Shakeout, Rattle, and Roll – By John Stiernberg

BUSINESS CHOPS™

Shakeout, Rattle, and Roll

By John Stiernberg

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’: HOW TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

Change is in the air for mobile entertainers. Clients are demanding more and wanting to pay less. Vendors (like gear manufacturers) are changing distribution policies and dealer affiliations. The DIY threat (aka the “iPod wedding”) looms large. Some of your competitors have gone out of business; others are stronger than ever. Where is it all headed? What impact will it have on your business? Are there opportunities amidst the challenges? This article takes a look at industry shakeout trends and suggests three action tips for success.

INDUSTRY LIFE CYCLE: IS IT TIME FOR A SHAKEOUT?

Most industries—including mobile entertainment—have long-term growth cycles followed by softening or decline. For example, real estate enjoyed big growth from 2002 to 2007 but has been in a down cycle since 2008. Of course there are regional variations. We’re talking big picture to make a point.

The business swings in mobile entertainment are not as dramatic as those in the automotive or fashion industry. That’s because of what I call the “Entertainment Factor.” When times are good, people use entertainment to celebrate. When times are bad, people use entertainment to escape and deal with their troubles. There are still plenty of weddings, proms, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate events, and community gatherings that need entertainment and related services.

So why talk about a mobile entertainment industry shakeout? Let’s define it. According to Barron’s Dictionary of Business Terms, a shakeout is a “change in market conditions that results in the elimination of the weaker or marginally financed participants in an industry.” Hmmm…did any of your competitors go out of business in the past year? Did they come to you and offer to sell you their gear, go on your payroll, or sell their company outright? Yes, a shakeout is happening, and that’s a good thing.

WHY MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES FADE AWAY

Many DJs report that their business is better than ever. They tend to be the stronger, better-managed companies, whether single operators or multi-ops with a lot of rigs. What’s happening with the others? Here are three common scenarios.

1. Can’t afford to continue. Some don’t have enough gigs and can’t make a living and pay their bills. They may need to consider merging with or selling to another DJ or entertainment firm, or just go out of business.
2. Lost interest. Gigs or not, some mobile entertainers get distracted by day jobs, family, and other interests. They may be full-time or part-time. In any case, someone else is going to pick up the slack with clients.
3. Ready to move on. Many successful DJs are nearing retirement age and looking ahead to the next phase of their lives. Their businesses may be strong, and worth selling to an employee or competitor.

HOW TO “RATTLE AND ROLL”

Amidst all the change in the industry, you can plan to do more than just survive. There is plenty of work out there and it looks like the consumer economy has (at least) stopped getting worse. That spells opportunity—time to rattle the competition and roll with the coming “up cycle.” Here are three suggestions.

• Action Tip 1. Analyze your own situation. Are you a survivor, or is it time to do something different? How do you feel about the risks involved? Are you properly financed? Get feedback from close advisors and family to help you view the situation objectively.

• Action Tip 2. Analyze your competitors and their situations. Who’s getting the work and why? Are there competitors who meet one of the shakeout scenarios described above? Are they approachable about a possible merger or acquisition?

• Action Tip 3: Update your business plan. Look back on your mission, vision, values, and brand positioning statement. How do they square with what is happening in your market today? How do your bookings for the rest of the year line up with your financial objectives? Remember, whether you are buying, selling, merging, or just keeping the status quo, you need to have a plan and work it.

HERE’S THE POINT…

Industry shakeouts are the natural and healthy results of changes in the marketplace. The mobile entertainment industry is changing now and will continue to change. Will you be one of the winners? The critical difference is how you run your business, not the size of your music library or sound system. Remember that the sequence of the Action Tips is important: 1) analyze your own situation, 2) analyze the competition, and 3) update your business plan.

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.

A Visual Taste of the Mobile Beat Pioneer ProDJ Tour

Lessons Learned from the first leg of the Mobile Beat Seminar Tour

Dave & Buster’s hosting Mobile Beat Tour, Coast-to-Coast

Going to Mobile Beat Las Vegas? Make a plan!

Recently, I presented at, and attended, The Special Event Show 2009 in San Diego. In about 10 days, the Mobile Beat Show will be here, in Las Vegas. For Mobile Beat Las Vegas, I’ll be speaking at three sessions, and also once at a pre-show meeting. The challenge is to be everywhere, without having a clone.

To get the best result, you need to have a plan, AND allow for spontaneity.

Recognize that most conference have multiple components that have different dynamics.

• Keynote & General Sessions – Presentation to the entire conference.
• Seminars - Breakouts – Usually several, smaller, concurrent presentations with more specialized content.
• Tradeshow - Industry providers selling their products and services.
• Bookstore – Selling industry publications, books, CD’s, DVDs (often including presenters from the show).
• Meal functions – Sit down meals, often combined with a general session.
• Planned Social Events - Either on or off-premise, as part of the conference. Sometimes a separate fee is required.
• Sponsor Social Events - Often, a tradeshow participant will have their own hospitality suite or separately hosted party.

Do your advance work! Scrutinize the conference schedule and zero in on sessions that interest you. Research the speaker’s background and try to validate their expertise. Do not make session decisions on-the-fly. You increase your rate of disappointment.

Within the program or the conference roster (if offered) reconnect with people you know, or seek those would like to meet. If you’d like to spend time with a particular speaker or attendee, find their blog or website, and be in touch, in advance. If they use social networking, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, be in touch with them.

People on Twitter often have spontaneous ‘meet-ups’ at a conference, after a presentation, or just on the fly. Follow those people on Twitter and you’ll be informed,  instantly.

Plan ahead, be organized, leave free time, seek out knowledge and spontaneous opportunity.

Hope to see you at Mobile Beat Las Vegas, or another industry conference during the year.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

Hope, Optimism and Wedding Marketing

This evening, I will be presenting a seminar titled: Fast Track Your Marketing in the Current Economy.

Members and guests of Silicon Valley NACE will attend, looking for answers, and strategies for success, in what promises to be a most challenging year.

This morning, newly elected President, Barack Obama, set the tone for all Americans. That tone is filled with hope and optimism. He also has been doing his best to shape realistic expectations.

Renewed times of prosperity will not magically appear. They will re-emerge, based on the smart thinking and hard work of each one of us.

Hope and optimism are important. The grease-the-wheels of hard work.

But I ask you to think of this day, this year, this time, as you did when you started your business or began a new job. As difficult as things may be, bring back that same enthusiasm, vigor, and hustle to prosper once again.

Not just survive, but flourish. If each of us does that, how can we do anything but find renewed success.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Mobile DJ to Club DJ

So you have your gear all set up and your ready to play, this time for a Bride and Groom, next time a corporate retirement party.  You’ve got your music and lights and a plan.  The entire event rests on your shoulders because your a DJ, your the DJ.  Now what if your Bride and Groom or retiree was at a Club and just hanging out looking to dance and have fun; is this really any different than your weddings and parties?  Being a mobile DJ allows you the luxury of having crowds of strangers, all with the same goal, have a good time due to your ability.  Welcome to a mobile DJ that can easily work in a Club.

This blog is to open the eyes of mobile DJs to trying and ultimately working in Clubs.  With the new economic challenges that we must face in the mobile market, the Club world opens up as another source of revenue.  Yes the tough times will affect the Clubs, so having DJs who can read the crowd and deliver a great performance will be a huge asset to the owners.  The gigs that we do on a weekly basis require more preparing and time than any Club event, so we are already in a position to succeed in that environment.

I will be discussing the old and new music that gets played in the clubs.  The mix skills that will come into play, and the gear used.  All the various things needed to be a Club DJ coming from a mobile background.  We read the crowd and make the night fun through our track selection; that’s exactly what a Club DJ does.  I will also be interviewing club DJs who have done mobile gigs and asking what differences they have seen and encountered.  I want you to be open to making more money based on your talent and love of being a mobile DJ; it is that simple.

djjay

Investing 30 hours of time in 2 hours of networking

Thirty hours of time, for two hours of networking probably seems out of proportion to the untrained eye. Not to my eyes.

It’s Tuesday, and I’m driving to the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica, CA to attend the second of two launch parties in Southern California, hosted by WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association). Monday’s event was at the Sheraton, San Diego.

If you haven’t heard about WIPA, you should read my post from last week.

Here’s the thing. The main focus of my business is weddings. Wedding marketing, precisely. The notion of a true nationwide association is important to the industry, and important to my business.

For me, joining is a no-brainer. Sending in a check is easy. I want to kick the tires. Meet the leaders. Feel the tone of the organization. Hear where it’s headed.

In the world of Amazon.com and YouTube, there is nothing quite like shaking hands, looking people in the eye, and listening to what they say. I feel strongly about that, so I’ll be driving to Santa Monica, attending the gathering, and hanging out, afterward.

Driving back to Las Vegas, Wednesday, is important, too. Because Wednesday night will be the Awards and Board Installation for the Las Vegas Chapter of NACE. If one were to attend only one NACE meeting, the entire year, this would be the one.

Online social networking has its place. Being face-to-face is even more important. And I’m in this industry for the long haul. What about you?

I’ll report to you about WIPA, in the next couple of days.

Stay tuned!

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

WIPA First Non-Profit Trade Association Launched for US Wedding Industry

There are many wedding organizations offering networking meetings, conferences, education, networking, and/or certification throughout the United States: ACPWC, AFWPI, June Wedding, Inc., Weddings Beautiful, and ABC to name just a handful.

While all these organizations serve their members, to varying degrees, none of them are actually a non-profit trade association (also known as a Business League).

What’s the difference you ask? A non-profit trade association, such as ISES or NACE, and now, WIPA, is owned by its members. It is not operated by an individual or partnership who own the organization, in perpetuity.

The average member of any of organization, national or local, may not care whether the belong to a non-profit trade association; however, it is more than a technicality. It’s a way of doing business.

Further, there is dominant wedding association, nationally. There a variety of certifications, which have their own value, but there is not uniformity among them.

WIPA is the first national non-profit (501c6) trade association created specifically for providers of wedding products and services.

The purpose of WIPA is to educate the public about the value of employing qualified wedding specialists, to set and monitor performance standards for its members, and to provide members with opportunities to enhance their professional growth.

Pioneered by 36 leading authorities in the wedding business, WIPA was introduced to a select group of bridal specialists recently at The Vintage Estate in Napa Valley, California, on October 1st, and at the headquarters of Wildflower Linen in Southern California on October 7th.

WIPA’s Founding Sponsors and Members read like a Who’s Who list in the wedding industry – Auberge du Soleil, Denon & Doyle Entertainment, Good Gracious! Events, Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, Penton Media (publishers of Special Events magazine) The Carneros Inn, and many other premiere providers.

“We recognized the need for higher level education and professional development opportunities for those employed in the wedding industry,” explains WIPA’s first President, Joyce Scardina Becker, an international award-winning wedding planner and author.  “Our industry has just risen to professional status over the past 20 years, and many unskilled planners and suppliers have been starting new wedding careers at a rapid pace.  There’s an overdue need for a strong code of ethics, and WIPA will set the standards of performance for the wedding industry.  The expert members in WIPA are demanding it.”

As a non-profit association, WIPA is run by its members, who understand what it takes to produce a wedding. WIPA brings together professionals from all wedding disciplines, including cake designers, caterers, entertainment companies, florists, hoteliers, journalists, photographers, rental companies, videographers, wedding planners and many more.

This solid peer network helps WIPA’s professionals produce outstanding results for brides and grooms.  Other national membership service organizations exist in the wedding industry, but they are for-profit entities, in business to generate a monetary return on investment for their owners.  WIPA has been established to satisfy needs that are unmet by the for-profit wedding groups, primarily through superior education, mentoring, certification, career advancement and business support.

WIPA is moving to the forefront of wedding industry education at The Special Event 2009 Conference, which will take place at the San Diego Convention Center on January 27-30, 2009.  At this annual conference that attracts 6,000 event industry professionals from around the world, WIPA members will present six educational seminars on important wedding-related topics.  For more information about The Special Event 2009, visit its website.

The long term plan for WIPA includes local chapters and its own national conference.

Next week, as part of its rollout, WIPA will be hosting launch events on Monday, November 17th, and Tuesday, November 18th, in San Diego and Santa Monica, respectively. These launch events are designed to share information about the benefits of joining this new association.

Monday, November 17th
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

To RSVP for the San Diego event, please email: jessica@eventsbydesign.com

Tuesday, November 18th
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fairmont Mirarmar Hotel & Bungalows
101 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401

To RSVP for the San Diego event, please email: paula@weddingsbyct.com

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SPECIAL COMMENT: This is ground breaking news. The launch and success of WIPA can be an excellent enhancement to the United States wedding industry. It’s important to find out about, attend launch events, join, and be involved. In this way, wedding professionals can earn both the knowledge and credentials to serve their clients and peers with utmost integrity and ability.

Your reaction, comments, thoughts, and questions are especially welcomed on this news.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Set your wedding marketing goals for 2009

Perhaps you have noticed. Halloween has passed and Christmas decorations are everywhere in sight. Thanksgiving barely registers as a bump-in-the-road anymore.

If Christmas is a scant 50 days away, can the new year be far behind?

Okay, now that I’ve successfully boosted your blood pressure, it’s time to take inventory on marketing. Please pull out your 2008 wedding marketing plan. You have a written wedding marketing plan, don’t you?

In either case, set aside some quiet time for planning. My definition of quiet time means no distractions. No phones and no extraneous people. What you need is your marketing materials from 2008, your financial information, sales data, and media kits for all the new marketing opportunities in 2009. A Sunday away from the office, with just you,  your laptop, business partner, and/or marketing mentor should do it.

Gee whiz… I really didn’t mean to scare you so badly.

Tell you what. Do three things, right now.

1. Block a half-day or full day on your calendar for this planning session.
2. Begin to gather and organize your materials for that session, giving yourself enough time to prepare.
3. Obtain current media kits and rate information from any publications, websites, wedding shows, networking groups or other marketing options you should be considering.

I’ll get back to you on the rest.

Quote: Tomorow’s starting now – John Legend (quote inspired by Marcello Pedalino, MMP Entertainment)

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

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