Are you wondering what it takes to plan a successful school function or dance? I’m going to explain all the different factors you must consider to ensure that your school dance or function comes off without a hitch, whether it’s a winter formal, semi-formal, prom, or senior all-night party.
The very first thing you need to start with is forming an organizing committee to make all the financial and design choices for the school function. This committee is usually part of the student council, and these tasks help them learn to handle real life planning events. When it comes to these dances it’s important to pick out a committee that you feel is responsible and can make the right decisions to represent the overall student body.
After the committee is in place you need a budget for your event. None of the planning can take place without establishing a budget and fundraising goals so you know where you need to allocate all the funds for the different portions of a school dance. The amount of money that is available for a particular event will drastically effect the planning of all the different elements of the school dance.
The earlier you can, you should pick a couple of possible dates. Then you can start shopping around for different venues and vendors. This all depends on your budget of course. Many times it’s better to have your winter formal or semi-formal in your home gym, and then have your prom at a fancy location like some of the ones in downtown Portland. The rental cost of the building is going to be the majority of your event budget. That’s why it’s so common to have the school committee pick their gym for their winter formal instead of having it off site.
When schools make this choice it ends up being a more successful event and it means you can allocate the majority of your budget to entertainment and lighting. When schools have a bigger budget and decide to keep their school dance at their school or gym we are able to bring in professional lighting, moving spotlights, and concert level sound systems.
Give the kids an experience that takes their school dance to the next level
One of the most popular options for a winter formal or prom is a unique photo booth. We offer a T12 open-air photo booth that allows groups of 20 people to be in a single photo session. Each person that comes through a photo booth will get a 2 by 6 strip to take home with them as soon as they exit the photo booth.
Our photo booth packages start at $995 but we have many options to add to them. The photo strips that we offer can be custom designed with the theme of your school dance or to match your school colors and logo. These are all things that we’ll cover during our consultation meeting and this is a good time to provide us with the artwork for the custom design on your photo strip. In the Portland area, photo booths are a great way to create excitement and school spirit before the dance even starts
When trying to decide on a DJ company for your school dance there are many factors that come into play. It’s always smart to have a one on one consultation meeting before deciding so you can meet with the DJ who will be performing at your event. This is a great team-building process.
Our approach is to work together with the committee and the teachers to create a successful event and make sure everyone is happy. Our DJ company is more than just a DJ who plays music. Most of our packages include photo booths, lighting design, and photography. With these packages your school can save a lot of money by getting multiple services from one Portland company
One thing that is very important that you might not think about when hiring a DJ is whether they are skilled in the art of mixing. It’s always good to ask for past DJ mixes from schools that they’ve performed at in the past. Also check to see if they have video reviews or examples of their work so you know exactly what you’re getting when they show up at your school dance.
You want to find a DJ who is relatively talented at mixing and blending music. You want somebody who has knowledge of different genres that they can pull from when crafting a unique playlist for your school dance. These are all important details that you want to go over in your consultation meeting. Not every DJ’s musical taste and style will fit your needs, so the more communication you have beforehand, the more successful your school dance will be.
When we prepare music for a school dance there are many different directions that we can go. There are so many different genres and styles to chose from. When it comes to the schools in the Portland, Oregon area we tend to play more top-40 sing-alongs and urban hip hop songs that are school appropriate and teacher approved.
When we go to the schools in other areas such as Vancouver, Washington, Salem, Oregon, Newberg, Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, and McMinnville, the types of music can drastically change. This is why we like to have a consultation meeting and we also provide an online planning form.
These online planning forms are helpful when trying to decide which music to choose for your school dance. Once we are a couple weeks out from your school dance we will ask for a submitted playlist that is put together by the students but is approved by the teachers for the particular school dance. All our music is edited and gone through thoroughly to make sure that it’s appropriate for everyone that’s attending the school dance.
It is very important to us that we choose good clean music that satisfies both the kids and the teachers for a successful event.
At DJ Cutt Entertainment, we like to plan our music based on your request list and then add our own suggestions to it based on what songs have been most well received in the past. I feel that as a professional it is important to pre-plan your set list to make sure that we play all the top requests that you have given us. This will create a successful event for the kids and the teachers
It’s not usually at the top of everybody’s list but it’s good to find a DJ who has good mic skills and the ability to hype up the crowd. One of the biggest factors that make or break a good event is having an MC that knows how to excite the crowd but is not on the mic the whole time. The school dance is about the kids having fun and enjoying the evening. MC style is one thing that you want to bring up before hiring a DJ company.
The cost of the DJ can depend on many different factors. DJs offer a variety of skill levels and what they bring to the table is drastically different. For school dances, our packages usually include a DJ setup, photo booth or photography, and an extensive lighting setup with trussing. So the price for a school dance is going to depend on what you need.
When it comes to semi-formals or middle school dances these are usually budget-friendly and on the cheaper side because it normally involves a simple setup. Not every school dance needs to be over the top with a concert level sound system.
Whatever your needs and budget level, you can rest assured that DJ Cutt Entertainment has the expertise and professional gear to make you school dance unforgettable.
The cost of the DJ can depend on many different factors. DJs offer a variety of skill levels and what they bring to the table is drastically different. For school dances, our packages usually include a DJ setup, photo booth or photography, and an extensive lighting setup with trussing. So the price for a school dance is going to depend on what you need.
When it comes to semi-formals or middle school dances these are usually budget-friendly and on the cheaper side because it normally involves a simple setup. Not every school dance needs to be over the top with a concert level sound system.
Whatever your needs and budget level, you can rest assured that DJ Cutt Entertainment has the expertise and professional gear to make you school dance unforgettable.
When it comes to semi-formals or middle school dances these are usually budget-friendly and on the cheaper side because it normally involves a simple setup. Not every school dance needs to be over the top with a concert level sound system.
Whatever your needs and budget level, you can rest assured that DJ Cutt Entertainment has the expertise and professional gear to make you school dance unforgettable.
We are a full-service entertainment company in Portland that provides its clients with top-quality service and leaves them feeling like they made the right decision in choosing us. With our wide range of services, we strive to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. We have extensive experience in DJing, videography, and live streaming, as well as other aspects of live events such as lighting design, sound engineering, and more!
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