My dearest readers – as you well know, it is now officially 2023. The intentions have been set, the vision boards made, and the midnight kisses shared. It’s time for aligned action – and some DJ business help from yours truly.
It’s absolutely more than likely that one or a few of your intentions for this year revolved around refining your service offerings, honing in on that ideal customer, finding your ideal customer, and gaining more knowledge within the DJ space.
The solution? Attending wedding shows. Wedding shows and expos are an extremely effective way to connect with potential customers and get inspired by your fellow DJs.
Here’s the thing: couples will often be flanked by family and friends who will also more than likely be in the market for a wedding DJ at some point or other – and may recommend you to their family and friends should you make a positive impression. It’s an easy network to build.
Let’s get a little more granular some tips for attending a wedding show – and we’ll cover how, with the right approach, it could be a one-way ticket to your next client.
Be seriously scrupulous with event locations
First of all, you want to make sure you’re choosing your wedding show locale wisely. If the words ‘convention center’ are anywhere within the location specs of the event, you’re probably going to a pretty generalized vendor spot, which means you’ll undoubtedly encounter a race to the bottom in terms of price and quality.
Now, this isn’t to say that these shows can’t be an opportunity to gain some great experience for the newbie, but it’s important to continually evaluate what shows you want to invest your time and energy into. Eventually, you’ll want to try to aim for invite-only vendor shows and dedicate time and effort to building relationships with high-value venues.
Don’t just hand the pen over
Look – I get it, when the going gets tough and you’re scoping for some clients at a nice wedding show, it’s easy to want to just hand that red pen over to someone who wants to bite. Don’t do this.
You need to have a discovery process FIRMLY in place. Even if a potential client seems too good to be true. Even if you just click! A good client will understand and respect that there needs to be a process in place, a discovery call or two, and an understanding of what exactly you’re offering.
For example, my company Toast & Jam will never go to contract without the discovery process complete. We do that because we want to ensure that our prospects actually want what we’re selling – and to ensure that we want to work with them.
Get that Facetime in
Put simply: the vendor shows you want to be invited to are held at the top venues for the area you want to work in. Tons of venues put on shows during the off season, and every attendee will be looking for that something special in the local area.
This means it’s prime time for facetime. It can be hard to meet with people and connect in person – you’ll often have at least 3 schedules to work around at minimum, so this is your perfect opportunity to see if you and your prospective client click before you put in the work to set up your discovery call.
Get creative with your booth – and have fun!
We almost hate to say it, but try and keep things original with your booth – but don’t be unsustainable.
For example, caterers have food. This is easy. Prospects can admire how they set their tables and enjoy a free sample. Photographers can put together beautiful slideshows or set out some photos to reference. Florists can give away little bouquets, and wedding dress designers can put on a mini show (or a big one, really, the sky’s the limit). You get the gist! You’ve got to showcase yourself.
For example, Toast & Jam will spin some music and our table is colorful and we give away swag and candy– it’s pretty sweet. Heh.
Let’s head to The Lab!
Look, I love wedding shows. It might be a little competition, but isn’t that good for the spirit? If anything, you can see it as inspiration. Get out there and get your name in front of the people you want to work with!
Another way to level up this year? My DJ course, The Lab. It’s my personal DJ training program.
I’ve created templates, worksheets, and I’ve stuffed this DJ course with super-digestible yet super-valuable info. Not a DJ? No sweat. My course is equally as useful for those starting a business outside of the DJ space – and the videos never expire.
Ready to get started? Sign up here.
