San Francisco – This past March 6-8 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco, DJ Times produced DJ Expo West, which drew 1,500 mobile, club and scratch DJs. In an effort to document the event for posterity, we asked our mobile scribe Jeff Stiles to give us the Stiles-Cam version of the events. It went something like this…

Sunday, March 5

10:47 a.m. CST

Andy Ebon makes his point during the "Web-Savvy DJ's" Seminar.

Last time I visited San Francisco, I was nine-years old and accompanying my father at a National Education Association convention. This visit, however, promises to be much different. Because of my dual hoop earrings, goatee and funky glasses, back home in Dubuque, Iowa, I’m considered somewhat of a rebel. But in the Bay Area, I’m likely to feel more like Eddie Cleaver.

During my four-hour flight, Scott McKenzie’s flower power ’60s anthem, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)," runs through my head. Hmmm, if nowadays I were sure to wear some flowers in my hair, my IPO initiative would be the laughing stock of Silicon Valley.

12:45 p.m. PST

When I left Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, it was a sunny 70 degrees. Here in San Francisco, it’s a chilly 45 – mild weather, compared to a typical early March day in the Midwest. But try telling that to our shuttle bus driver as we head to Cathedral Hill Hotel – she’s wearing a winter jacket, gloves and earmuffs. As we drive up the 101 from the airport to the hotel, rows of pastel-colored stucco homes dot the green bluffs. Welcome to San Francisco.

Although today in Dubuque it’s a balmy 70 degrees, with my luck I’ll be shoveling mounds of snow as soon as I return there next week. If not for the overcast skies and cooler temperatures today, local multi-system mobile Brian Doyle had mentioned taking me out on the Bay in his boat. Good thing I didn’t – because later, Brian O’Connor told me that Doyle probably would have forced me to row.

2:30 p.m.

I approached the front desk for check-in at the Cathedral Hill Hotel and it went something like this:

"Hi, my name is Jeff Stiles, and I’m here for the DJ Expo."

The desk clerk smiled. "We’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Stiles. You’re in room number 666."

"You’ve been waiting for me?" I asked, perplexed that the Number of the Beast had been assigned to me.

"Oh, don’t worry," she said. "There was a witches’ convention held here three weeks ago, and we have yet to see any change in the hotel’s karma."

I think to myself: "Make note. Witches would make a great upsell for school dances."

10 p.m.

After dinner, a group of us head out to search for a store where we can purchase beer to take back to our rooms. I trek across the street from the hotel to ask for directions and am immediately struck by irony: Trying to find directions to buy beer, I ask two cops – in a donut shop, no less! Imagine my surprise when one of the police officers not only gives me detailed directions, but walks outside to point to the exact location. I love this town!

1:45 a.m.

After dinner, it’s off to the Elbo Room for some subwoofer-cracking dub-reggae grooves. Plenty of dreadlocks in the house, a few Mohawks – in short, cultural diversity not seen back home in Dubuque since Germans first settled there in the mid-1800s. The scent of "communion" wafts through the club as DJ Sep and three other "Dub Mission" jocks take turns spinning and alternately "toasting." No lights at all in this club, but an illuminated sign over the door reads "No Smoking." Yeah, right, what they mean is "No Ashtrays." Or is it "No Tobacco"?

I discover that all bars in San Francisco have a "No Smoking" policy; then I remember a sign I saw in the Cathedral Hill parking garage that said, "Danger: hazardous chemicals dumped beneath this site. Please be advised. May cause headaches." I may leave San Francisco with a greenish glow to my skin, but there will be no evidence whatsoever of the stench of cigarette smoke.

Monday, March 6

10 a.m.

Every year in Atlantic City, more than 3,000 DJs show up for the International DJ Expo. Being that this is the first DJ Expo West in San Francisco, a crowd of equal portion is not expected. But still, a full plate of 20 seminars is planned – including several workshops – and the exhibit floor will house 60 booths.

Slowly, attendees filter in, but at 10:30 a.m. the DJ Expo registration team – Robin, Nick, Sam, Kendra and Jen – is still nervous about the number of registrants.

"This is San Francisco," reasons DJ Times editor Jim Tremayne. "By law, nothing in this city is allowed to happen before noon."

12 Noon

"There’s no amount of advertising that will get you into this market," said San Francisco-based mobile consultant Andy Ebon.

"The highest degree of professionalism is demanded," said Kevin Howard, owner of Seattle’s Howard Group.

Like dueling banjos, Ebon and Howard offered heaps of advice on "Booking Corporate Accounts," to a standing-room-only crowd.

"Your client might be the talent agency who hired you," said Ebon. "But you need to find out at the gig who will be authorizing things like overtime. You should know who is paying the check and who has the authorization to tell you to turn the volume up and down."

Prompted by an audience member’s question, the subject arose of kickbacks between catering exec and DJ. Discounts of up to 20-percent are sometimes expected, but it would be unethical, it was agreed, to accept cash for referrals. If you offer party planners a discount for their referral, announce it as "savings" that they can either pass on to their client or use for profit.

According to the panel, the corporate market – a repeat market, unlike wedding receptions – is always growing and looking for new ideas and professional presentations. Broker agencies, companies themselves, destination management companies and event planners all seek out entertainment for their clients and guests. So, too, do hotels, resorts, convention sites and nonprofit groups such as the Humane Society and the American Cancer Society. These clients should receive your direct mail pieces on a Wednesday or Thursday – Monday they’ve just returned to the office, Tuesday is coupon day, and by Friday they’re ready to leave for their weekend Tahoe trip.

2 p.m.

Because he uses subcontractors, thus avoiding paying payroll taxes, George Whitehouse believes the U.S. government wants to put him out of business. Despite having a subcontractor’s contract and individual liability insurance, the New Hampshire-based multi-system owner still gets audited every year. "If you don’t have those two things," he said, "the government is going to say you have employees and you’ll have to go to court to avoid a $10,000 fine."

New Hampshire based multi-system owner George Whitehouse believes Uncle Sam is trying to put him out of business. So why is he smiling?

Are you going to be subbing out business, or will you buy the extra systems? That is the question "Going Multi-System" tried to answer by discussing the quirks of going "big" – from opening a real office to training DJs to taking calls from brides that expect you at a gig.

For his own company, moderator Doyle opted for consistency and bought 18 rigs. "There will be some differences, but you can tell they’re all from the same company, from the same mold," he said. "We also didn’t want to create competitors out of our own people. If these people have their own gear and the knowledge and even a little bit of a reputation, they will likely consider going out on their own to make more money themselves."

But the most important element of any multi-system company, according to the panel, is the quality of the DJs. A couple of panelists agreed that it isn’t solely the money they pay DJs that keeps them around, but the great tools they give them to do their job and keep them from being disgruntled.

"I value my DJs tremendously, and I try to let them know that," said Doyle. "You have to be their uncle and their best friend and their mother…and their uncle’s drinking buddy and their mother’s pinnacle partner…"

3 p.m.

The heavier the power amp is, the better the power amp is, right? Years ago, this may have been true, but now it is a myth. The "Shopping for DJ Equipment" seminar dispelled other myths, too, in addition to helping DJs select new equipment – particularly powered speakers and amplifiers.

"You need to determine your needs," said moderator, area mobile and fellow DJ Times scribe Paul Binder when recommending how to choose what you need.

So true. I determined that I needed a cheeseburger right about now.

3:45 p.m.

While grabbing a cheeseburger at the hotel bar, I noticed an after-school crowd of young teenagers shuffle in to the registration area. Quite a different demographic than the Atlantic City show. No sequined jackets, either.

10 p.m.

Late-night Expo West activities revolve around The Top and Mad Dog in the Fog, two club-pubs on Haight Street. Along with our photographer, Ravi, I first stop by The Top. Ravi forgot his I.D, though, and is hassled at the door. Of course, when Ravi pulls out his impressively huge camera, they allow him entry, but we decide instead to head down the block to the Mad Dog, where DJ Sep is holding Dub Court. Plenty of odd beers, lots of English soccer talk, plenty of odd, English soccer talk.

1 a.m.

I finally stumble back to my hotel a bit early tonight, although the New York-based staff is still partying like it’s 1999 – in spite of the three-hour difference in their time back home. The seminars in the morning don’t start until noon, a likely testimony that the organizers don’t want to interfere with the late-night activities on Haight Street.

Tuesday, March 7

10:30 a.m.

I grab some quick breakfast downstairs with L.A’s Lisa Capitanelli and Philly’s Bobby Morganstein. I’m usually not a breakfast eater, but I have a feeling I will be able to use all the extra energy I can get to make it through today.

Today is the first day that the exhibit hall is open, and I notice that there are lots of familiar faces and names from booths such as Promo Only, VisioSonic, Crown, Vestax, etc.

12 Noon

How can you use the Internet to market your mobile company? Today’s first seminar, "Web Savvy DJs," gave us some clues.

"Make your site a resource," moderator Ebon suggested. "Refer a photographer, because we as DJs know a lot about what photographers do best."

And strive to be a bookmark. "Most surfers love to be in control of what they’re doing, and to force someone to see something is going to drive them away from your site."

Things to include on your website that will impress your clients: printable forms and venue grid – very impressive because it gives you credibility and makes you the "instant expert."

Define a style or look to create a site that reflects your organization’s image and appeals to your visitor. Use stock graphics or develop custom ones to enhance the look of your site. Make sure navigation is brain-dead simple and make sure your design is browser-sensitive.

3 p.m.

Did you know that it’s important to be the most expensive DJ in your area? At least that’s what moderator Randy Bartlett said when he kicked off "Raise Your Rates and Lower Your Guilt," a seminar that every DJ should revisit on a regular basis. Bartlett, who described himself as "a recovering bottom-feeder," started the seminar by asking questions about who charges more, the caterer or the DJ.

"We as an industry don’t realize our value, but we contribute a lot to the success of an event," he said.

Gerald Webb spinning at Julian's.

According to Bartlett, increasing your rate gets you better events. When you raise your rates you will lose some jobs, but those are the cheaper jobs. "You’ll scare away the low-end clients with a higher price, but you’ll scare away the high-end clients with a lower price. Which would you rather scare away?"

According to Bartlett, "It’s a good thing to lose some events." Let’s do the math: Say you do 75 events a year at $600 a job, $45,000 gross. Let’s say you lost 30-percent of your bookings when you raise your rates to $1,000. Now you’re doing 50 events for $5,000 and work 25 nights less – not paying for any incidentals like gas, props, etc.

My head began to hurt from this math.

And so why is it important to be the most expensive DJ in your area? It all comes down to respect. "If you’re a $200 DJ, clients tell you where to set up and to shut up," said Bartlett. "If you’re a $500 DJ, they ask you where you want to set up."

5:30 p.m.

Mike Alexander of Orcutt, Cal.-based Paradise Entertainment, presented a seminar with two panelists who used the letters of the alphabet to stress qualities mobiles should emphasize. Good suggestions, especially for and from the beginner DJs.

"A" is for Appearance.

"B" is for Bridal fairs.

"C" is for Consultation.

"D" is for Details.

"E" is for Emotion.

"F" is for Fresh.

"G" is for Groups

"H" is for Have a business plan. Think about where you want to work.

"I" is for Incentive programs. Paradise Entertainment treated eight resort sales managers to a trip to Hawaii, and called it a "thank you." It cost him $400 per person, but all of these managers had sent him at least 10 referrals over the last year – that’s only $40 per referral. They will now do that every three or four years, for a seven-day trip to Hawaii.

"J" is for disc Jockeys. You have to have good DJs, "because you could be the best DJ in your area, but if you send out lousy DJs it’s not good."

"K" is for Knowing when to stop listing every letter in the alphabet because you, the reader, already get the picture.

10:30 p.m.

Tonight at Jullian’s in the Sony Metronome downtown, Gerald Webb is spinning. Local DJ Paul Binder is tight with the Entertainment Director, also a DJ who met Gerald Webb Sunday night and is very impressed with the things he can do with the Pioneer CD players. The club has a futuristic look, with huge video walls behind the bar and monitors throughout the entire club/pool hall. Morganstein, his friend Byron, Binder, Visiosonic’s Professor Jam, Ravi, fellow Iowa-based mobile Dave Lundon and I played pool. Paul is pretty good at pool; I suck.

We leave Jullian’s around midnight and head over to evening Expo showcase spot Backflip, which is packed. There are two DJs in the upper and lower levels of the bar – the upper one is a famous guy [Ed. – Probably Scott Hardkiss], who is very good, while the lower one has a faithful audience as well. Ravi shoots the bar, the bartender, and the girls who are shaking their bon-bons, and the DJs. We close the bar at 2 a.m. and head around to look for after-hours places. Everything’s locked, darnit, so we look for bright neon to use as backdrops for cool photos. By 3:30 a.m. we’re back at the hotel and crashed in our beds.

Wednesday, March 8

12:05 p.m.

"You can’t market without talent, and you’ve got to find that talent," says Mike Walter of Eatontown, N.J.-based Elite Entertainment, as he moderated "DJ Recruitment." "The problem with that strategy is that there’s no exit strategy. When you want to sell the company, you are the company."

Walter says he concentrates on recruiting and training guys from within – friends of his DJs, for examples – so that they can eventually make him money without him having to work at all. When he cold-canvasses for employees, Walter looks for 20 traits, including talkative guys, who have a good, low voice.

"I’ve never felt good about hiring experienced DJs, because it’s rarely worked out well for me," he said. "Chances are if you hire someone who’s been DJing for five to seven years, he’s not going to have your style."

12:55 p.m.

The author catches 40 winks: What a long, strange trip it's been, indeed.

The guys in the Promo Only booth inform me that their power grid has failed again, so I head to the registration booth to have someone paged to fix it and head over to Cathedral Hill Room B for a seminar on "Troubleshooting." Amazingly, the sound system and mics are all working in perfect order.

The discussion: The two failure modes of loudspeakers are mechanical and thermal, and in most cases it’s the latter. The cone of the speaker gets so hot that the adhesives holding the wires together break down. Heat and overpowering are the causes. You can damage a speaker either by overpowering or underpow- ering it. Hook a nine-volt battery to a disconnected speaker to check it and the cone will stick out when you hook the battery up and suck itself back in when the battery is removed. Hook it up to a naked speaker cone.

For amplifiers, there’s no right or wrong answer about regulating volume from the amp or the mixer. The thing you have to watch for is getting distortion because of overpowering your mixer.

Because they get brittle, you should replace your RCA cables every once in awhile. For speaker cables, run at least 14-gauge cord for subs. "Spend money on speaker cables," said moderator Lundon. "Ninety-percent of your problems will be with your cables."

1:30 p.m.

Cali mobile Chuck Lehnhard headed a discussion of school dances next door. Lots of free stuff given out by a very energetic moderator that could have used some Ritalin. Of course, for people who do school dances that’s a quality that comes in very handy.

2:30 p.m.

The final afternoon in the exhibit hall was a crazy scene of attendees scrambling to make deals and find last-minute purchases. Myself, I bought four CDs at the Promo Only booth and two discs at the X-Mix booth. I also bought two cool-looking lighted bracelets from the Rane booth, and snagged a few of the freebie sample discs for DJ friends back home.

I’m truly impressed with the new Korg Kaoss pad, but I have neither the cash in my wallet nor the room in my two carry-on luggage bags to transport it around. I grab a brochure and business card instead and stuff them into my laptop bag.

6 p.m.

The last panel of the Expo, "Meet the DJs," features big-name DJs talking about their profession of choice. On it, Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. said, "Don’t be in it for the money in it, but for the fun in it." Today Jay has NationwideDJs.com, a referral agency for DJs of all genres. "Watching my four-year-old son play with my records and my turntables and watching him get excited about playing with them is amazing," he added.

"Coming from the age I started from," said scratch-champ Vinroc, "I hope to keep going with it for a long time. In terms of innovation, things are getting done everyday by bedroom DJs. If you don’t find it, make those styles your own way and keep learning. It’s a big learning experience, to find out what works and what doesn’t."

Added DJ Sep: "What’s really important to me is to do what you love, and figure out what you love. If you want to do this full-time and it’s all about the cash, the cash will run out, because the cash will come in waves."

Thursday, March 9

Amazingly, I’m still alive. For a first-time show, DJ Expo West was a real hit. Today it’s on to visit the offices of Denon & Doyle, the Bay Area’s most requested mobile DJ service. Tomorrow, Amy Grant is to marry Vince Gill. Back in New York, the Dow is back up over 10,000. There’s a lot going on in the world, but back home in the Midwest, the temperatures will be closer to the freezing mark and they’re calling for two inches of snow. At least I’ll be home – with my shovel.

 

(Jeff Stiles is a Dubuque, Iowa-based mobile DJ, who regularly travels throughout the country to trade shows and conventions to write about various aspects of the DJ industry. He can be reached by email at djtimeswriter@aol.com.)