How to choose a DJ for a corporate event

How is a corporate DJ different from a club DJ?

In a club, the crowd has come for the DJ and broadly shares the same tastes. At a corporate party, it is the other way round: the guests have come for their colleagues, they are between 20 and 65, and some of them won’t dance before their second drink. A corporate DJ therefore needs a different set of skills:

• Reading the room: spotting what gets each group going, moving from an 80s hit to a recent track without breaking the mood.
• Managing the volume: discreet background music during cocktails so guests can talk, then building up gradually.
• Following a running order: cutting the music for the speech, launching the CEO’s video, accompanying the arrival of the cake.
• Using the microphone with restraint: announcing and re-energising, without turning the evening into a radio show.
• A polished presentation: appropriate dress, a tidy set-up, hidden cables.

What questions should you ask a DJ before booking?

A fifteen-minute call is enough to get a feel. Here are the eight questions that make the difference:

1. Have you played corporate parties of this size before? Ask for a concrete example, not a list of clubs.
2. What equipment do you bring, and for how many people? Two speakers cover about 150 people in a reception room.
3. Who looks after the microphones for speeches? One wireless microphone per speaker, tested before guests arrive.
4. Do you have backup equipment? A spare controller or laptop, duplicate cables.
5. How will we prepare the evening? A video or phone meeting, a list of requested and banned tracks.
6. What time do you arrive, and how long does set-up take? To be agreed with the venue’s access times.
7. How much does an extra hour cost? And how late the venue allows it.
8. Are you insured, and how are music rights handled? A liability insurance certificate and SACEM cover (the French music royalties body).

How do you check a DJ’s equipment?

A DJ’s talent can’t make up for unsuitable equipment. Ask for the exact list and compare it with your room:

How do you prepare the playlist with the DJ?

Good preparation doesn’t mean imposing a list of 200 tracks. The DJ needs reference points, not a score. Send them:

• The average age and make-up of the audience, and the nationalities present if the team is international.
• Three or four moods you want: lounge for cocktails, popular hits during dinner, then a dance party.
• Around ten must-play tracks and, above all, the tracks to avoid.
• The key moments with their times: speeches, video, awards, cake.
• The venue’s constraints: maximum volume, when the music must stop.

What warning signs should make you think twice?

• The DJ refuses any conversation before the evening, or asks no questions about your audience.
• The quote specifies neither the hours, nor the equipment, nor the overtime rate.
• You don’t know who will actually be playing on the day.
• No insurance certificate is provided.
• The price is very low, but the sound system is “to be provided by the client” without you knowing.

Should you add a musician or an activity to the DJ?

A DJ can carry an evening alone. But for a gala dinner or a company anniversary, a live saxophonist improvising over the DJ’s tracks creates a real highlight. To get the evening going before the dance floor opens, a music quiz run by the DJ or a karaoke session brings teams together. Finally, for a large room or a plenary followed by a party, the DJ Pro +++ package adds a sound and lighting technician who handles the speeches while the DJ concentrates on the music.

What should the DJ’s contract specify?

A contract of a few lines is enough, as long as it covers the essentials: the date and address, the arrival time and when the music ends, the equipment supplied, the overtime rate, the deposit and balance, the cancellation terms and what is expected of you (the DJ’s meal, a space, a power socket). This document protects the DJ as much as the company, and it avoids arguments when it is time to pack up.

How far in advance should you book your DJ?

For Fridays in June and December parties, several months ahead. DJs with corporate event experience are the first to be booked. For a Thursday in September or a spring evening, a few weeks may be enough, but the choice is wider when you start early. Book the DJ at the same time as the venue: the two are best discussed together, especially for the sound system.

For prices, read our article on the cost of a corporate party DJ.