Corporate Event DJ Checklist

Corporate and brand events are the second most common occasion in booking requests on ORDO, after house parties.

They're also the ones with the most moving parts. Not because the music is harder, but because there's a venue, a budget holder, a run of show, and usually someone senior who wants to give a speech at exactly the wrong moment.

This is the checklist, in the order you'll need it.

1. Before you look for a DJ

• Budget signed off. Know the number and who approves it. Bark's price guide puts the UK average DJ fee at about £350. A longer set with equipment in a bigger room will cost more.
• Date and times fixed. Arrival, doors, speeches, food, finish.
• Venue confirmed. You can't brief a DJ on sound without knowing the room.
• What the music is for. Background for networking, a proper dancefloor, or both. This decides almost everything else.

2. Venue questions

Ask the venue before you ask any DJ.

• Is there a sound system? And is it good enough for a DJ, or only for background music and a microphone?
• Is there a noise limiter? Many venues have one. The DJ needs to know the limit.
• Load-in. Where can the DJ unload, and when can they get in?
• Space. Where does the DJ go, and is there a table?
• Power. A socket near the DJ position.
• Paperwork. Does the venue need anything from suppliers, such as insurance or equipment testing certificates? Get the list.
• Curfew. When the music has to stop, not when the bar closes.

3. Choosing the DJ

• Listen to the mix. Every DJ profile on ORDO has one. Ten minutes will tell you whether they suit the room.
• Match the genre to the crowd. Requests on ORDO lean toward DJs who play house, tech house, deep house and disco. For a mixed office crowd, a DJ who can go wider, with disco, funk and familiar songs, is often the safer booking.
• Ask about similar events. An office party, a product launch and a client dinner are different jobs.
• Message more than one. Booking requests are free. Send three or four.

4. Sound and equipment

• Who brings what. In the booking request, choose "Venue has a sound system", "DJ to bring equipment" or "Not sure". If you're not sure, say what the venue told you.
• Microphone. For speeches and announcements. Venue or DJ?
• Sound check time. Get it into the venue schedule.
• Lights. Nice to have. Not essential. Don't let them eat the budget.

76 DJs on ORDO bring their own equipment, which helps when the venue only has a ceiling speaker system.

5. The run of show

Give the DJ a timeline, even a rough one.

• Doors. Background music, low, while people arrive.
• Speeches. Exact time, how long, and who cues the music to stop and start.
• Food. Music drops back down.
• Dancefloor. When it opens, and who decides.
• Last song. Agree it in advance. It's the only one everyone remembers.

The most common problem at work parties is a speech that starts twenty minutes late and a DJ who wasn't told. Name one person as the DJ's contact on the night.

6. The brief

Keep it to one page:

• Who's in the room. Ages, how well they know each other, how many.
• What the night is for. Celebration, client entertainment, launch, thank you.
• Content rules. Clean versions only, no particular artists, anything to avoid.
• Brand requests. If there's a campaign track or a brand playlist, send it.
• Three reference artists. Better than a list of genres.
• Dress code. DJs will ask. Tell them first.

7. Money and paperwork

• Agree the price in writing. Hours, equipment, travel, what an extra hour costs.
• Invoicing. Find out what your finance team needs from a supplier and tell the DJ early. Freelance DJs can usually provide an invoice, but ask what details they'll need from you.
• Payment terms. Agree them directly with the DJ, and make sure your company can meet them.
• Contact details. A phone number for the DJ, and one for your contact on the night.

On ORDO, DJs keep 100% of their fee. You agree the price and terms with the DJ directly.

If the event is for clients or the public, check whether there's any music your brand can't be associated with, and put it in the brief. It's a two-minute conversation that avoids an awkward one later.

8. On the day

• Confirm arrival time the day before.
• Brief the venue that the DJ is coming, and when.
• Check the microphone before speeches, not during.
• Food and water for the DJ, especially on long nights.
• One contact who knows the timeline and can find the DJ quickly.

9. Afterwards

• Thank them. Short message, same night or next day.
• Note what worked for next year's party. Keep the DJ's details. If it went well, book them again early.

How ORDO fits

Find DJs by city, listen to their mix, and send a free booking request with the occasion set to "Corporate / brand event". The request asks for date, location, guest count, set length, equipment and budget, which covers most of sections 1 and 4 for you.

London has the most DJs on ORDO, with 49 listing the city. Browse London DJs, or see every DJ for events elsewhere.