Are DJ Facades still in style or on their way out?

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Are DJ Facades Still in Style? Or On their way out of style for DJs?

  • Facades are Very Much in Style, and Going to be used for the next 10+ years by DJs

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Facades have seen their peak, and are already on their way out. 2- 3 More years tops!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Facades are still very popular, but I think they will decline in popularity over the next 5 years

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • I hate Facades, and have never believed them to be "In Style" for DJs to use.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    8

DJ Ricky B

DJ Extraordinaire
Mar 9, 2015
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What do you think? Are DJ Facades still very much in style? Or are they losing popularity and on their way out for DJ use?

I would say that DJ Facades have been around since 2007 or so, but really didn't gain a lot of popularity until maybe 2011/2012. So it's been about 10 years or so since they went mainstream.

Are Facades going to be used, and around for years, and years to come, or or they already on their way out of being used?
 
What do you think? Are DJ Facades still very much in style? Or are they losing popularity and on their way out for DJ use?

I would say that DJ Facades have been around since 2007 or so, but really didn't gain a lot of popularity until maybe 2011/2012. So it's been about 10 years or so since they went mainstream.

Are Facades going to be used, and around for years, and years to come, or or they already on their way out of being used?
It’s not necessarily the facade that’s important but rather the overall appearance. Facades can contribute to that. They can also deter. Couples want the DJ to tie in with the atmosphere and add to the Beauty of the venue. The venue I was at today always tells me they have yet to see a DJ whose setup makes as much of an impact as mine. And while others come there w podium booths like I did tonight, few have the moving heads in trusses, especially 4 of them, and even fewer have the nice tufted facade behind them.

The key again isn’t the facade, it’s the overall atmosphere. If you have messy wires or are on a generic table, you need something to clean that up. You can do a skirt, you can do a tabletop facade... or a nice large luxurious facade... which ones gonna get the best reaction? That’s what I’m gonna invest in.
 
Taso nailed it.

No client cares whether you use a facade or not. But many care if your aesthetic matches what they're looking for in their event. They're looking for reasons to determine if you and your services are unique or generic. Being able to provide a unique look will continue to be a competitive advantage in a sea of many people doing the exact same thing or bare minimum.
 
Taso nailed it.

No client cares whether you use a facade or not. But many care if your aesthetic matches what they're looking for in their event. They're looking for reasons to determine if you and your services are unique or generic. Being able to provide a unique look will continue to be a competitive advantage in a sea of many people doing the exact same thing or bare minimum.

Do you really think clients are looking for DJs who match their look or are they looking for the DJ with the coolest-looking, high-end setup? I love the podium look that Taso has but honestly, I don't know how he does it with no table space. I know it dates me but I prefer to have a printed sheet of paper with my timeline on it. That also gives me a place to scribble requests from guests. I use a 4' table and it's always crowded. Kudos to you guys with sleek setups.
 
Do you really think clients are looking for DJs who match their look or are they looking for the DJ with the coolest-looking, high-end setup? I love the podium look that Taso has but honestly, I don't know how he does it with no table space. I know it dates me but I prefer to have a printed sheet of paper with my timeline on it. That also gives me a place to scribble requests from guests. I use a 4' table and it's always crowded. Kudos to you guys with sleek setups.
are they “looking” for it? In most cases, no, because they don’t know such a DJ exists that has modern and unique setups. However, that’s not the real question that should be asked. The real question is do they care? And the answer to that is an obvious yes. Think about it... they spends thousands and thousands on decor... only to have this DJ who sticks out in a negative way take away from the beauty of everything else. Clearly they care... but for many, they don’t know better options exist. That’s why when they see something unique, it’s viewed as an extreme positive.

as for how I do it... I have a table behind me, which is covered by the tufted facade. I also have an iPad and a word document opened on one of my laptops if I need to take notes.
 
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Do you really think clients are looking for DJs who match their look or are they looking for the DJ with the coolest-looking, high-end setup? I love the podium look that Taso has but honestly, I don't know how he does it with no table space. I know it dates me but I prefer to have a printed sheet of paper with my timeline on it. That also gives me a place to scribble requests from guests. I use a 4' table and it's always crowded. Kudos to you guys with sleek setups.

I don't think it has to match, but it should fit.

I think clients are looking for ways to tell who is actually talented, and who actually pays attention to details, among a sea of service providers that all look very homogenous. They don't have a way to actually audition our decision making unless they have seen us perform or have a referral. But they can see who has been thoughtful and creative visually in what they present.

I also think wedding planners (who are responsible for almost all of my personal business) care about the aesthetics too. If they've put hours of work with the client on picking linens, chargers, plates, floral arrangements, name card presentations... all to make the client's vision come to life. If I show up and look out of place... maybe it's not a deal breaker, but it's certainly not a selling point.

I use a 4 or 6 foot table too, but I still think there are ways to make it look better than the average DJ.
 
I used to have a 4' table with a 10x6 slant rack on one side and all my CDs on the other side. I no longer need the space for the CDs when I went digital and always felt I should do something to improve the appearance but never did. Instead, I found myself using my ceremony system as a main system. This has 30"x20" table with a pleated skirt. It had no facade and the wires were hid neatly. I wasn't an ideal height though. By then I didn't care though since I had mostly given up weddings and was doing more charity work which were really simple gigs.

Just recently, I removed some obsolete gear from my 10x6 and now I'm thinking maybe I'll come up with something smaller to replace my 2x4 table. I have no plans to DJ weddings again. I just enjoy the challenge of coming up with something that I would find cool and functional.
 
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Everything costs money. :) The facade that matters is the one your client wears when they walk in the door.

If I spent Thousands of $$'s to have the room completely done with white drape - then I'm not gonna want to have a DJ with black road cases setup in front of that. I'm either gonna pay my decorator to include some kind of "booth" to hide the DJ gear, or find a DJ with a matching white setup. The "white" look is probably on it's last few years of use, and will completely disappear when the LED up lighting it serves runs it's course as well. Someday this too - will all be "vintage."

The point remains however, that no matter what the event theme, color scheme, or venue architecture. It's an issue whenever and wherever DECOR is a priority. Fact is, decor is not a priority expenditure for the largest segment of the mobile DJ biz. People planning the typical wedding go out of their way to locate venues with pleasing architecture and interior design specifically so they can avoid paying the extra cost of expensive decorators.

People with money to burn or guests to impress don't care about cost. They will book a log cabin and pay to have it decorated like the Ritz Carlton. Then they will book the Ritz Carlton and ask you to decorate it like a log cabin. There's a segment of this industry's clients that operate very much like Hollywood.

Don't buy a facade on the notion that it will somehow elevate your market position or attract a new clientele. It won't. Use whatever sensible means there are to make your setup conform to the spaces you work in, and expectations of the clients you already have.. In other words - look the part for whatever part you are playing and avoid upstaging yourself with setup elements that contradict each other.

At some events I do, a table and even black road cases are perfect, and at others there is weeks of planning to get a decor solution that is perfectly right. Other DJs who serve repetitive markets will offer up some predefined set options for clients to choose. These include common popular decor styles in White, black, gold, translucent, or illuminated glow themes. They also have to change these every other year to stay relevant in their market. These client's don't do decor repeats and they all run in the same social circles so, it's not as simple as buying a product and sticking it in front of you gig after gig.
 
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Everything costs money. :) The facade that matters is the one your client wears when they walk in the door.

If I spent Thousands of $$'s to have the room completely done with white drape - then I'm not gonna want to have a DJ with black road cases setup in front of that. I'm either gonna pay my decorator to include some kind of "booth" to hide the DJ gear, or find a DJ with a matching white setup. The "white" look is probably on it's last few years of use, and will completely disappear when the LED up lighting it serves runs it's course as well. Someday this too - will all be "vintage."

The point remains however, that no matter what the event theme, color scheme, or venue architecture. It's an issue whenever and wherever DECOR is a priority. Fact is, decor is not a priority expenditure for the largest segment of the mobile DJ biz. People planning the typical wedding go out of their way to locate venues with pleasing architecture and interior design specifically so they can avoid paying the extra cost of expensive decorators.

People with money to burn or guests to impress don't care about cost. They will book a log cabin and pay to have it decorated like the Ritz Carlton. Then they will book the Ritz Carlton and ask you to decorate it like a log cabin. There's a segment of this industry's clients that operate very much like Hollywood.

Don't buy a facade on the notion that it will somehow elevate your market position or attract a new clientele. It won't. Use whatever sensible means there are to make your setup conform to the spaces you work in, and expectations of the clients you already have.. In other words - look the part for whatever part you are playing and avoid upstaging yourself with setup elements that contradict each other.

At some events I do, a table and even black road cases are perfect, and at others there is weeks of planning to get a decor solution that is perfectly right. Other DJs who serve repetitive markets will offer up some predefined set options for clients to choose. These include common popular decor styles in White, black, gold, translucent, or illuminated glow themes. They also have to change these every other year to stay relevant in their market. These client's don't do decor repeats and they all run in the same social circles so, it's not as simple as buying a product and sticking it in front of you gig after gig.
Similar to what he said... there are DJ's here who have a new booth made for every event they do to fit the theme. They tend to work with event planners, so they just go to the event planner to make it... but tack it on the cost to the client. Every week it's a new facade, from industrial, to rustic, to tufted, to mirror, gold, crystals, etc.
 
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The biggest issue regarding facades for me is setup time and travel ease. I have seen all sorts of nice ones. Some fold down easy, others don't. I have pleated skirts for my tables that attach with velcro. This isn't the greatest look but they take up little space when packed, weigh very little and set up really fast. My facade was made from 1/4" hardboard with reinforcements to hold it straight. Even though it was hinged, each panel was still about 2' long. I have considered other materials that are lighter (e.g. aluminum frame with Spandex or corrugated plastic sheets inside),
 
Here I am trying to decide between getting a facade and a facade booth, I really am struggling to make a decision, but I feel like I am leaning more towards the booth.

It seems that Facades are still in style, but booths and podiums are the next trend but I am not sure facades will go completely out of style for a bit.
 
Here I am trying to decide between getting a facade and a facade booth, I really am struggling to make a decision, but I feel like I am leaning more towards the booth.

It seems that Facades are still in style, but booths and podiums are the next trend but I am not sure facades will go completely out of style for a bit.
They won’t go away as transportation will always be an issue
 
Here I am trying to decide between getting a facade and a facade booth, I really am struggling to make a decision, but I feel like I am leaning more towards the booth.

It seems that Facades are still in style, but booths and podiums are the next trend but I am not sure facades will go completely out of style for a bit.

You've described your position as: struggling - with how you feel, - what you think, - what's in style, - or what's trending.
What are your present customers ASKING for?
It's really important that we don't let our self-talk displace the more important things that our customers and other people are telling us.

To make good, lasting, decisions you have to start by asking the right questions. For example - Are you an entertainer?

If you're not an entertainer or the kind of emcee who can lead a follow-along, teach line dances, or stay constantly engaged with an audience then it may actually work against you to start surrounding yourself with a large stage set. When people enter a room and the set screams "big show" but then that show never actually materializes in the form of live entertainers and talent it's underwhelming, even with the best of DJs.

I used facades, DJ booths, (and even the occasional loft) consistently at Bar & Bat Mitzvahs. I can't recall ever using one at a wedding. I probably did - and it was probably translucent so it could be back-lit to match the glow furniture or up lighting. Weddings aren't really a great place to showcase these things because it's just two families and no one wants to copy-cat another person's event decor. Corporate events are a better way to sell this stuff because the attendees come from so many different circles. Bar mitvahs also have a crossover element of the social circles which can sustain repeated use in a good size urban market for at least a few years. But when a trend dies - it dies hard in that market. Throw on that list - chocolate fountains, game shows, karaoke, arcade games, confetti launchers, bubble machines, snow machines, and coming soon to trash heap near you - candy bars, ghost chairs, and light up ice cubes.

As far as entertaining, I'm a good DJ and very good on a microphone. Introductions, voice-overs, all of that - but, I'm not an entertainer and when the event calls for that I hire or work with others who have the unique talent required. We can't be all things to all people and it's unrealistic to think that we can adopt every trend while also going it solo.
 
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A DJs setup can look great and that's great. If the DJ sucks it won't matter. They won't remember they had a great looking setup. They will remember how bad the DJ was. Also another important factor is the gear they use. Even though when they say that DJ was great, without thinking about it they are also complementing them on their gear as well.

The first thing would be to look to convince them you're the right DJ to do their event. Unless you have great pictures like Taso does they won't know what your setup looks like till you get there. The exception to that is when they have been to an event that you need and wanting to book you or they have booked you before to do an event for them.
 
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A DJs setup can look great and that's great. If the DJ sucks it won't matter. They won't remember they had a great looking setup. They will remember how bad the DJ was. Also another important factor is the gear they use. Even though when they say that DJ was great, without thinking about it they are also complementing them on their gear as well.

The first thing would be to look to convince them you're the right DJ to do their event. Unless you have great pictures like Taso does they won't know what your setup looks like till you get there. The exception to that is when they have been to an event that you need and wanting to book you or they have booked you before to do an event for them.
It may not matter much to guests (although subconsciously it affects their impression of you and what to expect) but future clients will care when they’re researching.
 
It may not matter much to guests (although subconsciously it affects their impression of you and what to expect) but future clients will care when they’re researching.
I hear you. Now what I find is people will remember 2 things. How good the DJ was and how good was the food. I can't forget a wedding I was invited to. My best friends niece got married well over 10 years ago. They got married in Conn. I don't remember the venue. I just remember the venue was a 5 star venue. They had a chocolate fountain. The 2 things I remember is the DJ was awesome and the food was awesome. You had 2 choices. Either chicken or steak. I picked the steak. That was the BEST STEAK I EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!! Again the DJ did a great job. I don't know how much he got paid. I just know he had a nice setup and did a stellar job.
 
I hear you. Now what I find is people will remember 2 things. How good the DJ was and how good was the food. I can't forget a wedding I was invited to. My best friends niece got married well over 10 years ago. They got married in Conn. I don't remember the venue. I just remember the venue was a 5 star venue. They had a chocolate fountain. The 2 things I remember is the DJ was awesome and the food was awesome. You had 2 choices. Either chicken or steak. I picked the steak. That was the BEST STEAK I EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!! Again the DJ did a great job. I don't know how much he got paid. I just know he had a nice setup and did a stellar job.
Great... and maybe a bride will think the same thing... but a bride will also say to herself is this DJ gonna stick out in a negative way or does he fit into the vision of what I’m looking to do.
 
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Great... and maybe a bride will think the same thing... but a bride will also say to herself is this DJ gonna stick out in a negative way or does he fit into the vision of what I’m looking to do.
That's where a discussion is needed in the beginning when talking to a potential client about what they want before agreeing to do the event.