Short Notice Enquiries

[Shaun]

I'm seeing a growing trend of short notice enquries lately for bookings within 4 - 5 weeks of the enquiry. Weddings are the exception, I've had a steady stream of 2008 (and a couple of 2009) enquiries, but private party enquiries are coming in very close the date of the party. Why do people leave it so late and expect the date to be available?.

Anyone else experiencing this trend of last minute calls?

[Dragonfly]

absolutely elite ..... i had this same thing a couple of years ago ... then it went to 12 to 18 months in advance now back to 4-6 weeks or in some cases less. had 3 enquiries for april just today and 1 for may.

[DMX Will]

Ours are very varied at the moment. Taken bookings for April right through to september in the last couple of weeks, although the norm for us is contacted at about 8-6 weeks prior to the event...which is fine....providing we're available.

[Candybeatdiscos]

well last week i had a last minute booking from another DJ, he called at 6pm and asked me to start at 10 that night - one of his DJ's had let him down, it was a walk in so thought yeah fine ok...easy 3 hours

Got another one today, was asked at 2pm, when on way out with kids to deep sea world...so left house at 6pm to set up and do a fundraiser evening for local footy club with a stars in thier eyes competition...got confirmed bookings (deposit paid tonight lol) for a birthday and another fundraiser - woo hoo

[soundmaster mobile disco]

I only statred out myself in january so i havent had this problem yet (probably because no one knows me yet).but the way i see it work is work so it doesnt bother me how late the bookings are as long as its work.

[Ricesnaps]

In contrast, I'v ehad no end of wedding enquiries for May, June and July THIS YEAR. Obviously haven't been able to help any of them as I've been almost solidly booked since December!

[Creature]

most of my bookings ive had since last year or in JAn feb - so any more now are a bonus for me... had one the other week 2 days notice :):) and altho dont normally do kids birthday parties i accepte dteh booking and it looks a sif im gonna get a wedding and soem more parties out of it :):)

[ross@rds]

I am seeing it more in the Falkirk area as well. Getting calls an hour and sometimes an hour into the event asking if i can come and dj. Feel sorry sometimes saying no but its a waste of time getting everything ready then time you get there and set up etc it will be the end of the night before you know it.

Just wondering what you charge if you are called out on the night of the event ?? same price i.e £120.00 for normal private function or extra/double your price ??.

[theoloyla]

If you call out an emergency plumber at short notice you pay lots of money. If you go to Eurotunnel and book in advance you can get some great prices but if you just drive down there on the day you pay top price.

[magicfm]

I was given 23 hours notice enquiry for St Patricks day afternoon function but the winner so far is 45 minutes notice enquiry last month for a Christening. :rolleyes:

Then I get the usual 6 o'clock on a friday evening calls for that night. :angry:

Early last year, 2006 I was giving quotes for 2008 weddings, which was plenty of time.

As for charging more - unless it is a 'walk-in' at short notice I ask for higher dosh.

(_8())

[leighinstoke]

I think 2 hours is the best I can offer covering a 'let down' for a party - original booking had agreed to be setup for 4pm as the party were to have a meal at 6pm and then dance from around 7.30pm - when client rang up to find where their disco was, the chaps mother said he had gone to Scotland for the weekend as his diary was empty. Only while talking on the phone did the chaps mother see the previous years diary open and the current year and booking ignored. (Big ooops!)

Charged my normal rate + £50 for a mate to help me setup quickly and got plenty of work from it which continues even now.

Leigh....

[Dragonfly]

the shortest notice was - 1.5 hours......... yes thats minus lol

just got in from a wedding fayre last year when the phone rang from a pub in town ...."hi we've got a pary booked and the dj was supposed to be here at 3pm and isnt can you do it"

have to say i didnt as id been up since 6 and already carried my gear up and down a fire escape and that was the fateful day we had 6 brides through the door all day.

[PropellerHeadCase]

I had to organise a DJ to be at a venue five minutes before my wife rang him as the venue had faxed a booking to us (that we never got), and hadn't checked that we had confirmed (as we always do). On the night the duty manager waits until five minutes before the DJ is supposed to start to ring us up and ask where the DJ is!

Now my boss had just put my cell-phone number on the answerphone as he's out of the city so I don't have the booking database up to date on my PC and I'm already out and playing music at a 21st. I have to ring my wife, who was unwell (as was I, for that matter) to try and ring the DJ that I thought was booked for it (only to get no answer on any of his numbers), and then organise for another DJ to cover it. Of course afterwards I find out that the panic was caused by them not following basic booking confirmation protocol and putting the wind right up me on the night!

But, yeah, we regularly get pubs ringing us on the day and 21sts two to three days prior.

Along the same lines...

Has anyone noticed that the later a play list comes back to you the more involved and/or bizarre it is?

[CRAZY K]

+
If you call out an emergency plumber at short notice you pay lots of money. If you go to Eurotunnel and book in advance you can get some great prices but if you just drive down there on the day you pay top price.

Which is what I told a very misinformed lady who wanted a cheaper rate at the last minute because " you havent got anything else to do that night" .

Have you tried this approach with Dynorod I said---you will get laughed at---

Bye bye :D

CRAZY K

[paull]

I am getting bookings on average 6-8 weeks in advance with the exceptions of Weddings.
Shortest was a let down wedding of 2 hours.

[LastMinuteDJs.net]

When we started the business, the target to break into the market was to feast on last minute bookings. Primarily aiming at venues with walk in jobs, but quickly branched into the mobile disco game when most of our enquiries came in for mobiles. Having plenty of equipment at our disposal (owned by myself and one of my other djs, and borrowed from the student union!) it seemed fair enough to help out when we could.

Obviously the name of the business LastMinutDJs.net encourages people to call us when they are in dire straits. As we specifically target this type of booking we don't charge any inflated premiums for Last Minute Bookings.

Our first gig was a wedding in Perthshire (a bit further than we would normally think of travelling). It was booked on the Wednesday afternoon with the wedding being on the Saturday evening. We stepped in and had a good night.

Since then we have had many many last minute bookings - 21st birthday parties booked the afternoon on the day of the event because a DJ has pulled out. Weddings booked a couple of days before the event because a DJ has pulled out. Club gigs booked as little as 30 minutes before the event because a DJ has pulled out (there's a bit of a theme here!)

One club in Galashiels phones us all the time because their regular resident DJ always lets them down at short notice. But still the haven't ditched him. (and it's not because he's such a great DJ - trust me!)

Now we often come to the rescue of other disco providers in Edinburgh who call us when they have a dj shortage. One of the companies who use us all the time I used to DJ for. The boss used to phone me up and say 'can you DJ on Saturday?'. Now he phones and says 'Do you have 3 DJs for Saturday night?'

We help out when we can but not always as we do get booked out!

The thing that bugs me with the mobiles is just how late people leave it before searching for a plan B:

Time 8.15pm, phone rings

Caller: Hello, do you have a DJ available? Our DJ was supposed to come and set up at 5pm but hasn't shown up and the gig started at 8.

Why the hell didn't the alarm bells start ringing at 5pm when he wasn't there. Did you try to phone him? Could he not be reached? Why did you leave it until NOW to phone when those extra couple of hours could have helped your case no end.

[PropellerHeadCase]

Why the hell didn't the alarm bells start ringing at 5pm when he wasn't there. Did you try to phone him? Could he not be reached? Why did you leave it until NOW to phone when those extra couple of hours could have helped your case no end.

That one bugs me no end (as per my earlier post).

Don't give the DJ the benefit of the doubt, if they are not set up when they're supposed to start asking questions then, not when they were supposed to start and you'll have to wait another 90 minutes, minimum, for another DJ.

[flatliners]

done a kids party about 3 weeks ago as a disco had let them down i was phoned 1 hour before and afterwards came away with 3 bookings and another 7 people rang within the 3 weeks so about 800 pounds work off 1 booking not bad going
:beer1: :approve:

[Corabar Entertainment]

... and it was because of all these last minute enquiries that everyone gets that we started the 'Available this weekend' threads, so that if anyone gets one of these calls and is already booked, they can check the thread and point the punter in the direction of a DJ they KNOW is going to be available :D

[paull]

Just got one for Saturday night at London Irish Rugby club.

www.spectrumdisco-dj.co.uk

[Vectis]

I have to say, that with the exception of weddings and one solitary birthday party in February, ALL the gigs I've played so far this year have been booked and executed within a maximum of 3 weeks. Shortest was 2 days.

[theoloyla]

done a kids party about 3 weeks ago as a disco had let them down i was phoned 1 hour before and afterwards came away with 3 bookings and another 7 people rang within the 3 weeks so about 800 pounds work off 1 booking not bad going
:beer1: :approve:

10 gigs for £800!? No wonder you are booking them if you are good and that cheap.