>> event planning articles > Marquee heating information
DJ Areas
When planning DJ areas try putting yourself in a DJ’s shoes:
I was pointed to this forum recently: DJ forum
There’s one post that was perfect for us so I’ve quoted it in full here:
“Fortunately I only do a couple of marquee gigs each year, but there are four main reasons why I have a strong disliking for these functions:
- The ground is always uneven, meaning you usually have to put piles of disco cards under your stands & tripods to level them up…and this looks rubbish.
- If its been raining, then can be very muddy. I had this problem big time at one particular gig last year.
- They often have a dodgy power supply, either from a generator or from extension leads from a nearby building…and you’re never sure if they are being shared by caterers or the lighting.
- Lack of headroom. Being at the side of the marquee, we are normally in the area where the roof is at its lowest, and I often find that I don’t have the 9 feet height required by my main lighting tripod.”
Okay, so lets deal with these points in order:
- There’s not much you can do about uneven surfaces. Don’t increase the dance floor to accomodate DJ’s – dancing will make the records jump etc.
- Encourage customers to have flooring if there’s any chance of it being muddy. It makes for a better party and means DJ (and your) equipment stays clean.
- Try to make sure you have a completely separate power lead for the DJ, either their own extension lead from the house or a separate lead from the generator so it doesn’t conflict with anything else.
- When designing your customers’ layout try to have the DJ area at one end rather than to one side, this means they’ll have greater headroom and also looks more impressive.
- If possible allow for access in to the back of the DJ area, this saves equipment being carried through eating/greeting areas.
- If you’ve got lighting controls position them near the DJ, this allows him/her to dim them down when starting their set and helps control the atmosphere.
I’d also add a couple of my own points too:
Thanks to Rob James Entertainment for letting me quote their forum post & thanks for reading
Spencer