Strategic Placement of Your DJ at your event.

By DJ Cam Reeve

In the past 10 years of DJing I’ve learned a thing or two about DJ placement and planning. One of the most important parts of being a DJ is connecting with your audience, and that can only happen when you strategically place yourself in an event space.  

I never want to sound like someone who is constantly complaining about changes but one of the more challenging things I face as a DJ is not being able to connect with the energy of the dance floor. More often than not, this occurs because I’m not close enough or able to visually see the dance floor where the audience is. I’ve been a part of some incredible events that have not had a dance floor by the DJ booth (like my event this past weekend) but It doesn’t mean it’s a good situation to be in. 

Why? Because I could not connect with the audience in the best way possible. In some cases, I’ve been placed in an area where I could not even see the dance floor! This has happened multiple times over the last 10 years. In two cases, I was making my announcements blind because I could not see the dance floor. I was simply praying the bride, groom, and their parents were in the location they needed to be for our special dances. 

I know what you're thinking! Cam, think smarter, make sure you have a conversation with the wedding planner, and know what’s happening! Unfortunately, things aren’t always that easy. At one specific event, the layout was perfect with an incredible dance floor area right in front of me. We have our final meeting and everything was on track for success. So what happened? The photographer suggested we do dancing just outside, after the event had already started and we were already in the dinner portion of the night. This suggestion to switch things up last minute blindsided me - my whole setup was already taped down. Respectfully, I looked at them and explained that I couldn’t move my setup without taking everything apart. After a very kind conversation, it was decided I could move one speaker outside where they were now going to dance. 

So all was good, right? Well, partially. With things now set up this way, I could not see anything happening on the dance floor. I had to trust the information that the wedding planner was feeding me through the door for making announcements for formalities like the father/daughter, mother/son, and couples first dance. Then afterward opening the dance floor and attempting to read the crowd completely blind was challenging to say the least. I could not see anything! I was left DJing around a corner in a building where no one was and everyone was dancing outside. Luckily I’ve been in this business long enough to trust my judgement in songs. I was able to make things happen and the dance floor was full for the entire dance floor period. Even though the dance floor was full, I know the energy was not quite there because of a few key things. 

Because we were using only one speaker, the sound lacked energy for a 80+ person dance floor. Because we were outside, all of the lighting that was set up to create energy was not being utilized. Luckily, my basic setup comes with a lighting package that doesn’t really affect pricing but imagine being the bride and groom and spending money on lighting to not even utilize it. 

Luckily for this specific event things worked out. However, by changing things last minute they added overall risk to the situation by preventing their DJ from seeing the dance floor. 

At the end of the day, my point in sharing this story is to help others avoid placing their DJ away from the dance floor or behind obstacles that obstruct the DJ’s view of the dance floor. While placing the dance floor in the center of the room with tables all the way around could be enticing based on looks, don’t lower your chances of getting well-dispersed sound because you placed the speakers and DJ on the opposite side of the room. 

With a little strategic planning and working closely with your DJ I have not doubt your event will go off without a hitch. Enjoy the dance floor and make it a little easier for your DJ to make your event Unforgettable.

Those interested in hiring a DJ can Reach out to me @ Four Three Five 770-6917 or Connect with me below.