Cvent's corporate planning checklist says to request quotes from at least three vendors, and for entertainment that is sound advice. The problem is that three DJ quotes arrive as three single numbers describing three different things, and the person comparing them usually has to forward a recommendation to someone who was not on any of the calls. This is how to put them side by side so the comparison is fair, which questions reveal a quote that is thin, and a sheet you can send to whoever approves the spend.
Why three DJ quotes never line up on their own
A DJ quote is a package price, and "package" is not a standard unit. One quote's four hours starts at the first song; another's five hours starts at load-in and is three and a half hours of music. One includes a subwoofer and a second pair of speakers for a long room; another includes "professional sound" and means one speaker on a stand. One issues a certificate of insurance to your venue on request; another has never been asked. None of that shows on a single line with a dollar sign next to it.
So the first job is not to rank the numbers. It is to make each quote answer the same six questions, then rank. Ours are published, at $2,500, $3,500 and $4,500 for up to four hours, with the line items on the pricing page; use them as a baseline if it helps, but the method works for any three quotes.
Normalise every quote on six lines
1. Hours of music. Ask when the clock starts and stops. Setup and breakdown should be outside the hours. Then ask for the overtime rate in writing and the increment: some DJs bill overtime by the hour, some by the half hour, and a party that runs eighteen minutes long costs very different amounts under each.
2. Sound. Is the sound system included, and is it sized to your room or a fixed kit that comes to every event? For a ballroom longer than about 80 feet, ask whether they add speakers down the room; if they have not asked how long your room is, they cannot answer. If your venue requires its house system, ask whether they have patched into one before and whether the price changes.
3. Microphones. How many wireless microphones are included, and what one more costs. Ask whether the DJ handles introductions and announcements; some do, some play music only, and some will pitch you a full MC you did not ask for. Light mic work, meaning introductions, cues and calling the room to dinner, is included in ours.
4. Insurance. Does the DJ carry commercial general liability insurance, will they issue a certificate of insurance naming your venue as additional insured, and is there a charge for it? Many Manhattan venues will not approve load-in without one. A quote that has never been asked this question usually comes from a DJ who has not worked a venue that requires it.
5. Backup. What is on site if something fails: a spare controller, mixer, cables and microphone at minimum. Is the music on local drives or streamed? And what happens if the DJ is ill: is a replacement arranged, and by whom?
6. Preparation. Is there a planning call? Do they build music for the event or bring a set they play everywhere? Will they coordinate with your venue and AV team directly, or through you? For an event with a program, ask whether they take a cue sheet.
Once each quote has answers on those six lines, the numbers become comparable. A quote that comes in several hundred dollars lower and turns out to be music only, no microphones, no insurance and streamed audio is not cheaper than the one that has all of it. It is a different product.
The questions that expose a thin quote
Beyond the six lines, a few questions separate a DJ who has worked rooms like yours from one who has not. None of them are trick questions. They are the things planners who have been burned ask us.
- "What is your load-in window at my venue?" If the quote came back without asking your venue's name, the DJ is guessing at the setup. A DJ who has worked Manhattan buildings will ask about the freight elevator before they ask about the playlist.
- "Have you played a room like this?" The answer you want is specific: a question back about the ceiling height, the house system, whether the dance floor is at the far end from the head table. The answer that tells you less is a list of famous clients.
- "Who is actually coming?" If you are talking to an agency or a multi-DJ company, ask whether the person on the call is the person in the booth, and whether that is in the contract. With us it is one DJ, so the answer is the same person every time.
- "What do you do when the CEO's microphone dies?" The right answer involves a second handheld already switched on and checked, not a battery change while the room waits.
- "What do you play in the first fifteen minutes when the room is at 20 percent?" A working DJ has a real answer, because the first twenty guests in an empty room are the hardest part of the night to get right. A DJ who says "whatever you like" has not thought about it.
There is one more, which is less a question than an observation. Note how fast each DJ replied and how well they answered what you actually asked. Responsiveness before the booking is the best available preview of responsiveness the week of the event, when your venue needs a COI and your CFO has just added a speech.
A comparison sheet you can forward
This is the table we would want to see if we were the approver. Fill it in from the three quotes and send it with a one-line recommendation.
| Line | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package price | |||
| Hours of music (start and end) | |||
| Overtime rate and increment | |||
| Sound included, sized to room | |||
| Wireless mics included / cost of more | |||
| Announcements and cues included | |||
| Liability insurance, COI to venue | |||
| Backup gear on site, local music | |||
| Illness backup plan | |||
| Planning call and venue coordination | |||
| Lighting (separate line) | |||
| Deposit and balance terms |
Two notes on filling it in. Put lighting on its own line for every quote, because some DJs fold it into the package and some do not, and it is the item most likely to make a quote look higher than it is. And if one quote answers a line with "included" and another with a specific number of microphones or a specific speaker count, the specific one is not necessarily more expensive; it is the one that has told you what you are buying. The clauses that should back these lines up once you choose are in what a corporate DJ contract should say.
What to send us
If we are one of your three, send the date, the venue and roughly how many people, plus anything you already have on the program. You will get a package, any add-ons as separate lines, and answers to the six questions above without having to ask them. Use the contact page or call (201) 705-3139. We reply within 24 hours.