It’s tempting to want to see a vendor in action, especially a band or MC/DJ before you hire them for your Mitzvah. After all, you want to ensure you’re picking the right one! But is it the right move to visit someone else’s party to see them? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I highly discourage clients from attending other events (that they were not invited to as guests) to see potential bands or DJ/MCs for their events. Why is that and how should you select your MC/DJ? Read on!
Random person at your event
I don’t trust vendors who allow you to essentially crash someone else’s party. I mean, would you want random people walking through your event? Or your DJ/MC’s attention being taken away from your event because they are trying to sell someone else on their services? I had this happen with a particular MC, who did not let my client or me know this was a possibility and had random people dressed in street clothes walking through their formal affair. They stuck out like a sore thumb and I had to ask them to leave. It was incredibly uncomfortable for everyone. And, needless to say, I do not recommend this MC to my clients.
You don’t know the host
Second, if you’re visiting a random person’s event, you don’t know the host family or the Mitzvah child at all. You have no idea what they’ve requested of their DJ/MC, so you’re not getting the full picture. At least with a friend recommendation, you know your friend’s personality and style which gives you slightly better insight as to whether you’d like a particular DJ/MC.
So how should you choose your band or DJ/MC?
A great and experienced DJ/MC is able to tailor your party to your family. If you go in with an understanding of the type of party you want and the needs of your guests, you’ll have a much easier time finding the right one. Do you want to the DJ/MC to focus on the kids and playing games with them? Do you want to have a solid balance of time when adults and kids are dancing? Does your crowd love to dance? Hate to dance? Think it through!
Then start looking at DJ company websites which often have bios or videos of their DJs and MCs in action. These allow you to get a feel for the style of the company before you reach out to talk to particular MCs.
Ultimately selecting the right DJ/MC is a gut check. You need to talk to a few to see if you and your child click with them. It’s a great idea to work with a company that represents multiple MCs so you can talk with a salesperson to see who might be the best fit. You can describe your child and your family to the salesperson and they can help you find the right one.