Audioscenery | BLOG

Family Fiesta Day @ The Henry Doorley Zoo!

2010-09-26T13:12:00.001-05:00

Today Audioscenery is enjoying a BEAUTIFUL afternoon playing songs at The Family Fiesta event at the zoo! There are futbol (soccer) mascots, a mariachi band, face painting and more. My playlist is full of great Latino artists and of course plenty of la banda songs!

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2010-09-05T16:35:00.001-05:00

Th quiet moments alone before it all begins...

The Durham in Omaha is a spectacular space. This couple is doing their ceremony, cocktail hour and dance throughout the different spaces within this structure. It will be a busy and unforgettable night.

Happy Labor Day friends! I have to run...almost "go time".

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2010-08-14T17:11:00.001-05:00

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Watch on posterous

The madness ensues! Brandon, Jim & Mike are cued up for a great event!

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2010-08-14T17:06:00.001-05:00

(10871 KB)
Watch on posterous

The madness ensues! Brandon, Jim & Mike are cued up for a great event!

Block Party Tonight!

2010-08-14T13:09:00.001-05:00

Tonight is the night...The Barrington Park Neighborhood Block Party! We're bringing a strong team and we have a lot of great things planned for the night.

Jim and Mike will be unveiling a new type of show - Dueling DJs. Think "dueling pianos" only better because we can play ANY song! It's going to be amazing. Brandon will be along for the ride as well capturing video, working the crowd and informing people of a fun giveaway...FREE FRIDAY FLICKS on FACEBOOK!

What is that? How does it work?

Free Friday Flicks on Facebook
Well - it's basically a drive-in movie wherever you want to have it! You can schedule it to take place in your neighborhood, at your church, place of business, etc. Basically you receive a free night of movies on a big screen with amazing sound under the stars (or in a really big room).

How does it work?Guests at the party tonight will pick up a raffle ticket. To enter themselves to win one of 3 shows all they have to do is visit www.facebook.com/Audioscenery and hit the "Like" button. Then, they post their name and raffle ticket number on the wall and 3 lucky winners will be contacted (via facebook) to schedule their night of fun!
Gotta jet - putting together the last minute pieces for a great night!

Busy Week Ahead

2010-08-11T12:17:00.001-05:00

Audioscenery has a busy weekend ahead!

Tomorrow night (Thursday, August 12) we'll be out at the Henry Doorly Zoo for "Critter Ride"! Families will have the opportunity to bring their bikes to ride around the zoo. Special animal encounters and other fun things will be going on so we hope to see you there.

This weekend the AS crew will be rockin' out at a neighborhood association block party in conjunction with Planit Omaha and other great vendors! There will be the "Dueling DJs" (think of this as a dueling pianos type of show only we can play ANYTHING) and MAYBE even some up close magic. No matter what, this event will certainly be one to remember...with a 4 speaker set up and Dueling DJs keeping the crowd dancin' there will definitely not be a dull moment!

Let's hope the heat calms down so we can all enjoy these great events!

Next week - The Audioscenery Experience comes alive for Kami & Jeremy...it will be another unforgettable weekend!

Take care, thanks for reading and we appreciate your support! Stay cool!

Added Value + Crowd Control = Great Investment!

2009-08-12T11:27:00.001-05:00

At a recent reception I was reminded that the 28” LCD tv/dvd combo was definitely a great investment.

I bring this great piece of equipment to add entertainment value to my shows. During the dance my logo and some captivating and colorful “club like” visuals fill the screen. I have a lot of other ideas about how I will use this in the future but I’m not going to get into that right now…

So, at every show my objective is to entertain EVERYONE from the minute they walk in until they say their goodbyes. Last weekend at a wedding reception there was a considerable amount of time between dinner and the dance. The bride, groom and guests socialized and mingled and the kids started to do what they always do when boredom sets in…they began to RUN AROUND. It was time to break out the secret weapon – technology!

So, I broke out the iPod touch and hooked it up to the LCD tv/dvd combo. I “tapped” my way into a pre-show entertainment playlist and put on some Disney Pixar “shorts”. It was as if I had somehow hypnotized them! They all gathered around, quietly sat down and began to enjoy the short and creative films. Meanwhile, dinner music played and everyone continued to chat. I noticed that in the background grandma started watching from her seat, a couple of guys chuckled in the corner (at the entertaining cartoons) and a few parents shot me that appreciative “thank you” glance, smile and head nod that left me excited and happy I could help them out.

The rest of the night was full of dancing, singing and a happy crowd which is always a great reminder of why I am in this business!

Custom Slide Shows & Trivia

2009-03-03T05:54:00.002-06:00

Remember: You ALWAYS get what you pay for!

2008-12-03T11:43:00.011-06:00

Remember: You ALWAYS get what you pay for!
Quite often this phrase is tied to products, however, don't forget it can be used when talking about services as well.

I'll take "Recession" for $200 please.
During these difficult economic times I realize many people are watching their spending, cutting back on luxury items, analyzing prices by shopping around, etc. Even though times are tough, life (and events) do go on as scheduled. Holidays arrive, special events take place, celebrations happen and people still get married. The need for great entertainment is never going to go away.

So...Where am I going with this? I'll be blunt - DON'T HIRE A CHEAP DJ!

Pricing 101: Finding the "Happy Medium"
Pricing is important to look at for many reasons. DJs with high prices may be good at what they do but may also over-charge (and under-deliver). On the flip side, those that seem VERY affordable, offer amazing deals, or boast a too-good-to-be-true price will very seldom under-charge and over-deliver. These are the under-dressed DJs with mediocre equipment (and experience) that lack professionalism, don't keep your night moving properly and they are overly obnoxious from start to finish. Typically their show is all about them and not at all about you (and your guests). You want the best service or product for a fair price, right? My advice: pick a company whose price is parallel with other companies. I'll even suggest to pick someone on the higher end. If price is too high (or low) WATCH OUT because there are red flags in either category.

True Story.
Last week I regret to say that I lost a prospective client (bride) to a local entertainment franchise. She was a referral and I really appreciated her contacting me so naturally I was disappointed to lose the show. She explained in her email that the other company was, "offering a discount that fell better within their budget". I can definitely respect the fact that she is on a budget (in fact, I commend her on that - especially when putting together a wedding) but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried about the type of experience she may have with such a large company. All I could think of was, "Will her and her guests be taken care of?" Answer: It depends on who is "assigned" to her show.

The Big Guys vs. The One Man Show
I don't want to be "Captain Obvious" but large entertainment companies have a lot of DJs working for them (some GREAT some really BAD). When your name, branding and overall image is spread out among several "employees" the accountability can become fuzzy.

Think about any major restaurant chain...if you have a problem with food or service you won't get to talk to the CEO that night, right? You share your complaints with the server, then maybe one of the the store managers who might contact the regional manager and maybe something will be done to try and retain you as a customer (for example - a gift certificate to come eat there again to give them a second chance). With a small company (such as Audioscenery) the OWNER is the one doing the show so you should get a great show every time because that person's name is on the line EVERY time!

UNLIKE a restaurant, there is not a second chance to retain customers. In fact, if you do a bad show you will lose other opportunities that could have come from that show. A special event, wedding, etc. only happens once so it better be done right the FIRST time!

Large companies may say they care about customer service, want the best for you and yours, blah, blah, blah. What do they really care about? The bottom line profits at the end of a weekend. The larger companies need to have each of their DJs out every Friday and Saturday night making them money so the owners can make a living. Remember, their DJs are employees and may or may not have a vested interest in the company, customer service, etc...they could be out to just make a quick buck.

So, how do those companies make big bucks without the best business habits? This is where price comes in...they offer a great deal to get every DJ booked each weekend so they can make their sales quotas. They may get complaints about the DJ that showed up and how bad he was but you need to ask yourself one thing: What are they going to do about it? Firing the DJ won't do you any good and neither will a full refund...your wedding day only happens once.

Hindsight is always better than foresight
There are a lot of "statistics" that many DJ companies out there use to help prove that spending more on the entertainment is the right thing to do. I'm just going to ask you to use common sense and answer a few simple questions. Before I ask the important questions I want you to think about 2-3 weddings you have been to during the last year (or two)...

OK...now that you have those in your mind keep reading...

Answer the following questions based on your past experiences:
1. Do you remember where the reception was at?
2. What did the wedding dress look like?
3. How was the food?
4. What flavor was the cake?
5. Did you stick around after the meal to dance and socialize?

For obvious reasons I'm most interested in your answer to #5. I'll be honest - typically people stay at receptions for one of three reasons...

1. You provided "free booze" all night.
2. They are family so they "had to stay" until the very end.
3. The DJ played the right mix of music and the guests were having fun so they didn't leave!

Ever been to a wedding that the crowd took off about as quick as they arrived? If so, why do you think they left? Did they have a good reason to stay (other than drinking or obligation)? It's all about the entertainment...

All of this goes to show that [generally] people want to be entertained. Music, dancing and singing along to songs is a great way to relieve stress, bond and have fun with family, co-workers, friends, etc.

There is so much more that is related to this "theme" of getting what you pay for (as it relates to entertainment) and I really want to hear your thoughts...good, bad and ugly! I invite you to share your success stories, horror stories or advice to others.

I'll keep moving with this topic during the next few entries and explain the types of things that you should look for, ask about and demand when considering all of your options for entertainment.

As always I encourage everyone to check out the new site: http://www.audiosceneryonline.com/!

Mike

2008-12-01T13:35:00.002-06:00

Hello and welcome to the Audioscenery blog!

This blog has been created to share information about Audioscenery, provide updates about the company and eventually I'll be sharing some useful entertainment advice, insight, tips, tricks and information about the services Audioscenery can provide to help make your next event unforgettable.

Stay tuned for much more. In the meantime, check out the new site for more information!
www.audiosceneryonline.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Mike