Promotion is an essential part of your integrated sales and marketing strategy. If you’ve been following these articles over the past two years, you will recall how marketing and sales work together to drive revenue, brand awareness, and competitive market share. Now we all live in the world of “social media”-those online tools that allow you to stay in constant touch and build your brand through the Internet. How can mobile entertainers optimize those tools? This article takes a look at the options and suggests three action tips for online success.

Why All the Buzz About Social Media?

You’ve heard and read the hype. Facebook has hundreds of millions (!) of online friends and offers “fan pages” that have become full-featured alternative websites. Twitter can be searched and mined to see who might be looking to hire a mobile entertainer in real time, all the time. LinkedIn and Plaxo are more business-to-business, but still offer no-cost and low-cost ways to develop your network of subcontractors, support staff, and even clients. All provide feedback mechanisms and opportunities for you to participate in blogs, forums, and special interest groups.

So why all the buzz about social media? First, it’s essentially free. Second (speaking from experience), it’s fun. Third, it’s the “new website” in the sense that if you are not doing it (using online tools proactively), you risk being ignored or considered hopelessly un-cool.

Where Does Social Media Fit In?

First let’s get some perspective. Social media is just one item on a growing menu of ways to promote your mobile entertainment business. It’s not the ONLY tool, and further, there are no guarantees that your sales and profits will go up just because you tweet hourly or post an occasional YouTube video of your emcee work. To provide context, here’s the list of your top twelve categories of promotional tools:

1.Advertising
2.Client endorsements and testimonials
3.Direct marketing (postal, e-mail, telemarketing)
4.Directory listings
5.Identity items (“swag”)
6.Incentivized referrals
7.Publicity
8.Sales literature and collateral material
9.Salesforce/agent incentives
10.Showcase gigs
11.Trade events (including Mobile Beat’s 2010 Vegas show, MBLVX)
12.Website and e-commerce

Arguably, social media can potentially play a role in ALL TWELVE of the above. That’s part of the appeal-it pulls together your branding efforts and forces you to think creatively about what and how you promote.

How to Optimize Social Media as a Promotional Tool

My first bit of advice is to get started if you haven’t already. If you are already experienced with social media, take it to the next level, because that’s where the market is going. Whether you are a veteran or a novice, here are three action tips for optimizing social media as a promotional tool.

Action Tip 1: Plan ahead. Be sure that you have up to date and complete promotional content to share. Just like your website, you need to offer a steady stream of photos, videos, and text that communicate your brand message in an invitingly professional way.

Action Tip 2: Participate. Each medium (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) is a community made up of your current and prospective clients, team members, competitors, and vendors. Post on their walls or blogs, not just on your own. Be an active citizen of the online world.

Action Tip 3: Track results. While your participation may not cost a lot of dollars, it can take a lot of time. Is it time well spent? Are your revenue and market share trending in the right direction? It may take a while to see results, so be sure that you monitor things like how many friends, followers and connections you have, and how many of those are new clients and fans.

Here’s the Point…

Mobile entertainment people need to have a conscious online marketing and social media strategy. If you don’t, you may end up spending many hours having a great time (nothing wrong with that) but not reaping the business rewards. To prevent that scenario, remember the three action tips: 1) plan ahead, 2) participate, and 3) track results. You’ll be glad that you did-and you’ll still have fun along the way.

John Stiernberg is founder and principal consultant with Stiernberg Consulting, the Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles) CA-based business development firm (www.stiernberg.com). John has over 25 years experience in the music and entertainment technology field. He currently works with audio and music companies and others on strategic planning and market development. His book Succeeding In Music: Business Chops for Performers and Songwriters is published by Hal Leonard Books. Contact John via e-mail at john@stiernberg.com. Find John on LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook. Follow John at http://twitter.com/JohnStiernberg.

Ryan Burger: This is Ryan Burger, the publisher of Mobile Beat magazine. I’m here with Steve Moody, from Maryland’s eastern shore, I’ve been told. What is Maryland’s eastern shore? What else is around there, basically?

Steve Moody: Basically nothing, Ryan. I moved out to the country pretty much. I originally started over in Baltimore, and when I met my wife, her whole family lived over here on the eastern shore, which is on the other side of this huge Bay Bridge. To me, it just seems like we’re way out in the country. To them, this is the big city.

Ryan Burger: Okay. So again, judging by myself, I’m in a little suburb outside of Des Moines, Iowa and people consider that the middle of nowhere because you’ve got cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, cornfield.

Steve Moody: Hey. We look like that.

Ryan Burger: Okay. So you’re the East Coast equivalent of Des Moines, Iowa.

Steve Moody: I would say so. This is a big retirement area for folks. They come down here to retire. It’s a huge farming population down here. They’re so many people involved in different parts of agricultures and things like that.

Ryan Burger: How far of a circle do you travel out from there?

Steve Moody: We’re only about an hour and 20 minutes from Baltimore, so I still go up to Baltimore quite a bit. I go into Delaware. I would say maybe about an hour and a half radius around here is the primary place where I play.

Ryan Burger: Okay. And you said you grew up in the Baltimore area?

Steve Moody: Oh, yeah, and I started the business back there. I was there for about 15 years or so DJ’ing, so I still have quite a bit of clientele from that area, in addition to the new folks from over here.

Ryan Burger: I remember hearing from Nick Burke [ph] and from other information that you sent us that — experience in radio; do you still do any radio at all, or did you totally get out of the radio thing?

Steve Moody: You know, I help out from time to time with different things. I’m not on the air regular any more. The last station that I did was a local station here on the shore called WCEI, and it was like a Top-Pop 40 station; more adult contemporary than a younger crowd. It wasn’t like a Hot AC, you know? But it was a lot of fun and it was a great way to get my name known in this area when we moved to the shore. So when they offered me to come in and do the morning show, I was like, “Yeah. That’s a great tool to get my name out for my private DJ business.”

I did it for about a year and a half and it just got to be so much. We started a family at that time and so I just stepped away from it. They still call me from time to time. I do some pretty good production work, and they call me to do special projects they’ve been working on or if they need a DJ for a station event that’s really large and they need a lot of extra sound and lighting, they’ll call me for that, too.

Ryan Burger: It’s a nice connection still to have. Did you do the mobile stuff or the radio stuff first?

Steve Moody: I started in mobile back in 1989. I didn’t get into radio until almost eight years later.

Ryan Burger: Okay. And was that move one that you did up in eastern Maryland along the shore there, or you had done that before? I want to get a timeline of your DJ history.

Steve Moody: Okay. I started back in 1989. I was still in high school. I was a sophomore. It was kind of neat. Our church youth group decided we were going to have this dance and have all the other youth groups come to it. And they were like, “It would be so great if we could hire a DJ,” but we didn’t have a budget. And I said, “Well, I’ve got a pretty nice home stereo system and I’ve got some CDs, so I’ll do it.” And that was actually the first gig that I ever did. It was like in the spring of 1989. And by the summer of ’89 I was set up and ready to go with professional gear and a huge music library and it kind of took off from there.

One of the guys that came to that event is one of the youth group leaders, was actually a DJ, and I think I kind of impressed him a little bit. He took me under his wing and explained the different things that I needed to get in order to get started with it. I lived with my mom and my grandparents at the time, and my grandfather had stepped in as that father-figure role for me, and he and my grandmother gave me the money to get the business started, basically.

Ryan Burger: So you started rolling pretty quickly, then?

Steve Moody: It really took off. My mom knows so many people, and this is because she’s in a business where she talks to people every day. She’s actually a hairdresser. And when your mother’s a hairdresser, man, you know everybody in town. My grandfather was in the military and retired, so he had a lot of friends from the military. So I did a lot of events for them. When I started, I maybe did like three of four gigs a month for those first couple of years while I was still in high school. But it was a lot of fun and it was a great way to have some extra pocket money.

So when I got into college, I originally wanted to be a music teacher but got involved in the mass communications department to do some radio and I just really fell in love with that and it took off. And the next thing I knew, I was doing an internship at WPOC, which is the station in Baltimore — and at the time, country music had really come into its own. Remember in the late ’90s it really took off with Brooks & Dunn and Garth Brooks and all those guys.

Ryan Burger: Billy Ray Cyrus and “Achy Breaky Heart,” that kind of thing.

Steve Moody: Yes, definitely. It was just really hot at that time and I had no interest in country music; I didn’t know anything about it, but when they offered me the internship, I thought, “Man, this is the most listened-to station in this area. It always falls in slot one, two, or three in the top 10, and Baltimore’s a pretty large market.” So I thought that was a great opportunity. So I did that and I did really well there. I did a lot of production there. I was a regular on-air DJ after my internship and it was a great experience. It helped to promote my private DJ business, which really took off to a point where I just could not keep up with the radio because my private business was going so strong.

Ryan Burger: Now it’s just yourself. You’re a single operator, correct?

Steve Moody: Right. Just a single op, and I work just about every weekend doing Friday and Saturday. And if I do both, I’ll take off on Sunday so we have some family time around here, because during the week I also perform every night as well, Monday through Thursday.

Ryan Burger: At a club?

Steve Moody: It’s kind of neat. During the week, years ago when all that country stuff took off, line dancing became very popular in this area and a lot of the catering halls started to open their doors different nights during the week and have an event where people would come in and have a full hot and cold buffet dinner and an open bar and mixed drinks, everything included, and in addition to that you’d have line dance lessons. That became so popular that we were starting to have a regular crowd. And I thought maybe ten years ago, “There’s no reason I can’t go out and rent a hall and do this on my own and not have to work for somebody else.” So now we go out and actually rent the different venues on our own and provide our own drinks and snacks and things like that.

Ryan Burger: Oh, wow. So you truly have been able to make your mobile disc jockey service into a seven-day-a-week business if you choose to.

Steve Moody: Right.

Ryan Burger: Most mobile DJs can’t get pass their Fridays and Saturdays. A lot of them can’t get past their having only events on Saturdays. So you have been able to make the move in that direction. So is that the unique thing about your company?

Steve Moody: I would say definitely, yeah, because the experience of doing the line dance instruction — and I wanted to let you know it’s not just country music. We dance to Latin, top 40, hip-hop, pop, some ’50s rock and roll, mixed in with a little bit of country. So we don’t really use that moniker of country line dancing. It’s just line dancing. People come in their tennis shoes or loafers. They don’t wear boots any more. They don’t wear their cowboy hats any more. It’s changed a lot over the past couple of years.

Because of that, we’ve just got a huge variety in the crowd that comes out. We’ve got all races and all ages and all backgrounds. I’ve never seen anything else like this in all that I’ve done. So it has helped me, from being up in front of people four or five nights a week, to be able to take that experience and apply that to my mobile DJ stuff for my private affairs.

Ryan Burger: On the private affairs, how do people usually hear about your company? How’s the word gotten out?

Steve Moody: One of the neat things about doing the dancing is that I’ve got like 1500 people a week in our dance classes with the four of them combined.

Ryan Burger: So the word gets around very quickly, I imagine.

Steve Moody: Right. And so so many of the people that are just regulars in my dance class, I either have done their daughter’s wedding or their parents’ 50th anniversary or child’s graduation party, and then that leads to another job, which leads to another job; and pretty much all the work I get is all word of mouth from previous bookings.

Ryan Burger: And I imagine that’s the same thing on the dance instruction. The word just gets around when you have that big of a crowd.

Steve Moody: Right. We have our Monday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night are ongoing classes that go on year-round, every week of the year through the summer and everything else. The Tuesday night class that we do is a 16-week beginner session, so we’re always bringing in new blood to let them see what’s involved in it. They come in for 16 or 17 weeks and then we say, “Okay. Congratulations! You’ve graduated! Move on to the intermediate group.” You take a few weeks off and then start that again. So we constantly have new people coming in, which is really neat because when I do have private events on my own, like I’ll run my own crab feast or bowl and oyster roast or something like that, man, I sell tickets immediately just from the folks that I already have.

Ryan Burger: You’ve got a big crowd of friends right around you immediately.

Steve Moody: Right.

Ryan Burger: I know I’ve had people ask us, when they’re in here planning their wedding receptions, “We don’t want to look like fools up on that dance floor.” Do you run any specialty thing for a couple that doesn’t want to look like a fool during their first dance?

Steve Moody: Oh, certainly. I can tell them just about any night, Monday through Thursday, that you can make it out, you can come out and I’ll work with you and we’ll teach you some dancing.

Over the years I’ve taught everything from cha-cha and waltz and swing dancing, but just because the line dancing became so popular and that’s what people want to do, we’ve discovered there’s just such a large market for that that we’ve just stuck with the line dancing in the past couple of years.

Ryan Burger: Technically, I know DJs sometimes really get into what their tools are that they use. What do you work with? What’s your preference? Are you an mp3 DJ? Do you still touch vinyl?

Steve Moody: I haven’t touched vinyl in a long, long time. When I first started, I used to every event. Now I use a program, PC DJ, and I guess most folks are familiar with PC DJ. As far as my speakers and stuff like that, I use the EV SX-360s, which are really nice powered speakers. One of the local organizations around here got together and all the DJs tested out their power speakers and everybody voted them hands down, they sounded just phenomenal. So when Nick Burke told me about that, I was like, “Well, that’s what I’ve got to go with, then.”

I normally just have to take two of the tops and one sub for most of the events I do and it sounds fantastic. But if it’s a larger event I’ll add on two more tops and another sub.

Ryan Burger: Are you bringing your sound system and everything to these weekday events?

Steve Moody: Yeah, because it’s just an empty hall when we get there. I have to set it up to be that event. Some of the places I actually have to set up the tables and chairs. It’s a lot involved but it’s a huge moneymaker on a weeknight. If I can come out of a two-hour dance class and make the money that I’m making on a weeknight, it’s fantastic to go in for two hours and do that.

Ryan Burger: Wow. Do you get into lighting at all, or are you just basic sound?

Steve Moody: I sure do. The lighting kind of varies from event to event. If I’m doing for a younger crowd, I will give them more the effects lights. I have a lot of Martin Intelligent lighting; I’ve got several pieces from Martin. But usually if I’m just doing a wedding reception — and my primary thing on the weekends is the wedding market — usually I just give them like a color wash out on the dance floor and I use that Chauvet LED system that they have, the Colorsplash.

Ryan Burger: Okay. So you’re not out there to blow people away with the lighting. You use it as an accent, which is the way it should be used; understood.

What are some of your goals? Where do you want to be with your business, say, ten years from now? Where do you want to be with your life ten years from now?

Steve Moody: As far as business goes, I really want to get into video. There’s nobody else in this market that does that. I’ve wanted to look at some other ideas that people have on their video and see the best ways to do it. I’ve seen maybe six or seven guys that just really have a phenomenal setup and I want to try to mold it after them and then tweak it to my own taste. So that would be my thing, business-wise. And also, to try and work a little bit less and make some more money, which from all these different conventions and workshops we’ve been going to, that seems like the key idea: work less and make more money at it. So that would be the goal, business-wise.

Personal goal — like I said, when I started college I actually wanted to be a music teacher and just kind of got sidetracked from that. I thought, “Well, I’ll get back to that.” And then I wound up getting my degree in broadcasting, which was all radio and public relations and mass communications, which was great for the business that I’m in, but I would love to go back to school. I only need a few more credits and get my teacher’s license and go to teach elementary music school, is what I wanted to do.

Ryan Burger: Fantastic. So you have your life figured out. You want to work a little bit less, you want to do a little bit different things, and you want to enjoy life a little bit more.

Steve Moody: Definitely. We’ve got a family now. I’m going to be celebrating my fifth wedding anniversary coming up in November. My wife is just fantastic. She’s a wonderful woman. She’s very supportive of the business because she’s self-employed as well. She’s a real estate agent, and so she understands the time that’s involved in it and the things that come up in working from home. She doesn’t go with me as much as she used to because we’ve got kids now, but still when she goes, she’s just great to have along.

She’s not one of those people — you’ll see guys with their girlfriends come out and they just sit there in the chair all night and she’s not like that. She’s very interactive with the crowd. She’s just got a great personality for that. She’s very personable. She knows how the sound equipment works, so if I need to run and take care of something, she can help out. She knows how it breaks down and sets up. So she’s a great asset when she can go.

We’ve got a daughter that’s three and a son, he’s six months right now. So on the weekend parties, she’s pretty much home with them unless it’s some special event that I really need her help for. But during the week, the line dancing, we actually do it as a family and take the kids with us. My wife works the door and takes care of all the food. We sell DVDs of the lessons that I teach so that people that are having a tough time can buy the DVD and take it home with them. She’s very, very helpful within the business.

Ryan Burger: Basically, anything that you want people to know about what you’re like; how to find you at a convention?

Steve Moody: I’ve only been going to conventions the past two years or so, and the first year that I went, I was kind of nervous, so I kind of stuck to myself. But man, this past year, it seems like I met just about everybody.

I love talking with people that I admire in the business, but this year I spent a lot of time with some of the folks that were brand new to the business. In fact, the three guys that I hung around with most were all in the business for under two years. I don’t know; I got a good vibe from them. They were so energetic about it and it was so fresh and so new to them, so it kind of rejuvenated me a little bit; and I think when they would ask me questions, I was helping them. We learned a lot from each other. It was a really good experience this year. I’ll sit around and talk with whoever I can get in touch with, you know.

Ryan Burger: You’re one of those guys who’ll hang out in the hallways. You’ll listen to someone, but you’ll hang out in the hallways and like the B.S.ing that happens in-between an average DJ and the other average DJ.

Steve Moody: Right. And that’s all part of it. It’s like you can be the best DJ in the world but you still got to keep pushing yourself and learning every time that you go out. And like I said, learning from new folks is just as exciting as from the old pros, people with big names that we all know and respect.

Ryan Burger: Well, I think that covers what we need. I appreciate you joining us, and look for another one of these episodes coming soon.

Steve Moody: Thank you. I really appreciate your call.

Veteran DJ encounters unexpected waves

Back when Mobile Beat first started out, there was a regular feature called “DJ Nightmares,” which was later changed to make the feature more inclusive of unusual, “extraordinary” events that may have had a more positive spin. With the classic definition in mind, I thought I’d present my own story of what can only be called a true DJ nightmare…

Hot Town, Summer in the City

With the sun shining and the heat of summer here in earnest as I write this, I’m reminded of the day last summer when I got a last-minute call to spin some tunes on a river boat. It sounded like great fun, so I jumped at the chance. Even better, the gig was a “reunion” tour of Detroit, designed to bring back former residents to relive old Motown memories as well as catch up with the changes the city has gone through. That meant that many famous local celebrities would also be along for the cruise. It sounded like the party of a lifetime!

But wait, not so fast…

The day would turn out to be one of the hottest days of the year. Adding to the misery was the summer humidity that is usually pretty high here in Michigan, but even worse right on the Detroit River. Unloading and parking in downtown Detroit, especially when you have a 24-foot cube truck, is INSANE. It took much longer than planned and my roadie and I sweated far too much. Yet we finally boarded the Detroit Princess with plenty of time to set up, and we had been assured that the boat had its own PA system that runs throughout the ship. All we had to do was tap my console into it and life would be good. In fact, I’d done that very thing on a sister ship in Lansing, so what could go wrong?

As it turned out, a whole lot.

Approaching the stage, the first thing we were confronted by was a setup including two Peavey high-end cabinets and two Gemini bass cabinets, powered by a single Peavey amp unceremoniously lying on the floor. No rack, no road case-nada. When I hooked in my console, the system sounded horrible! The lack of high end made me suspect that the normally rugged Peavey speakers were actually blown, and nothing seemed to be coming from the Gemini cabinets despite their being connected. Oh, and by the way, no “sound through the ship” as promised either. Time to head back to the truck for load #2.

Finally, we were ready to go, happy we’d built in some extra “just-in-case” time. That happiness would be short-lived, though. There was more misery to come!

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin’

The guests all arrived and, as I mentioned, a bunch of Detroit-area radio legends were among them, including Mr. Lee, Robin Seymour, Johnny Ginger and others. I’d prepared a special CD of super-rare Detroit stuff and was all ready to spring it on ‘em. The absolute best items were the last three tracks: a classic commercial for a local car dealership (any old-time Detroiter can sing the “Roy O’Brien” song), a rare Ernie Harwell piece on the Detroit Tiger baseball team, and a classic commercial for Faygo pop (soda, to all you non-Midwesterners), a Michigan original. I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces!

Instead, there was a look of horror on MY face when I found out that somehow-and I really don’t have a CLUE as to how-the disc got damaged! This was just after my changeover to computer-based performance, and I hadn’t had time to rip the disc to one of my hard drives. On inspection, the disc had somehow gotten a nick in the data layer; it looked like torn aluminum foil! (#!@%$!!)

Trying to regain my cool, I told myself that three songs out of over 40,000 would NOT make or break my show. I still had plenty of rarities and local tunes, and nobody would miss a surprise they hadn’t expected in the first place. Everything would be fine. And it would’ve been if that was all that had gone wrong…

Power Struggle

It was time for the presentations, so I made a brief introduction and then handed the host my nice Shure wireless mic. I also gave one to the first celebrity to speak. Upon introducing the first celebrity, the host then decided to flick the mic’s “off” button instead of the “mute” button, causing a blast of ear-wax-melting white noise to erupt from the speakers! Of course, everyone looked at you-know-who. (Note to self: Radio guys aren’t any more equipment savvy than a typical best man.)

One fact of shipboard life that nobody ever tells you about is that the electrical power on a boat or ship is not exactly the same as what us landlubbers are used to. It sometimes cuts out or flickers, if only for a split-second. And, of course, it was just enough to reset my CD players. So at one moment a song was playing and everyone was singing along with it, and then-POOF! Dead silence. The entire room full radio vets, celebrities and guests were once again gaping at yours truly. Restarting the song, I’d say something like, “We’ll just consider this the extended version!”

Sigh. I’m sure that these celebrities thought I’d simply caved under the pressure, yet I’d worked with many big names over the years and that simply isn’t an issue for me. Yet that bunch will never know it. I gave away one business card that night…to a guy passing by my home while we were UNLOADING my gear. It would’ve been a complete, classic “sometimes it’s better to just stay home” moment if the rest of the party hadn’t gone well, but everyone seemed to have a good time for the rest of the cruise.

Lessons Learned

Thinking back over the whole affair, I realized that even after more than 25 years in the business, there were still some things I could’ve done to prevent or minimize some of that night’s gremlins. Going in, I had never felt so prepared for an event in my life, yet my preparations had all centered on the content of my show and not the technical angle. While the weather, power and other issues weren’t any fault of mine, I had violated a standing personal rule by relying on information supplied by the venue (in this case, the ship’s electrical guy), something I never do otherwise. (Another note to self: venue staff members on ships aren’t any more reliable than staff anywhere else!) A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) unit will also be standard equipment when I play on ships from now on.

Next, no matter how credentialed or professional the people you are working with might be, never EVER skip the technical reminders. (In this case, telling the radio guys to NOT turn-off the wireless mics!) Even pros can stand a reminder every now and then, and I’d rather risk seeing a miffed celebrity than a whole roomful of annoyed guests. Lastly, I’ve rid myself of all vestiges of CDs! Any last-minute songs are dropped onto a flash drive, so there are no delicate discs to damage. Thanks to this less-than-stellar event, this DJ and his equipment are much more sea worthy!

Until next time, safe spinnin’!

A mobile DJ since 1979, Stu Chisholm has also been a nightclub DJ in suburban Detroit. He has also done some radio, commercial voice-over work and has even worked a roller skating rink! Stu attended the famous Specs Howard School of Broadcasting and has been a music collector since the age of seven.

Learn to illuminate the big picture

We have all heard the statement “change is imminent.” For the mobile DJ this has become out industry reality. As we adapt consistently to every changing technology, we must, first and foremost, stay focused on what our clients want.

That’s what they depend on us for.

Of course what they depend on us for is sound, music and personality but what actually has the most intangible value is…creativity! An example of this is our ability to create and transform a dance floor and entire ballrooms with ideas. And this is especially true with lighting.

Atmosphere Around the (Cutting) Edge

Mobile DJs usually focus all of their attention-and lights-on the dance floor. This is definitely important, but we have a great opportunity to serve our clients better (and grow our business at the same time) by extending our creativity beyond the boundaries of the hardwood.

What I’m referring to is décor lighting, not in place of our dance lights but together with it, in a combination that provides a complete visual experience for party guests. Think about it: Especially for those of us that do corporate events, we would do well to keep in mind that the largest percentage of the budget for large corporate events is décor.

Remember also that a client may tell you that they only have so many dollars budgeted for entertainment, but keep in mind, they also have a budget for décor.

Décor Lighting: A Practical Example

The accompanying photo shows an event our company did earlier this year. It took place at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles in that facility’s Crystal Ballroom. It was an upscale 21st birthday celebration for a young man named Mark.

Here is what we used to create the rich atmosphere of color, reaching to all corners of the room:

1. 50 LED décor lights for up-lighting drapery
2. 2 Star Maze laser effects on drapes
3. 4 Martin MAC-250s (stage + dance)
4. 4 High End Technobeams (stage + dance)
5. 4 American DJ Mighty Scans (stage + dance)
6. 25 LED lights to up-light Lucite tables
7. 6 LED lights to down-light ice fruit displays
8. 4 LED lights to light martini bar
9. 1 Laptop with Martin Light Jockey software
10. 1 DMX cable complement
11. 1 DMX LED controller
12. 1 Wireless LED controller (back-up)

It is very important to remember that when you’re selling décor lighting that you’re really selling vision and ideas. Usually the client is less interested in how many lights you will be using and more interested in how their event is going to look and feel.

I understand that every event is different and not all are as large as Mark’s 21st birthday party. What I hope you take away from this article is the need to stop and ask yourself how you can improve your overall lighting inventory-beyond the obvious dance floor fixtures-so that you can service your clients even better and grow your business at the same time.

Your clients need lighting, and they’re going to get it from someone…it might as well be from you!

Power Tips for Décor Production

• Do a site inspection of the venue to confirm that there is adequate power
• Find out if there will be a cost incurred by the client for any additional power. You don’t want ANY surprises in this area!
• Make sure to use LED lights. LED lighting has made atmospheric lighting much easier to set up and offers a whole new spectrum of color control. Another key selling point is the savings in power-and, in turn, money-that low-power LED fixtures provide.
Jorge Lopez is the CEO of Invisible Touch and J&M Entertainment. Since its founding in 1979, Jorge has built J&M from a part-time mobile DJ business into a full-fledged, continually growing multimedia service provider for events of all kinds.

Blogs have become an unavoidable part of New Media. A blog is simply an online journal or diary, maintained by you, an individual or business owner. A blog is a self-service website, if you will, that enables you to write articles, post pictures, and field comments and responses, all in a variety of easy software scenarios.

“How can blogging be the key to wedding marketing success?” you might ask. Blogs are a search-engine-friendly, complementary piece to your existing website. Moreover, blogs address one major weakness of most websites. Most businesses don’t update their websites nearly often enough, which hurts them in search engine rankings.

Software Survey

There are three major blogging software platforms, and they all live on the Internet, not on your computer. They are: WordPress, Blogger, and TypePad. WordPress is free, open-source software. Blogger is free, owned by Google. TypePad has a free version, but except for the most basic features, is paid by subscription.

Blogger is the easiest to get started with. TypePad is nicely self-contained. However, the overall best software is WordPress. All three products are accessed from any computer (with an Internet connection) with a web browser. You can access and update your blog from your office, an Internet café in Paris…anywhere.

One of the key benefits of WordPress is being able to set it up in a file on your website. (For example, check out www.weddingpolice.com/blog.) Having the blog work within your website is helpful, because all the activity that your blog attracts, counts as traffic to your website. That adds up to better search engine ranking in Google and other search engine services.

What to Write?

Realize that blogs are frequented by prospects, peers, customers, industry contacts, and the media. Simply put, you should write for your primary audience. What would interest them?

Resist the temptation to make blog posts an infomercial. You will never gain a loyal audience that way. The balance should be roughly 75% informational and 25% promotional. Angles that will entertain and interest a reader often focus on another person or industry business.

For instance, write about the great photographer you worked with last weekend; how he staged certain shots you’d never seen before, and how easy he was to work with. Don’t forget to throw in a link to his website. And then, email him about the free publicity you’ve sent his way. He’ll probably set up a reciprocal link.

One of better mobile DJ blogs is authored by Jodi Harris, of Sight & Sound Events, in Las Vegas (http://sightnsoundevents.typepad.com/my_weblog/) Jodi’s blog content has evolved over time to share interesting information without being too self-promotional. The most successful feature is a monthly profile of a selected venue in Las Vegas. By showcasing places that Sight & Sound enjoys working with, Jodi provides good information to people planning their events, and gets a great reaction from her venue contacts. This is relationship-building magic.

Building Up to the Blog

From a technical standpoint, learning to blog is easy. The real challenge is writing on a consistent basis. Just once or twice weekly is fine. Don’t over promise. You can even write several posts on one day, and schedule them to become “public” on different days in the future. Using this feature allows you to keep your blog working while you’re on the beach, or just plain busy.

Before you start your blog, read lots of blogs, over a period of time. Not just mobile DJ industry blogs, but wedding industry, entertainment, marketing, and small business blogs. Read blogs about your favorite hobby. This will give you broad exposure to the world of blogs and will help you as you develop your own blogging style.

At first, develop your blog quietly. Work out the kinks over a couple of months. Then, you’ll be ready to “launch” and promote it, and reap the benefits.

More information and resources for blogging can be found at www.mobilebeat.com/wmblog/

Andy Ebon operates EBS Virtual Communications, a Las Vegas-based sales/marketing strategy and website development company. Now in its second decade, EBS has provided Internet and other electronic marketing solutions for companies in areassuch as: Associations, Hospitality, Entertainment, Weddings and General Business. In 2007 Andy refocused EBS primarily on selling to the bride and groom with his launch of The Wedding Marketing Network (www.WeddingMarketing.net), which includes The Wedding Marketing Blog (www.WeddingMarketing.biz). He is a sought-after seminar speaker, and recently returned to the podium at the Mobile Beat Chicagoland show, after being a keynote speaker at the very first Mobile Beat show, back in 1997.

Some companies even go so far as to refer to their marketing function as “the advertising department.” Others say, “Our ad agency handles our marketing.” The dictionary cross-references advertising and promotion to the extent that a casual reader would conclude that they are the same thing. However, for our purposes here, let’s use the following definition:

Promotion is the process of delivering controlled messages about you and your products to your target customers, audience, and other stakeholders. Stakeholders may include your staff, vendors, community, financial investors or creditors, or the general public.

A Word About Branding

Just like marketing, advertising, and promotion, we hear the word “branding” used in a variety of business contexts. So what is branding anyway?

Branding is the creation of indelible images of you and your products in the minds of your target customers, audience, and stakeholders.

Your brand is a set of symbols-both visual and verbal-that creates a positive connection between you and your target audience. Your brand is the symbol of what you do and what you stand for. As such, promotion is a set of tools for building your brand.

Let’s look at some examples from the music world to illustrate this point. While music fans are unlikely to say “I really like the Rolling Stones’ big lips brand symbol” in casual conversation, they are likely to recognize that brand when they see it and think of what it stands for-the mark of the “World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band.”

Think of single-name artists and the images that come to mind: Beyonce’, Usher, Prince, Madonna, Sting, Cher, Ludacris, Rihanna. How about band names like Metallica, U2, the Eagles, OutKast, Coldplay, and so many others?

Likewise with jazz fans. All you have to do is say “Duke” or “Louis” or “Miles” or “Bird” or “Wynton” in a jazz context and an image comes to mind. Or how about country music? Hank, Willie, Garth, Reba, Loretta…the list goes on. We could do the same for virtually every genre of music. The name, logo, and other images remind fans and music business people of something special (hopefully something good) about the artist and their music.

Here’s the business point: Those artists sent controlled messages to their target customers, audience, and stakeholders consistently and over a long enough period of time to have become “brands.” You do the same thing in your mobile entertainment business as you build your brand.

Three Key Questions Regarding Your Promotional Strategy

As you review the many promotional options available, you may wonder what combination of tools is best for you. While the sheer number of promotional opportunities can be overwhelming or confusing, take comfort in knowing that you have control over your specific situation. Here are three key questions to ask yourself as you plan the promotional link in the marketing chain:

1. Do I need everything? The list of promotional tools includes advertising, publicity, trade shows, sales literature, showcase performances, demo DVDs, websites, newsletters, wearables, identity items and direct marketing. Do I have to use all of them? The answer is “probably not,” at least not all at once.

2. How much does it all cost? What can I afford? The range of promotional expense budgets for most mobile entertainment businesses is 1%-10% of total revenue. Some businesses spend more, some less. If you are spending less than 1% of your total revenue on promotion, you are probably not promoting enough. If you are spending more than 10%, you are either spending too much or your promotion is not working effectively to drive revenue up.

3. Who’s going to do the promotional work? What if I’m not good at writing marketing copy, doing graphic design, or creating promotional strategies? This is a big question, and points to the value of building a team that includes people with promotional expertise. That team can be made up of employees, freelancers, marketing service companies like ad agencies or publicists, or a combination of all three. The point is that someone needs to do the work, and if it is not you, then find someone who you can pay to do better work than what you would have done yourself.

Here’s the Point…

I hear some mobile entertainers say “I get my gigs through word-of-mouth. I do great shows and know how to please the crowd. I’m working as much as I want to by referrals.” Does that sound familiar? If yes, you are fortunate (lucky?). These days it takes a whole lot more to compete for clients’ attention.

Promotion is essential to long-term success in the mobile entertainment business. You need to promote and build your brand in order to get the attention of your target customers and keep that attention focused on you rather than your competitors. While this is a huge challenge, it is manageable if you approach it in a systematic way.

Note that I did not specify a dollar amount for your promotion budget, but rather a percentage of planned revenue. It is much better to back into the promotion budget after planning revenue than it is to first commit to all the promotional things you’d like to do, and then figure out how to pay for them.

Many mobile entertainers get burned by spending too much on the wrong things during the early stages of building their businesses. After getting a sour taste of the world of promotion, they go too far the other way and don’t use the available tools effectively. Still have a few boxes of fancy pens with your old phone number on them? How about too many size “small” logo t-shirts in the wrong color? You get the idea. You can prevent that problem.

Next issue we’ll pick up here and talk about the top ten promotional tools and branding tips in more detail. In the meantime, best wishes for success in mobile entertainment!
John Stiernberg is founder and principal consultant with Stiernberg Consulting, the Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles) CA-based business development firm (www.stiernberg.com). John has over 25 years experience in the music and entertainment technology field. He currently works with audio and music companies and others on strategic planning and market development. His book Succeeding In Music: Business Chops for Performers and Songwriters is published by Hal Leonard Books. Contact John via e-mail at john@stiernberg.com.

Musical Migration

According to Toni Roberts, a representative from Chartbuster Karaoke, there are many changes going on in the karaoke industry. With record sales of karaoke players for home use, the bulk CD+G purchases has clearly shifted from KJs to the end user at home. People are staying home and hosting their own parties rather than going to bars.

With fewer people going out to sing, bar owners have resorted to alternative entertainment such as Bar Bingo, Texas Hold ‘Em, and video game competitions with games such as Rock Band, Dance, Dance Revolution, and Guitar Hero. Some have gone back to having a live band or DJ, while some have added an “internet jukebox” rather than pay for outside entertainment.

Chartbuster has recognized the shift and is preparing for the future. They are doing away with the 15-song instrumental Pop and Country Hits format and going to a 10+10 multiplex format. They are also releasing a One-Hit Wonders pack soon, and have completely upgraded their studios for the digital age.

Show Me Your License

There have been fewer cd+gs produced lately because of copyright and licensing issues. According to Chris Emrie of Sound Choice, the old policy was “Record Now, License Later.” However, that caused problems. Now manufacturers must apply for a license to record before the recording takes place. It could take up to 120 days or longer for approval from the record labels, which delays releases of CD+Gs. Sony has sued a number of manufacturers for copyright infringements, causing a few karaoke labels to shut their doors for good. In the end, there may only be four or five karaoke labels to choose from.

Assault on Sales

Even with the rise in popularity of home-based karaoke, according to ProSing, Sound Choice, Chartbuster, and Ace Karaoke, sales of CD+Gs are down drastically from a few years ago. They all stated that illegal file sharing, bootlegging, illegally copied hard drives being sold on eBay, and pirated discs, along with the state of the economy, have all hurt the sales of karaoke CD+Gs. Their legal teams are shutting down illegal websites daily, but as soon as one is shut down, another pops up. Until these sites are shut down for good, sales will continue to drop.

“With the decline in sales, it means less revenue for the manufacturers. With sluggish sales, it makes it hard to justify the cost of producing a CD+G, even with the proper licensing”, laments Emrie. But, he says Sound Choice is here to stay and is preparing for changes just like other manufacturers.

Karaoke Roller Coaster

I spoke with various DJs and KJs as I was gathering information to write this article. Some stated that karaoke has completely died out in their neck of the woods, while others reported that karaoke is as strong as ever. Some noted a shift from performing in bars to just offering karaoke at private events. Some KJs are still using CD+Gs, while some have gone completely digital. Some also observed that karaoke is more popular during the warmer months rather than the colder ones.

There will still be many changes in store for karaoke in the future; but I also feel that karaoke is here to stay. For those of us that offer it, we just need to hang on through the ups and downs-just like on your favorite roller coaster ride!

Ron Ralph is the owner and operator of A DJ To Go in Pensacola, with well over 15 years of experience as a mobile entertainer. He has performed at over 2,400 events. Ron served for 11 years in the US Army and also holds a BA in Elementary Education. Karaoke is a major component of his entertainment business.

Back in 2005, one of the more guilty pleasures in my home was Rockstar: INXS. INXS had been one of my favorite bands of the ‘80s and early ‘90s, and I found their search for a new lead singer irresistible, unlike most so-called “reality” shows. (I also managed to pick out the guy who would eventually win during the first episode, as my wife will attest!) It was my very first taste of recreational voting.

OK…and this applies to DJ work how?

Critical Thinking

A large chunk of my friends are also DJs. I’ve also got to think that this is true of a lot of this magazine’s readers. When I was first cutting my DJ chops, one colleague, who also was a music critic with a local newspaper, used to frequent the bar parties my partner and I used to throw. These were themed events; “Kickin’ Country,” “Motown Madness,” “Ladies’ Night” (all female artists) and so on. I began to notice a pattern to my friend’s dancing; he’d run up with his date for some songs, but would occasionally stalk off, looking at me as if I’d insulted his mother for others. It didn’t matter if the song I’d followed his favorite with had a perfectly matched BPM, or had been from the same label or era. He was literally voting his tastes with his feet. This certainly wasn’t unique to my colleague, but he was much more obvious about it, and after the gig would expand on his opinions. This was a form of in-depth feedback we don’t normally get from our patrons or clients.

View from the Booth

From that point on, I began to pay attention to my dancer’s “votes.” To spot trends, I began keeping a program log, listing each song I played and the response it got, using a one to five scale. I also spotted huge differences between the responses I’d get at a typical wedding reception and the responses of my club patrons during the week. There was another parallel to politics: Wedding guests tended to be more conservative, preferring the tried-and-true, well-established music, whereas my club patrons were musically liberal, dancing to the hottest, trendiest tunes, tolerating the occasional old chestnut only if mixed into the set skillfully. In both cases, votes were being cast, measured by bodies moving on the dance floor.

Voting Blocks

Some club DJs have been able to report their “votes” to official publications, such as Billboard or the now-defunct DMA (Dance Music Authority). Most mobiles have depended on the Billboard, R&R or Gavin music charts, which were the result of votes in the form of record sales or calls to radio station request lines. They were, and are, more honest than the typical reality show vote, since there are no organized groups mobilizing to manipulate the result as has been the case for some reality TV shows. Votes from the charts and dance floor remain part and parcel of following trends and “reading the crowd.”

And the Candidate Is…You!

For mobile DJs, voting doesn’t just pertain to the music. In fact, there are several votes taking place daily that directly relate to your business. For instance, do you check your daily, weekly and monthly stats on your website? Do you compare those stats to the number of emails or phone calls received? Each one of those represents a vote of sorts: The client found your site among the teeming millions in cyberspace, and then voted with their inquiry. This is the equivalent of the primary, and you are now among their candidates for the job!

Assuming they’ve also contacted other DJs, the next vote will be based on how well you respond to their requests for information, as well as the quality of what you provide. This is the DJ’s equivalent to the stump speech. Again, your clients will compare and contrast what you presented as well as how you’ve presented it. To carry this analogy even a bit further, many political news pundits pointed out that the core issues candidates Obama and Clinton discussed were so similar that they had a hard time differentiating themselves from each other. A mobile DJ might have a similar problem, especially considering how many of us “borrow” ideas from one another. A client might not see any major difference between their two (or more) candidates. Just as in politics, the winner may be decided based upon other factors, such as personality or professionalism. Or they simply might like you more than the next DJ.

Like professional pollsters, if you want to maximize the value of your voter information, you need to know more than just how many you’ve won. You must understand the thinking behind them. That means asking your clients for direct feedback. Most DJs have some sort of a follow-up survey, sent out after the gig, that they use to both improve their performance and use as a marketing tool. But what about the front-end vote? Have you ever asked a client WHY they selected you over another DJ service? If not, James Carville is crying! People whose job it is to get candidates elected take every opportunity to stick their proverbial finger in the wind and gather as much data as possible.

Waging the Campaign

In a very real sense, mobile DJs campaign every day. To be successful, we must learn from our losses. If you look back on the careers of most politicians, you’ll quickly note that they lost many campaigns and votes. Their eventual success wasn’t achieved by luck, but by noting what went wrong previously. A smart DJ will do the same. Ask your clients why they hired you. Even more importantly, ask those prospects who didn’t hire you exactly what it was that lost you the sale. It might bruise the ego a bit, but it could alert you to a problem with your presentation or marketing that you would never know you had, leading to more success down the road.

So rock the vote and watch your business and performances rock like never before!

Stu Chisholm, a mobile DJ since 1979, has also been a nightclub DJ in suburban Detroit, done some radio and commercial voice-over work, and has even worked a roller skating rink! Stu attended the famous Specs Howard School of Broadcasting and has been a music collector since the age of seven.

Many of you who have been on cruise ships have experienced the floating nightclub with a DJ. And said DJ probably had limited musical knowledge and performing ability and more than likely performed the same show night after night-leaving you starving for more.

Be Our Guest

Princess Cruises, an innovator in luxury cruises, is once again pioneering onboard entertainment with their unique Guest Entertainer program. In this program, experienced disc jockeys can perform not as a member of the crew, but technically, as a guest. Unlike crew, guest entertainers can interact and socialize with guests both while their working and when their not. Guest Entertainers can also enjoy the exquisite dining facilities, spa facilities, and experience excursions just as a guest would. On the flipside, a Guest Entertainer also gets to use crew facilities such as the crew bar and receive crew discounts on the ship. The purpose of this groundbreaking program is to increase the quality of entertainment available both in the ship’s nightclub(s) and for other onboard activities.

But why mobile DJs? For one, mobiles are used to performing to diverse audiences, which is what a cruise ship is. Being well-versed in every type of music and having good mixing skills are part of the Guest Entertainer job description. Crowd interaction is also a major reason why Princess is leaning toward mobile jocks, because for an average event we are not only taking requests, but giving announcements, reading the crowd, and making conversation with guests. We also know a good bit about their equipment, which could come in handy in the middle of the ocean.

The Voyage Begins

On a bleak Midwestern day, I took off for the sunny shores of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where my ship, the Caribbean Princess, awaited. After clearing security (which is much tighter than at an airport), I went through orientation and was shown to my accommodations. In my room I prepared for what was soon to be one of the best gigs of my life. Here now, I present to you the top ten reasons for joining the Guest Entertainer Program for Princess Cruises:

#10. The Weather

On the dates of my cruise, Des Moines, Iowa (Mobile Beat HQ) was under what might be termed a “Seattle Month.” It was cold, wet and dreary; people were generally depressed. That all changed when I touched down in sunny South Florida and took in the view from the deck. Not only was I no longer moody due to sunlight depletion, I was excited to be doing what I love to do for a whole new audience. Throughout my trip, the weather was great and a nice change. Those jocks from California may be interested in an Alaska cruise, but I was right at home sailing the high Caribbean.

#9. Onboard Events

As those of you who are cruise fans know, there is much to do onboard a ship as big and beautiful as the Caribbean Princess. Aside from general cruisers, special groups may be onboard for weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. If called upon, Guest Entertainers may perform at weddings and other parties during the day. Talk about an interesting wedding reception!

#8. Entertaining Vacationers

Most of us have dealt with people stressed-out from planning important events in their lives. On a cruise, there is one main objective: to have as much fun as possible. It is an entirely different groove and feels great to be helping people have the best vacation possible. People are relaxed, drinks are flowing, you’re relaxed; the sun is shining (or you’re under a beautiful moonlight glow) and all the worries of normal life are wafted away with the breeze.

#7. Accommodations

Princess takes good care of its crews. The cruise line handles standard airfare to and from the port as well as transportation, in most cases, to and from the airport. Once on the ship, you will be pleasantly surprised at the room and board provided. (Normally GEs enjoy passenger cabins.) Sometimes, as in my case, Guest Entertainers stay in a crew cabin; mine was as comfortable and clean as any passenger berth.

As a guest entertainer, you also have the privilege of using both guest and crew recreation facilities. In the guest areas you can enjoy virtual golf, a full fitness center and spa, movies under the stars, shopping, lounge entertainment and Broadway-style shows. The crew enjoys a crew-only lounge and bar, crew store, and special crew parties.

#6. Poolside Parties

Kenny Chesney once sang, “Now I know how Jimmy Buffett feels,” and that was entirely my attitude when soaking up rays on the ship’s deck. The beautiful scenery everywhere, combined with buffets and a refreshing pool make the poolside party atmosphere hard to beat. As part of your duties as a GE, you may be asked to perform at these events.

#5. The Food

Studies have actually shown that a major reason people go on cruises is the outstanding cuisine. From the formal dining rooms to the 24-hour buffet to the onboard steak house, there are a lot of great options for nourishment. As a GE, you can dine in whatever facility you choose, with whomever you would like, which makes the experience all the better.

#4. Vacationing While You Entertain

Sailing and entertaining aboard a cruise ship is a great way to spend your “dead” time as a mobile DJ. All of the distractions from daily life are gone; you are making great cash; and almost all of you everyday living expenses are suspended. If your true passion is DJing, doing it while on you’re vacation should re-energize you for life in general.

#3. Port Excursions

I have always wanted to travel and do things beyond the normal grind, as well as see things that I may never have the chance to see again. As a Guest Entertainer, you have the opportunity to go on excursions with guests when arranged in advance. You can swim with stingrays, see the Turk Islands on a motorcycle, or snorkel on a coral reef. Also, the shopping in a lot of ports is diverse and often cheaper than anything you will find around home.

#2. Free Travel

As mobile DJs we may think we “travel” a lot, but as a GE you wake up either at sea or in a different port every morning, in some of the world’s most exotic locales. Besides the airfare to get you there and the excursions to keep you entertained, Princess also covers your meals-which essentially means you’re traveling for free. Actually, it’s better than free, because you receive a healthy paycheck for a job well done and little or no heavy lifting!

#1. Rocking the Boat All Night Long

Not only are you entertaining people on vacation, you are the official party director in he most exclusive onboard nightclub, in my case, the Skywalker Lounge. The lounges on Princess are unique, as they are on the extreme aft (rear) part of the boat. Featuring nearly 270 degrees of viewing, the lounge has a panoramic atmosphere that cannot be summed up in this limited space. Rocking the crowd at a hundred feet above the sea while sailing under the stars is a unique experience that must be lived to be appreciated. I certainly won’t forget it for as long as I live.

There you have it-my top ten reasons to sail with Princess Cruises as a part of their groundbreaking Guest Entertainer Program. It was a shipful of fun. As I told my guests, see you next time, off the coast of somewhere beautiful!

Many of you who have been on cruise ships have experienced the floating nightclub with a DJ. And said DJ probably had limited musical knowledge and performing ability and more than likely performed the same show night after night-leaving you starving for more.

Be Our Guest

Princess Cruises, an innovator in luxury cruises, is once again pioneering onboard entertainment with their unique Guest Entertainer program. In this program, experienced disc jockeys can perform not as a member of the crew, but technically, as a guest. Unlike crew, guest entertainers can interact and socialize with guests both while their working and when their not. Guest Entertainers can also enjoy the exquisite dining facilities, spa facilities, and experience excursions just as a guest would. On the flipside, a Guest Entertainer also gets to use crew facilities such as the crew bar and receive crew discounts on the ship. The purpose of this groundbreaking program is to increase the quality of entertainment available both in the ship’s nightclub(s) and for other onboard activities.

But why mobile DJs? For one, mobiles are used to performing to diverse audiences, which is what a cruise ship is. Being well-versed in every type of music and having good mixing skills are part of the Guest Entertainer job description. Crowd interaction is also a major reason why Princess is leaning toward mobile jocks, because for an average event we are not only taking requests, but giving announcements, reading the crowd, and making conversation with guests. We also know a good bit about their equipment, which could come in handy in the middle of the ocean.

The Voyage Begins

On a bleak Midwestern day, I took off for the sunny shores of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where my ship, the Caribbean Princess, awaited. After clearing security (which is much tighter than at an airport), I went through orientation and was shown to my accommodations. In my room I prepared for what was soon to be one of the best gigs of my life. Here now, I present to you the top ten reasons for joining the Guest Entertainer Program for Princess Cruises:

#10. The Weather

On the dates of my cruise, Des Moines, Iowa (Mobile Beat HQ) was under what might be termed a “Seattle Month.” It was cold, wet and dreary; people were generally depressed. That all changed when I touched down in sunny South Florida and took in the view from the deck. Not only was I no longer moody due to sunlight depletion, I was excited to be doing what I love to do for a whole new audience. Throughout my trip, the weather was great and a nice change. Those jocks from California may be interested in an Alaska cruise, but I was right at home sailing the high Caribbean.

#9. Onboard Events

As those of you who are cruise fans know, there is much to do onboard a ship as big and beautiful as the Caribbean Princess. Aside from general cruisers, special groups may be onboard for weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. If called upon, Guest Entertainers may perform at weddings and other parties during the day. Talk about an interesting wedding reception!

#8. Entertaining Vacationers

Most of us have dealt with people stressed-out from planning important events in their lives. On a cruise, there is one main objective: to have as much fun as possible. It is an entirely different groove and feels great to be helping people have the best vacation possible. People are relaxed, drinks are flowing, you’re relaxed; the sun is shining (or you’re under a beautiful moonlight glow) and all the worries of normal life are wafted away with the breeze.

#7. Accommodations

Princess takes good care of its crews. The cruise line handles standard airfare to and from the port as well as transportation, in most cases, to and from the airport. Once on the ship, you will be pleasantly surprised at the room and board provided. (Normally GEs enjoy passenger cabins.) Sometimes, as in my case, Guest Entertainers stay in a crew cabin; mine was as comfortable and clean as any passenger berth.

As a guest entertainer, you also have the privilege of using both guest and crew recreation facilities. In the guest areas you can enjoy virtual golf, a full fitness center and spa, movies under the stars, shopping, lounge entertainment and Broadway-style shows. The crew enjoys a crew-only lounge and bar, crew store, and special crew parties.

#6. Poolside Parties

Kenny Chesney once sang, “Now I know how Jimmy Buffett feels,” and that was entirely my attitude when soaking up rays on the ship’s deck. The beautiful scenery everywhere, combined with buffets and a refreshing pool make the poolside party atmosphere hard to beat. As part of your duties as a GE, you may be asked to perform at these events.

#5. The Food

Studies have actually shown that a major reason people go on cruises is the outstanding cuisine. From the formal dining rooms to the 24-hour buffet to the onboard steak house, there are a lot of great options for nourishment. As a GE, you can dine in whatever facility you choose, with whomever you would like, which makes the experience all the better.

#4. Vacationing While You Entertain

Sailing and entertaining aboard a cruise ship is a great way to spend your “dead” time as a mobile DJ. All of the distractions from daily life are gone; you are making great cash; and almost all of you everyday living expenses are suspended. If your true passion is DJing, doing it while on you’re vacation should re-energize you for life in general.

#3. Port Excursions

I have always wanted to travel and do things beyond the normal grind, as well as see things that I may never have the chance to see again. As a Guest Entertainer, you have the opportunity to go on excursions with guests when arranged in advance. You can swim with stingrays, see the Turk Islands on a motorcycle, or snorkel on a coral reef. Also, the shopping in a lot of ports is diverse and often cheaper than anything you will find around home.

#2. Free Travel

As mobile DJs we may think we “travel” a lot, but as a GE you wake up either at sea or in a different port every morning, in some of the world’s most exotic locales. Besides the airfare to get you there and the excursions to keep you entertained, Princess also covers your meals-which essentially means you’re traveling for free. Actually, it’s better than free, because you receive a healthy paycheck for a job well done and little or no heavy lifting!

#1. Rocking the Boat All Night Long

Not only are you entertaining people on vacation, you are the official party director in he most exclusive onboard nightclub, in my case, the Skywalker Lounge. The lounges on Princess are unique, as they are on the extreme aft (rear) part of the boat. Featuring nearly 270 degrees of viewing, the lounge has a panoramic atmosphere that cannot be summed up in this limited space. Rocking the crowd at a hundred feet above the sea while sailing under the stars is a unique experience that must be lived to be appreciated. I certainly won’t forget it for as long as I live.

There you have it-my top ten reasons to sail with Princess Cruises as a part of their groundbreaking Guest Entertainer Program. It was a shipful of fun. As I told my guests, see you next time, off the coast of somewhere beautiful!