Exciting New Wedding Photo On My Website

Just when you think you've exhausted all of your resources for photos a really cool one comes falling out of the sky. Well, actually this photo did not fall out of the sky but ended up in my e-mail box courtesy of my long time friend and professional wedding photographer, Joe Homsy.

Photo by Joe Homsy

Joe and I had the honor of doing the weddings for sisters, Jennifer and Kristina Maggi. Joe captured this super wide audience image at Jennifer's reception in the Grand Ballroom at the Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton.

To see this photo in a larger size just click here which will take you to the Wedding DJ page on my website. To visit Joe's website and see more of his great images just click here.

Thank you Joe for the great image and fond memories of another incredible Maggi family celebration. Now that both Jennifer and Kristina have children perhaps you'll be shooting their weddings and I'll be rocking the dance floor for the next generation of Maggi clan.

Introducing My New Website – Entertaining & Informative

My new website, like many others, is an evolutionary process. However, unlike many other Professional MC/DJ's sites it breaks from tradition on so many fronts. I must give most of the design and concept credit to Stacie Tamaki who created a site with my main objective of making my site both entertaining and informative. As much as I love to surf the web I admit that I seldom get much further into a website than the home page. Even nice looking sites can lack useful information or easy navigation to keep my visit from just being more than just a quick glance. Too often DJ/MC sites all resemble each other with dark imaging of partying guests or just stock photos of model brides and grooms. I asked Stacie for bright images and practical information that visitors can take away. In the creative process she even developed a brand new logo for me.

I am certainly not discounting the impact of a great home page and this lead photo taken by photographer, Marla Christina, from a 2011 wedding at Ralston Hall Mansion got first billing on my site. In fact it even inspired a brand new feature on my site that I call the Gallery where I will showcase the wide range of venues I work, my clients' celebrations and their photographers' images. Photographers use galleries frequently to feature their work so I feel it makes perfect sense for a DJ/MC to do the same.

My brand new Home Page!

When I say "entertaining" my hope is that people who visit my site will enjoy reading about not just my services but my personal side as well. Anytime you can make using a resource enjoyable it makes  learning more fun. For instance one of my favorite new additions is the Wedding DJ Neck Tie Color Picker. It is a practical picker meaning brides can easily view my tie colors right from their screens and it makes matching their color boards a lot of fun too.

The blue section of my Tie Color Picker

And when I say "informative" I really mean it. On the website you will find helpful tips for your event and answers to the most commonly asked questions about my services. For instance, I understand that budget is often a consideration when hiring anyone for any service. Many of us, myself included, will contact a company and want to make certain that their rate is in the ballpark of what we can afford which is why I decided to simply include my minimum and average pricing rates right on my website. Other questions are answered in more detail on the FAQ and on the Event MC pages.

My page called "Why Hire a Professional MC and DJ"

My website is hardly finished. It is a never ending work-in-progress and I look forward to tapping Stacie's never ending creative outflow. To see some of her other fantastic web development projects go to Girl Goes Geek. Also look for more posts as we intend to launch new features that will surely make my website entertaining and informative to clients and industry as well.

Size Matters – Welcome To My Bigger Blog

The good news about blogging templates is they can be customized. The bad news is the extent to which you can manipulate them is only limited by your imagination. And, of course, your aptitude for adjusting them.

So when I decided it was time to kick things up a notch in the visual department I deferred to my social media guru and consultant, Stacie Tamaki. I was shooting for larger images and when I asked Stacie to stretch things a bit she also added a fresh new look to my header and sidebars.

Here is that same photo of Stacie and I at the Aperature Academy holiday party last December in the maximum allowable size before the upgrade. Although we are still happy shutter bugs the smiles just aren't as big in this image. Click here for the full story of our evening at a paradise for photo fanatics.


A huge thanks goes out to my colleague and food excursion partner, Stacie Tamaki, for always making me look good. :-)

So stayed tuned for more MC & DJ stories, reviews, event reports, recipes and adventures of a fun loving foodie. I hope my photos look bigger, better and make you hungrier than ever.

-That MC, DJ & Foodie Fellow

"You Can Trust Me With The Mic" What Does My Message Mean?

So what happens when a person without good mic technique and speaking skills takes the microphone? Disaster. If not catastrophic, then at the very least you get boring. This implosion is not something you'll see very often on network television or from truly professional presenters and announcers like Ellen Degeneres, Tom Brokaw or David Letterman. But you will see it at private events like wedding receptions when the DJ/MC is not skilled in presentation and really comes from an amateur hour background.

Have you visited my new iMCEvents.com website lately? I have expanded my discussion of what makes a great MC and how they make a huge difference.

In my ongoing effort to make clients feel more comfortable a message just popped out of my head. "You can trust me with the mic." That message is what I want to convey to anyone who is considering my services for any event whether it is emceeing their wedding reception, directing their fashion show, working with the auctioneer at their fund raiser or doing the play-by-play at their food and wine show.

Mic Shy & Gun Shy

I re-branded myself from DJ to MC because it became more and more obvious to me that the part of DJ work which takes the most skill and responsibility is being the MC. This awareness was underscored, highlighted and driven home again when I went back to school for more advanced training from renowned DJ Advocate and performance teacher, Mark Ferrell.

Mark reminded us that the number one fear in America and most dreaded activity among adults is public speaking. You've all heard the term "mic shy" but many people have a distaste for speaking to audiences that goes way beyond shyness. I often see the fear in their eyes and even body trembling at the mere suggestion of them making an announcement.

Enter: Gun Shy. Many people who have experienced unskilled presentations as guests then find themselves in a position to hire an MC for their own events. I hear the fear in their voices all of the time. This reluctance to trust the master of ceremonies has launched an entire new trend of having Uncle Bob be the MC at the wedding or have the bride's brother handle the introductions. Their thinking must be that the guests will excuse a family member for being less than remarkable on the mic. Although there is a place for DIY I certainly don't recommend it for something as high profile and important as directing a wedding reception.

So how do you screen for master of ceremonies skills? Start by meeting the candidates in person instead of just calling or e-mailing them. This person will be addressing your audience so how is his/her appearance? What is tone of their voice? How is their demeanor? Do they have a comforting personality and carry themselves well? Do they exude confidence? Mostly, can they accurately reflect your vision of the celebration and convey it your guests. This kind of assurance you can only get from having a face-to-face, up close and personal meeting with them. If you are not super comfortable at this meeting, RUN don't walk away and continue your search for a truly professional MC/DJ with whom you click.

The range of events where I have been the MC is as diverse as the personalities of my clients. I often must be able to shift from low key to high energy even as my events change gears. This flexibility is a skill that every professional MC should be able to execute during any event. Entertainers are not in a static but rather a dynamic work place. And mostly, events are inherently inert which means they need someone to DIG them (Direct•Inform•Guide) the guests as Mark Ferrell so aptly explains in his definition of a master of ceremonies.

You can trust me with the mic. I take charge without taking over. When you meet me in person you will see that I defy any of the cheesy stereotypes that television and movies use to portray DJs. You can also trust me with the music and entertaining of your guests because I care first about you and the success of your event.

The 411 Debut: A Case Study in Branding 101

Just in case you missed it Monday night was the first official network gathering of South Bay event professionals. It is called The 411 and it is the brainchild of Nicole Lisanne Weddings & Events by Design. For many of us south of Palo Alto the shared sentiment is "It's about time!" As much as we love The City we also have a strong community here and feel our market is worthy of it's own organized networking events.

For me the evening hit a very high note because I definitely have branding on the brain. It all began last month when my good friend, Stacie Tamaki, from The Flirty Guide took some time away from her insanely busy schedule to help me re-brand. If you have not seen my new website, please check it out at imcevents.com.

I have learned many things from Stacie but among them is the importance of branding. We went to great lengths to get a specific color of green for my new look. It was an easy color to define by Pantone number but not that easy to print. My first run of 2,000 business cards had to be tossed because the green was just not the right green.

So last week when I did my first showcase of the year with Fanfare I got right into the swing of things with my new green look. Branding at the Stacie Tamaki level means finding green foiled Hershey's Kisses in a multi-colored variety Easter pack and then picking out only the green ones. Even Stacie had to admit that she was impressed with my green-to-the-point-of-envy efforts as you can see from my display.


As crazy as all this may sound it really makes a difference when you are branding your company with a color, graphic, slogan or anything else people will associate with you. At The 411 I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Boyd who is a non-denominational wedding officiant. Barbara was curious about branding and asking me to share some of my experience on the subject. Our conversation segued into an introduction to someone named "Edith." At the very moment of introduction I flashed on my brief visit to the Bridal Expo on January 31 at the Santa Cruz Cocoanut Grove where I recall noticing a very classy cake exhibit. Three things struck me about this company which was a standout in the midst of a busy wedding show packed with vendors of all kinds.

1. Vivid Periwinkle Blue Color
2. Catch Phrase: "Understated Elegance"
3. The proprietor's first name, Edith

As soon as I was introduced to Edith I asked her if she had a cake company in Santa Cruz. She was blown away by my instant recognition of her exhibit. I was not surprised at all because Edith Meyer is not only a class act but also very skilled at branding. You have my word on it as well as a very real first hand story from The 411. And what better place to experience great branding than the launching of a brand new industry networking event.

My thanks goes out to Edith Meyer for setting such a great example of branding for all of us.

And for the record, I hear that her cakes are just as amazing as her marketing efforts so it is nice to know that Edith also walks the walk.

-CM

DJ & MC – Are They The Same Thing?

I have returned with a brand new look!

WHAT!?! You seldom see anyone with the "MC" tag following their name.

That's because it could be one of the least understood but biggest responsibilities at any event. Webster's definition of MC/Master of Ceremonies/emcee is "a person who directs the entertainment at a party, dinner, nightclub, radio or television broadcast, or the like, acting as host and introducing the speakers or performers."

Wow! It seems that person can really impact the successful (or not) outcome of an event. No wonder I have enjoyed orchestrating events for so long. I love the challenge of managing many variables that all combine in order create a well timed event that flows smoothly. It is a lot like massaging all the ingredients in a recipe to make the perfect dish.

So where does a DJ fit into this mix? Mixing music is what a great DJ brings to the party. It takes keen music knowledge, programming and technical mixing skills to become a proficient DJ. A great DJ is every bit as much "Live Entertainment" as a band because the selections are chosen on the spot. Any automated playback source such as an iPod is really what is considered canned music because it is pre-programmed even in the shuffle or random mode.

So can a DJ also be a great MC? It is possible but it takes a super multi-tasker who can really think on their feet. After many years of being a musical host at thousands of events I've realized that it was more often my direction than my music that really made the biggest difference. Therefore, I feel it is time to enlighten the world on what makes a great MC and how much he/she means to the success of events.

I love to tell stories which is one reason I like to blog. Recently I've been expanding my MC skills into the culinary world, fitness arena and other non-wedding areas. Get ready for lots of stories and maybe even a few recipes.

My new website is imcevents.com and I LOVE audience feedback. So please drop me a blog comment, e-mail or call 408.298.7710 anytime that one of my stories rings your bell, floats your boat or flips your switch.

-CM the MC