Negative Feedback from a venue

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Hi all,

I've titled this thread 'Negative Feedback from a Venue' but I haven't actually had any that I am aware of.
The reason that I post this is because (a) I visited a venue this morning that I have been to on previous occasions that have new management and (b) From a conversation with them it got me thinking about the whole subject.

So, here goes....
My purpose for the venue visit was to take a look at the set up with reference to Uplighting that I am providing there for a wedding this Saturday. I will be setting up the Disco in a separate (smaller) area and the Uplighting will be installed in the (much) larger area where there will be 100 guests for the wedding breakfast. On the occasions that I have been there before I haven't provided Uplighting and following a chat over the phone with the management I was a bit concerned that there are only 2 sockets available to me (and there will be a photo booth in the same room too). I wanted to make sure that I am prepared and with it only being a 15 minute car journey, it wasn't much of a problem. The place is draped and the weights at the bottom of the drapes will be ok to hide any cables, extension leads etc. I did find it amusing when the lady said to try and keep the lighting away from the drapes as they were new (and expensive). When I said the units were LED and wouldn't get hot she said "Oh, that's ok then".

Anyway, I am going around the houses as usual (sorry). Once I'd finished checking the place out I had a chat with the new management. They are one of those places that do not have a resident DJ and are happy to recommend although they told me this morning that they are thinking of getting a resident DJ and this was because they realised at the weekend when another DJ was there that (her words) "There are some real rubbish DJ's out there". Apparently the Bride & Groom were quite upset because the DJ hardly played any of their requests despite meeting with them previously. The management told me this morning that it was because he couldn't log in to his Spotify account because he couldn't get online or something? Now, I very rarely use Spotify so I don't know too much about it but surely relying on music that is not on your physical HD and requires internet access is taking chances? Maybe it's not? Like I say, I don't know too much about it but I am sure that if I was relying on having to get online I would make sure I have some kind of dongle or at least a secure and trusted 4G at least (maybe someone could explain the whole thing to me?)

The long and short of it though is that when I asked who the DJ was, the lady said that she couldn't remember off hand but it was certainly someone she would never recommend. She said she'd go back to the office later and check out the details and make sure they were "taken off the list". She also said that it was a shame because everyone had really enjoyed the day and everything had gone really well. The Bride & Groom couldn't wait for the evening entertainment and then it was a let down. I guess the lady may have thought that her and her staff had all done a great job and then the whole thing could possibly have been spoilt by the DJ and that may have reflected on the whole occasion and her venue?

So, it got me thinking - How many venues out there actually take note of who is supplying the Disco if for example, things go wrong for whatever reason? What if the venue decides that they don't want a particular supplier back and a Bride and Groom have booked that supplier? Does the venue say anything and risk upsetting their customer which could result in losing their booking? How would you feel if you were booked by a customer and then they had to tell you that they couldn't have you because the venue didn't want you there? Loads of questions and this could go on for a bit but I found it interesting.
I've forgotten a few things in relation to this as my phone won't stop ringing so I may come back to this.
Over to you!

[Pe7e]

Personally I think a venue who choose to dictate to customers which DJs they will allow to play at their customers event, are risking loosing their potential customer, far more so than a poor performance from the customers chosen DJ would. Having said that, if I were the owner/manager I'd keep a list of trusted, recommended and reliable DJs/entertainers AND a list of DJs and entertainers I consider as 'best to avoid', both lists would be made available to my potential customers if they were interested. To sum up, I don't think it's the venues job to choose a clients entertainment, it's their choice, but I would step in with advice if I had reason to think they had made a bad choice.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Which is what I think any venue should do so I agree with you. A number of venues I know and play at regularly all have the numbers and cards of suppliers they recommend. One particular I play at (I was there at the weekend) actually contact me to let me know they are running out so I nip over and give them some more. They don't actively go all out and tell people who to book but they have a place in the venue with different suppliers details and then it's up to the customer if they choose to book any of them, including myself.
All I asked this morning was "Have you been busy?" and the conversation started. Simple as that really. They told me about last weekend, I didn't ask.
I just thought that if they are saying that then they aren't / weren't impressed. Whether they would dictate or try to put someone off booking said DJ is another thing.
Personally if it were me and I'd seen how upset the Bride & Groom were (as the lady explained to me), then I'd remember who the DJ was and make a note myself which is what they will do / probably have done.

[funkymook]

if I were the owner/manager I'd keep a list of trusted, recommended and reliable DJs/entertainers AND a list of DJs and entertainers I consider as 'best to avoid', both lists would be made available to my potential customers if they were interested..

I’m sure blacklisting like that is illegal...

[rth_discos]

I’m sure blacklisting like that is illegal...

Not illegal, but defamatory.

[funkymook]

Not illegal, but defamatory.

Well either way if a venue starts handing out a list of suppliers they don’t recommend they’ll soon find themselves in court.

[ppentertainments]

Personally I think a venue who choose to dictate to customers which DJs they will allow to play at their customers event, are risking loosing their potential customer, far more so than a poor performance from the customers chosen DJ would.
Really ?
In the real world I would doubt it. The DJ may have caused damage to the building, upset neighbouring residents etc etc. 99.9% of brides will not change their chosen dream venue due to not being allowed a certain DJ - much as many pretend they will.

[rth_discos]

Well either way if a venue starts handing out a list of suppliers they don’t recommend they’ll soon find themselves in court.

Provided a DJ can afford to take the court route...


Really ?
In the real world I would doubt it. The DJ may have caused damage to the building, upset neighbouring residents etc etc. 99.9% of brides will not change their chosen dream venue due to not being allowed a certain DJ - much as many pretend they will.

When I was got married, we were booking suppliers for the first time - I'd never ordered flowers and cakes etc before.

The fact that one of our suppliers were the hotels recommended supplier made us feel comfortable, and if the hotel had passed on feedback regarding a supplier with the experience (bad) they'd had in the past, I'd have been interested to hear.

But of course, would have wanted to hear that before I booked them...

The difficulty comes if the couple book a supplier, and were then to be told by the venue they can't perform there. Who would then have to pay for the lost deposit?

[Benny Smyth]

Well either way if a venue starts handing out a list of suppliers they don’t recommend they’ll soon find themselves in court.

Depends on how it's done. If they give objective reasons and are able to back it up with proof there will be no legal liability. In such cases, if the supplier takes the venue to court, it's not up to the supplier to prove them wrong - it's up to the venue to prove themselves right.

[funkymook]

Depends on how it's done. If they give objective reasons and are able to back it up with proof there will be no legal liability. In such cases, if the supplier takes the venue to court, it's not up to the supplier to prove them wrong - it's up to the venue to prove themselves right.

Yep, the onus of proof is on the venue, which is why I doubt any would think it worth the risk to put something like this in writing and hand it to members of the public.

[Excalibur]

Having said that, if I were the owner/manager I'd keep a list of trusted, recommended and reliable DJs/entertainers AND a list of DJs and entertainers I consider as 'best to avoid', both lists would be made available to my potential customers if they were interested.

Seems logical. We're in the area of " Preferred " as opposed to " Resident ". Insisting on folk having to use only the resident DJ is a practice that I'm sure most of us disapprove of, or applying a surcharge for not having them.

Personally, I'd be happy to have information made available to me as to the venue's experiences with any supplier, never mind just the DJ. However, I wouldn't want to book someone simply because the venue said I should. Also, if I decided to use the resident DJ, I'd want to have contact with him beforehand.

And yes, I've worked many many venues where the first contact I had with a bride and Groom were when they walked through the door. ;)


I’m sure blacklisting like that is illegal...
I have no legal knowledge. It seems to me that a lot here depends on semantics. Blacklisting for example. That sounds to me a lot like a ban. Telling a prospective customer that the last time that DJ was there he played unsuitable music all night from the limited repertoire he possessed, and his lone amp blew up with half an hour left seems reasonable, nay sensible to me.


Well either way if a venue starts handing out a list of suppliers they don’t recommend they’ll soon find themselves in court.

Don't recommend. Again tricky ( in my uneducated view ). See above. I reckon this is a grey area, especially as it depends so much on what the venue actually say.

[DazzyD]

Really ?
In the real world I would doubt it. The DJ may have caused damage to the building, upset neighbouring residents etc etc. 99.9% of brides will not change their chosen dream venue due to not being allowed a certain DJ - much as many pretend they will.

My brother did for his second wedding! ;)

The all-inclusive rather posh local hotel were insistent that he had to use their own DJ (which isn't really their own DJ but a local company) and ended up losing out on the booking because of it. He was told he could bring in his own DJ to another part of the hotel (an outside building) but not in to the main room. In fact, I'm sure I've mentioned this before!

[mattydj50]

I'm assuming that, in the originbal post, the DJ had either been recommended or booked by the hotel themselves, hence their concern. If it was aranged and booked solely by the client, the problem, unfortunately remains with the B&G. However, the hotel should make a note not to include them on any favoured list.

As a "recommended supplier" myself to one of the major hotel franchises, I have, over the years, worked hard with the venue to get both me and them the reputation we have.

When I was offered the position, they had been using a DJ agency (whom I helped out from time to time) who were unhelpful and unreliable, culminating with the failure to provide a DJ for a Christmas party (even though they had been in earlier and rigged some kit)! Out of that I was asked if I would run things there which, as a self op, took me a while to say "yes".

Since then, the hotel has developed several wedding packages, all of which include DJ & Disco. For that, I get the booking. and I usually work it myself. The venue has two function rooms so on the occasions there are two fuinctions, it is up to me who I use to cover the second. Sometimes at Christmas, there are three of us there, using the restaurant as a venue room.

It is still possible for any client to use their own DJ (or any other form of entertainment), subject to a PLI/PAT checking fee, but, with most weddings coming in as packges, I get the work anyway. For this I take a reduction on the fee I would normally look at charging on the open market, but the workload for me in advertising and promotion is virtually nil.

I only use tried and trusted colleagues as "numbers 2 and 3" and the hotel is well aware of that. Only once (while I was unwell last year) did I encounter a problem with a short notice cover who, without anyone's knowledge decided to arrange his own short notice cover that proved to be a bit of a disaster. I didn't pay him and he couldn't pay his "mate". The response I got when I tackled him was by being told to F off. So he was immediately dropped by me and the agent from where I got him from.

I am always present at the venue's wedding fayres and open days,along with all of the other recommended suppliers (one of whom is my wife), and we all work together with the venue management to maintain a high standard of excellence. For that , the hotel promote us as a group and that benefits us all. Of all the weddings so far this year, I missed out on one, for which the DJ was booked by a family friend "as a present". The B&G were grateful until the day itself, when they soon realised what had happened, and it was Mr Cheapo Disco doing it on the side. They openly admitted to the wedding co-ordinator afterwards that they wished they had had me as she made me sound good. She does do a good, but genuine sales pitch - I have heard her, and 15 years with them must stand me in good stead.