DJ Questions to Ask Clients
For mobile and wedding DJs taking a booking call or sitting down for the planning meeting with a couple or an event host. These DJ questions to ask clients run in the order the job needs the answers: the event and what you are being hired to do, the venue with its power, load-in and sound limits, the timeline, the names and the microphone, the music, and the people in the room and on call that day. Much of the Venue group is better put to the venue coordinator than to the client, so plan on a second phone call.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Booking call
What kind of event is it, and what are the date, start time and finish time?
Why ask it
Check the date against your calendar before the conversation goes any further, then get the hours, because a four-hour birthday and a ten-hour wedding day are different quotes. A finish time the client guessed at is not the same as the one the venue enforces, so find out which this is. If they do not know yet, quote for a stated number of hours and say what an extra one costs.
Which venue is it at, and have you signed with them yet?
Why ask it
A venue you have played before lets you answer half the setup questions yourself, so say so if you know it. If it is new to you, write down the full name and address and look it up after the call. Until the venue is signed, the date and the hours can still move, so tell the client how long you will hold the date for them.
Which parts of the day do you want me for: the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, the dancing?
Why ask it
Each extra part can mean another speaker, another microphone and an earlier arrival, so this answer sets most of the price. Clients often assume the ceremony is included because the DJ is 'there anyway'. For a party with no formal parts, ask instead when guests arrive and when they want the volume to come up.
Do you want me to make the announcements and host the evening, or only to play the music?
Why ask it
Some clients want a voice that runs the room and some want never to hear you, and both are reasonable. If a friend, a planner or the venue is doing the announcing, find out who, because you will be working to that person's cues all night. Put the answer in the agreement so nobody is surprised either way.
About how many people will be there, and how big is the room?
Why ask it
Headcount and room size together decide how many speakers you bring and where they point. Eighty people in a low-ceilinged banquet room and eighty in a barn with a high roof need different rigs. If the client cannot describe the room, ask the venue for a floor plan or look for photos of it set up for a party.
How did you find me, and have you seen or heard me play?
Why ask it
A couple who danced at a wedding you played already know what they are booking. Someone who found you in a search has only your photos and your price, so offer a video of a real event or a recent client they can call. If a venue or another vendor sent them, thank that person the same week.
What does a good night look like to you: a full dance floor all evening, or music behind the conversation?
Why ask it
This is the question that stops you playing the wrong event well. A host who wants people talking will be unhappy with a loud, busy floor, however full it is. Say their answer back in one sentence and keep it at the top of your notes.
Have you been to an event where the DJ got it very right or very wrong?
Why ask it
A story gets you further than a list of adjectives: the DJ who talked too much, the one who played forty minutes of music nobody knew. Whatever they complain about is the thing to avoid at theirs, even if you think that DJ was within reason. The good story is worth as much: whatever that DJ did is what they are hoping to book.
Besides sound and a microphone, what are you expecting me to bring: dance floor lighting, uplights, a screen?
Why ask it
Clients rarely know what is standard and what is an add-on, and a photo they saw online may show several things you charge for separately. Name what is in the quote and what is not while you are still on the call. If they want something you do not own, say so now and point them to someone who rents it.
What have you set aside for the DJ, and who will sign the agreement and pay?
Why ask it
Say it plainly once you understand the job, and before you write a quote that is far from what they had in mind. The person paying is not always the person on the call, especially with a parent's money or a company event, and that person may want a say in the music. For an organization, find out how invoices are handled there and how long payment takes.
Venue
Who runs events at the venue, and may I call them about its rules for outside DJs?
Why ask it
Hosts rarely hear about sound limits, approved vendor lists or bans on haze and confetti until somebody asks, so treat 'no rules' as 'not asked yet'. A coordinator can be more exact with the person bringing the speakers than with the client. Make the call before the planning meeting so the timeline is built on real limits.
Does the venue have a sound limiter or a decibel cap, and what happens when the level goes over?
Why ask it
Some venues fit a device that cuts power to the outlets when the room stays too loud for too long, and a cut in the middle of a song is hard on your equipment as well as the mood. Ask the venue what the level is, where the sensor sits and whether there is a warning light you can see from the booth. Tell the client ahead of time what a capped room will sound like, so a modest volume is not a surprise.
Where in the room will I be set up, and how far is that from the dance floor?
Why ask it
A booth across the room from the floor means the tables in between get the loudest sound and the dancers get the least. A floor plan with your spot marked settles it, and you can push politely if it puts you behind a pillar or beside the kitchen door. You need a clear view of the floor to read it.
Where are the nearest outlets to that spot, and what else will be running on the same circuit?
Why ask it
Coffee urns, food warmers and a photo booth sharing your circuit are a common way for a breaker to trip halfway through dinner. The client will not know, so take the question to the venue and ask where the panel is and who can reset it on the night. Note the distance so you bring enough cable and something to cover it where people walk.
Is any part of the event outdoors or in a tent, and where will the power come from there?
Why ask it
Outdoors you need to know about shade for the equipment, level ground, a cover if it rains and how far the nearest outlet is. If the answer is a generator, ask who is supplying it and what else it is feeding, then talk to that supplier directly. Agree now who decides to move inside and by what time, because relocating a full setup takes notice.
Are the ceremony, cocktail hour and dancing all in one room, or do I need sound in more than one place?
Why ask it
Two spaces usually means a second small system or a fast move while guests watch, and you should price whichever it is. The length of the gap between the two matters, and so does whether guests walk through one space to reach the other. A move you have ten minutes for needs a helper or duplicate gear.
Does the venue have its own speakers or microphones that it expects me to use?
Why ask it
House systems range from excellent to a ceiling speaker meant for background music. Ask the venue what the system is, how you connect to it and whether someone who knows it will be on site that night. Bring your own regardless if you can, and tell the client which one you plan to rely on.
What time can I get into the room, and will guests already be there?
Why ask it
Your setup time does not shrink, so a late access time has to be solved now and not in the parking lot. If another event is in the room before yours, ask when it clears. Setting up in front of arriving guests is possible, but it changes what you wear and how tidy the cable run has to be from the first minute.
What is the route from where I park to where I set up: a loading door, stairs, an elevator, gravel?
Why ask it
Add the carry to your arrival time, because three flights of stairs can double a load-in. Check whether the unloading spot is yours for the whole night or only for ten minutes. If the client has no idea, this is another one for the venue, and photos of the route are worth asking for.
What time does the music have to stop, and when does my equipment have to be out of the building?
Why ask it
These are often two different times, and the gap between them is your teardown. A venue that wants the room empty half an hour after the last song may need you coiling cables before the guests have gone. Work backwards from the stop time when you plan the last hour, and tell the client when the final song really starts.
Will the venue want proof of insurance or any forms from me before it lets me set up?
Why ask it
What a venue asks for, and what the rules are on insurance, equipment testing or music licensing, differs from place to place. Do not guess: ask the venue for its list in writing and how far ahead it wants everything, then send it early. A missing document is a poor reason to be held at the door with a van full of speakers.
Timeline
Can you talk me through the event from the first guest arriving to the last song?
Why ask it
Let them tell it in their own order and write down every time they mention, even the vague ones. The gaps show up quickly: nobody has decided when the cake is cut or how long dinner takes. Those gaps are your agenda for the rest of the meeting.
Is a planner or the venue building the schedule, or would you like me to draft it?
Why ask it
When a planner or a venue coordinator is writing it, theirs is the document everybody follows, so get yourself onto the list of people it goes to. When nobody is, draft the evening yourself and send it to the caterer and the photographer. Set a date after which changes come by phone, not as a new attachment.
For the ceremony, what plays as guests are seated, for the walk in and the walk out, and who cues me?
Why ask it
You need a song for each part, the number of people walking and someone in your sightline who nods when it is time. The length of the aisle matters, since a short walk can be over before the chorus arrives. Leave this one out for an event with no ceremony.
Which formal moments are you having, and in what order: an entrance, a first dance, toasts, a cake cutting?
Why ask it
Go through them one at a time and get a song, a rough length and a place in the evening for each, including a bouquet toss or parent dances if they want them. Clients sometimes keep a tradition only because they assumed it was required, so say that every one is optional. For a birthday or a company party the list is shorter but works the same way: an arrival, a toast, a cake, an award.
Which cultural or religious traditions are part of the event, and what do I do during each one?
Why ask it
Have them describe each one step by step: the music, how long it lasts, who leads it and what you announce. If it is new to you, say so and ask for a video of it done well or the name of a relative who can talk you through it. Where the exact recording matters, get the music as files from the family.
Who is giving speeches or toasts, and at what point in the evening?
Why ask it
Get the number of speakers, their names and an honest guess at how long each will go. Speeches before the meal spare a nervous speaker a long wait, while speeches between courses need the caterer's agreement on timing. Walk-up music or a slideshow for a speaker is yours to cue, so check whether anyone wants one.
How is the meal being served, and do you want me to send tables up to a buffet?
Why ask it
With a buffet someone has to release tables in order, and if that is you, settle the order with the caterer and the host beforehand. A plated dinner tells you how long the quiet music runs and when the kitchen wants no interruptions. Ask when the vendors eat, so your own break does not land on a toast.
Is anyone planning a surprise I will need to cue: a choreographed dance, a guest singer, a song for one of you?
Why ask it
Surprises fail on the technical details, so ask for the track as a file, the exact start point and where the people involved will be standing. If it is being kept from one of the hosts, find out who you can discuss it with without giving it away. A run-through helps, even five minutes at the venue before guests arrive.
Is anything going on a screen or being played from someone else's phone or laptop?
Why ask it
A slideshow with sound needs a cable from their device to your mixer, and somebody has to be in charge of the laptop that night. Get the file a week ahead and test it on your own equipment. 'My cousin will just plug in his phone' deserves a follow-up about which connector and whose playlist.
How do you want the night to end: one last song, a send-off, or the music fading as people leave?
Why ask it
The ending is the part guests carry out the door, and it has to finish before the venue's stop time, not at it. Get the last song by name and ask whether they want the lights up straight after. If there is a send-off outside, find out who gathers the guests and whether you announce it.
If the evening runs behind, what would you rather I shorten: the dinner music, a formal moment or the dancing?
Why ask it
Dinner running late is ordinary, and the minutes come out of the dancing unless someone decided otherwise in advance. Have them rank what can shrink and name the one thing that cannot. Say at the same time whether the venue's stop time leaves any room for extra time, so the ranking is made with the real limit in view.
Names and mic
Who am I announcing, in what order, and how is each name pronounced?
Why ask it
Write every name the way it sounds, not only the way it is spelled, and say each one back to the client before you move on. Have them record the hard ones as a voice note you can replay in the van. Check the list once more with someone from the family when you arrive.
How do you want to be introduced: first names only, a shared last name, titles?
Why ask it
Do not assume a shared surname or a 'Mr. and Mrs.'. Get the exact words and write them out in full. Some couples want a big build-up and some want to walk in under a song with nothing said, and a guest of honor at a party may go by a nickname with this crowd.
Is there anything about either family I should know before I say a word on the microphone?
Why ask it
You are listening for divorced or remarried parents, a recent death, and people who should not be named together. It changes how you word a parent dance and whether you call for 'the parents of the bride' at all. Keep what you are told to yourself and off the printed run sheet that other vendors see.
On the microphone, do you want me brief and formal, warm and chatty, or somewhere in between?
Why ask it
Three choices are easier to answer than 'what kind of MC do you want'. Follow up with a line you would say and a line you would not, because 'not cheesy' means something different to everyone. If the choice does not fit what they said about hosting on the booking call, raise it now.
What does each speaker need: a handheld microphone, one on a stand, or a clip-on for the officiant?
Why ask it
An officiant who needs both hands wants a clip-on or a stand, and a nervous speaker tends to let a handheld drift down to waist height. Count the microphones you need at the busiest moment. Plan to hand each speaker theirs yourself, with a ten-second word on where to hold it.
Do you want group dances, games or anything that asks guests to join in, and which are off the table?
Why ask it
Name the specific ones, because clients say no to 'games' and then ask afterwards where the line dance was. Be honest about which of them suit the crowd they have described. A firm no here goes on the same page as the do-not-play list.
Should any announcements be made in a second language, and who could make them with me?
Why ask it
When part of the room follows a different language, the moments worth saying twice are the practical ones: dinner, the toasts, the last song. If you do not speak it, a relative or friend can stand beside you, given the wording ahead of time. Never read out a translation that nobody in the family has checked.
Is there anyone you want mentioned or thanked, and anything you do not want announced?
Why ask it
A birthday in the room, grandparents with a big anniversary or a friend who flew in can each get one warm sentence, if the client wants it. The second half matters as much: news that is not public yet, or a guest who hates attention. Write the approved mentions down word for word.
Music
Which songs have to be played, and which belong to a particular moment?
Why ask it
Separate the two as they answer: songs with a place in the schedule, and songs that only need to happen at some point. Tell them roughly how many songs you get through in an hour of dancing so they can see what a list of sixty would do to the night. Ask for the list in writing by a set date, as a playlist link or a form and not a string of texts.
What is on your do-not-play list, and does it still apply when a guest asks?
Why ask it
Get songs, artists and whole genres, and ask why for any that surprise you, since the reason tells you what else to steer around. The second half decides what you say at the booth: 'the hosts have asked me not to' comes easily once you know they mean it. Compare it with any must-play songs from the family before the day.
Which styles or decades should carry the dancing, and are there any you want kept to a song or two?
Why ask it
Push for rough shares, such as mostly current pop with a block of older soul, since 'a bit of everything' gives you nothing to plan from. The style their friends dance to and the one the family dances to are often different answers, so get both. A style wanted in small doses is not a do-not-play, and your notes should say which is which.
What do you listen to yourselves when nobody else is choosing?
Why ask it
Their own taste and their idea of party music are often far apart, and you want both. A playlist they already keep is more honest than a list written for a DJ. Use it for dinner and the quieter stretches, where personal taste costs nothing on the floor.
What should the room sound like during cocktail hour and dinner?
Why ask it
Get a mood and two or three artists, then settle the volume: people should be able to talk across a table without leaning in. Older guests often form their opinion of the DJ during this hour. If a live musician is covering it, find out when they finish and how the handover to you works.
How should I handle requests from guests: play what fits, check with you first, or take none?
Why ask it
Give them those three options, because most clients have not thought about it and will otherwise say 'use your judgment' and then mind. Ask separately about requests from parents, which are harder to turn down. Whatever the rule, agree what you will say to a guest so it sounds like the host's wish and not your mood.
Do you want clean versions all night, or only while the children and grandparents are still there?
Why ask it
Find the line: some hosts mind swearing, some mind only certain subjects, and a school or workplace event will have a rule of its own, so ask whoever is responsible there. If you have no clean edit of a must-play song, tell them now. Mark the time the rule relaxes, if it does, and when the children are expected to leave.
For the first dance and the other special songs, which exact recording do you want, and how much of it?
Why ask it
Have them send a link, because the album version, the live one and the cover they heard at a friend's wedding all share a title. They may want it played to the end or faded at a point they choose, so mark the time. Listen to each one yourself beforehand for a long intro or a false ending.
What will your parents' and grandparents' generation want to hear that you would not think to list?
Why ask it
Hosts plan for their friends and forget the relatives who are often first onto the floor. One or two songs each side of the family is known for buys goodwill for the rest of the night. If they cannot answer, suggest they ask a parent and pass it on to you.
How much of the dancing do you want to choose yourselves, and how much should I decide from what the floor is doing?
Why ask it
A fully scripted night leaves you nothing to do when a song empties the room, so explain what you would use the freedom for. Ask what should happen when the floor thins out during one of their must-plays: let it run, or shorten it. Clients who want total control are fine to work for, as long as that is agreed here and not argued at the booth.
Crowd and contacts
Who is in the room: mostly family, friends or colleagues, and what is the range of ages?
Why ask it
A room of thirty-year-old friends and a room of four generations want different first hours. Ask for a rough split, and where most guests grew up, which says more about what they will sing along to than age alone. At a company event, ask as well whether the senior people usually dance or leave early.
Who will be first onto the dance floor, and who will need persuading?
Why ask it
Every crowd has a few people who start things, and knowing them by name or by table lets you play to them at the right moment. Ask about the hosts themselves. If they plan to spend the night talking at tables, the floor behaves differently than if they are in the middle of it.
Is anyone coming who is sensitive to loud sound, and where will they be sitting?
Why ask it
Think of older relatives, babies, and guests with hearing aids or sensory sensitivities. You cannot fix it once the seating plan is printed, so ask now for those tables to go away from the speakers. Offer to show on the floor plan where the speakers will point so the client can seat people around it.
What are guests wearing, and how would you like me to dress?
Why ask it
Matching the room is part of not being noticed for the wrong reason. A theme or a color scheme is worth knowing about too, whether they want you to join in or only to stay out of its way. If you set up in work clothes and change afterwards, find out where you can do that.
Who is my go-to person during the event, other than you, and what is their cell number?
Why ask it
Hosts should not be answering timing questions while they greet guests. You want someone who knows the plan and will pick up the phone: a planner, a coordinator, a sibling. Introduce yourself to that person as soon as you arrive.
Who else is working the event, and can you send me their names and numbers?
Why ask it
The photographer and videographer need a warning before every formal moment, the caterer controls when dinner ends, and the planner holds the timeline. A short message to each of them in the week before saves a lot of signaling across a dark room. The videographer may want a sound feed from your mixer, which is easier to arrange by message than at the booth.
If someone asks me to change the plan or play past the finish time, who has the final say?
Why ask it
Someone will ask you to move the first dance, add a speech or keep going after the stop time, and they will sound sure of themselves. With a name agreed here you can say 'let me check with' that person and mean it. Settle what an extra half hour costs and how it is paid, and whether there is anyone whose instructions you should politely not act on.
May I film a few short clips of the dance floor for my own pages, and is anyone or anything off limits?
Why ask it
Raise it before the event, not from behind the booth with a phone already in the air. Some hosts are glad of it, and some have guests who cannot appear online, a private company party or children in the room. Get the answer in writing, and if it is a yes, offer to wait until they have shared their own photos.
What are you most nervous about on the day, and what could I do about it?
Why ask it
The answers are usually small and fixable: nobody will dance, an uncle will grab the microphone, the first dance will feel long. Tell them what you would do about each one. Then write it at the top of your run sheet, so you remember to look for it during the night.
How to run the booking call and the planning meeting
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Two conversations, two jobs
What the booking call has to produce
The first call ends in a quote and a sense of whether you are the right DJ for this client. That takes everything under Booking call plus three from Venue: who to call there about its rules, how many rooms need sound and when the music stops. Leave song lists and pronunciations alone for now. Someone who has not booked you yet does not want homework.
What the planning meeting has to produce
Hold it a few weeks before the date, once the schedule and the guest list have stopped moving. Its output is a run sheet, so it covers Timeline, Names and mic, Music and Crowd and contacts, in that order. Ask for everyone who is hosting to be there, in person or on video, since one partner often knows the music and the other knows the family.
Put the lists on a form
Must-play songs, names to announce and vendor phone numbers are lists, and people recall lists badly in conversation. Send a form after the booking is confirmed and give a date for it to come back. Spend the meeting on what they wrote and on the questions that need a voice: how much you talk, what to know about the family, what to do with requests.
Take the building questions to the building
Clients guess about outlets, limiters and access times, and a guess is worse than a blank. Call the venue coordinator yourself with the Venue group in front of you, then tell the client what you learned. If you have never played the room and it is within reach, a short visit answers the booth position, the power and the carry in one trip.
Getting answers you can work from
Trade adjectives for songs
'Fun but classy' and 'nothing cheesy' describe every event and none. When you hear one, ask for a song that is exactly that and a song that is the opposite. Two titles tell you more than five minutes of description, and you can play them back to the client to check you understood.
Offer choices when they go quiet
Plenty of clients are hiring a DJ for the first time and do not know what the options are. A blank look at 'how should I handle requests' turns into a quick decision when you give three ways it can go. Describe each choice fairly, including the ones that are more work for you.
Say every name back
Read each name aloud to the person who gave it to you and watch their face. Write the sound in your own spelling beside the real one, with the stressed syllable in capitals. A name you only ever saw typed is a name you will get wrong with a hundred people listening.
Keep the delicate questions for a private moment
The family question and the one about who has the final say are hard to answer with a parent at the table. If relatives have joined the meeting, save those two for a follow-up call with the hosts alone. Say why you are asking: you would rather know than find out on the microphone.
Give the reason behind the dull ones
A client wonders why the DJ cares about the caterer's coffee urn or the length of a hallway. One sentence of explanation, such as 'so the power does not cut out during your first dance', turns a strange question into evidence that you have done this before.
From notes to a run sheet
One page, in time order
Turn the answers into a single sheet you can read in low light: the time, the moment, the song, who gives the cue, and the words you will say with names spelled by sound. Put the venue's stop time and the day-of contact's number in the top corner. Anything that does not fit on the page goes in a second document you read before the event, not during it.
Mark the guesses
Some lines are confirmed by the venue or the planner and some are what the client hoped when you met. Flag the second kind, and chase each one until it is either confirmed or crossed out. The dinner length is the usual offender, and the caterer is the person who knows.
Send it back for a yes
About a week out, send the sheet to the client and the day-of contact and ask for a reply that says it is right. Reading their own evening laid out by the minute is when clients notice a missing dance or a name out of order. After that reply, take changes by phone so you are never working from the wrong attachment.
Share the times, keep the confidences
The photographer, the caterer and the coordinator need your times and cues. They do not need the note about which relatives are not speaking or what the surprise is. Keep a vendor copy with the schedule only, and keep the private notes on your own copy.
Where DJs get caught out
Taking 'the venue said it is fine' on trust
The client is repeating a conversation that was probably about something else. Sound limits, access times and paperwork should come to you from the venue, in writing where you can get it. Rules also differ from one town and one building to the next, so what held at the last venue tells you nothing about this one.
Using the wedding questions for every event
A company party, a school dance and a sixtieth birthday share the Venue group and little else. Drop the ceremony and the formal dances, and add whoever sets the rules for that kind of event: the organizer on what is suitable to play at a workplace, the school on its own policy for music and supervision. Ask them directly how it works there.
Accepting a list longer than the night
A must-play list that would fill every minute of dancing is a problem to raise in the meeting, when it is still friendly. Ask the client to star the ones that matter most and treat the remainder as a guide to their taste. Say plainly how many you can promise.
Leaving the last half hour vague
The stop time, the final song, who can approve more time and what it costs are four separate answers, and each is easier to get weeks ahead than at the end of the party. If the venue's stop time is fixed, tell the client so overtime is not something they are counting on.