlessly then it was called a ‘trainwreck’, and you were a sucky DJ. I used to think wedding djs were ‘cheesy’. But not me. I wasn’t cheesy. I was going to be the coolest wedding dj on the block. Well, I was in for a bit of a rude awakening.

I quickly realised that silky smooth transitions, quick mixes and a cool haircut weren’t always enough to blow minds. Don’t get me wrong – sometimes my weddings were amazing! But other times I left weddings disappointed that it hadn’t been the rocking party that I had hoped for. I would ponder this on the drive home and in the days following some weddings…..Why didn’t people dance? Why did people leave early? Why didn’t they seem to have fun? What could I do to make the next wedding better?

I realised that I was a bit of a ‘one trick pony’.

On top of all this – I was going at it alone. I didn’t talk to other DJs in my market. They were the competition. I was aware of them and their Facebook groups….but I was on the outside looking in. I tried to find out about them. I sent a few of them enquiries pretending to be a bride. I had so many questions and I wanted answers. I was hungry for knowledge but didn’t know where to look.

Then one day, Lee Bevington sent me a message inviting me to join a Mobile DJ Facebook group. A whole new world opened up to me.

Through that group I learned about Mark Ferrell, Bill Herman, Jim Cerone, Jason Jani and Randy Bartlett. I got to learn about Glenn, Peter, Serge, Steve and so many others – and they learned about me. I have a particular skill set and I was invited to present on it at the DJAA National Conference not once, but twice.

My area of expertise isn’t seen as necessary by many in the industry, and that’s ok. I now understand that mixing isn’t everything. Rather, I look at it as one of the many tools in my ever growing toolbox. I now get out from behind my console and interact with guests. I’m learning how to host, and how to be a better master of ceremonies. This journey has taken me to MarBecca workshops with Mark and Rebecca Ferrell, a Perfect Host workshop with Jim Cerone, a 1% Solution workshop with Randy Bartlett, DJAA conferences in Melbourne and Brisbane, and Mobile Beat in Las Vegas.

It sounds cliche, but the more I learn the more I realise I have yet to learn. I have learned, and will continue to learn from so many in this business who are only too happy to share knowledge, offer support and try to help lift this industry.

I hope to continue to grow and improve as a wedding DJ, and as a person, with the help and support of the network that I’m fortunate to be a part of. I especially hope that I may somehow give back, and that one day I can help grow somebody else’s ‘toolbox’ too.

This post was contributed by Aaron Duncan. Aaron is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and an ABIA Award Winner and is based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. He currently holds a position on the DJAA Committee and together with life partner Mel runs Cut A Rug. Cut a Rug is a bespoke wedding DJ and MC service created to make your big day the amazing dance party you want it to be.