Hello all! Today is the day before Christmas Eve and as I sit here watching Elf on tv, I started to think about this year’s 2017 wedding and event season. I’ve completed my final event just last week and I figured this is as good time as any to open up my laptop and write out my 2017 Year In Review!
Like last year, before I get into things, I want to say thank you again to so many extraordinary and marvelous clients who took the time to reach out to me and book me for their weddings and events this year. You have helped skyrocket Kalifornia Entertainment into the stratosphere and it has been the best year to date! Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into things a bit more…
2017 Year In Review
This year was the year that I invested into YOU, the client. I purchased better sound, better lighting, better set ups and gained more knowledge into making each and every event better than the last. Someone once told me that if you’re not learning anything after each event you do, then you’re not growing as a business. That being said, after every single wedding or private event I have done I took some time to reflect on everything that happened from beginning to end. I ask myself these 10 questions:
- What went great?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What can I do to make the next one better than the previous?
- What can I do to make load in, set up, tear down and load out more efficient?
- What did I do that really made the client happy?
- What can I do next time to make a client even more happier?
- How was the sound, lighting, mixing and MCing?
- Did I catch myself saying the same thing over and over on the mic or did I keep things original and unique?
- What songs mixed well together and what songs need some work?
- Did the crowd respond well to everything you did and did you maintain a full dance floor?
These things help me to maintain a professional and polished service to everyone who books me. It helps me grow, it helps me get better and it keeps me humble because I can always learn to be better or realize any flaws that I may have had. Why is this important to a client? Because if an entertainment business does not see their own flaws or figure out how they can be better, then that means they will never be better for YOU and repeat common or similar mistakes for everyone they are booked with. Kalifornia Entertainment maintains a standard for having predominant, paramount and unsurpassed quality with every event and wedding we do. That quality is proven and is shown by all of the 5 star reviews, awards and achievements I have received this year.
To date as of writing this, I have received the following, all FIVE STAR REVIEWS:
- Weddingwire – 84 reviews
- The Knot – 47 reviews
- Facebook – 86 reviews
- Rochester Wedding Directory – 39 reviews
- Google – 2 reviews
258 reviews total! This has put Kalifornia Entertainment as one of the top DJ businesses in Rochester and surrounding areas. But here’s the interesting thing…that puts me in a similar league as many multi-op businesses but as a sole DJ who runs Kalifornia Entertainment on my own, that number of 5 star reviews makes me #1 in the city as a sole proprietary owner. No easy task and it’s an honor to be able to say that. Now, let’s discuss the achievements for this year:
- Kalifornia Entertainment has become the preferred DJ for 40 different vendors
- Venues, Photographers, Videographers, Florists, Bakeries, Planners, etc
- This graphic show’s me as a Finalist and Winner in multiple mediums:
I would also like to take the time and give my thanks to my beautiful, supporting, patient and loving wife who I married this year (May 5th, 2017). Without her support, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do and be away every weekend. We had a destination wedding with a small amount of people and it was the greatest time ever. As someone who works in this industry and see’s how hectic and crazy it can be planning a wedding, we took a long hard look at what we wanted to do to make things different and unique. So, we got married in Marco Island (our 2nd home away from home area) on a beach, surrounded by 19 of our closest friends and family. It was everything we hoped it would be and more.
I would also like to give a special shout out to a few of the stunning, breathtaking and impressive venues I had the pleasure of working at this year, in no particular order:
- Rochester Radisson Airport
- Rochester Radisson Riverside
- Inn on Broadway
- Casa Larga
- Burgundy Basin Inn (multiple times)
- La Luna (multiple times)
- Geneva Country Club
- Deerfield Country Club (multiple times)
- Woodcliff Hotel (multiple times)
- Artisanworks (multiple times)
- Roger Robach Community Center
- Italian American Center (multiple times)
- Fingerlakes Hotel
- Glendoveers
- Back Yard Private Residences (multiple times)
- And many more….
The same goes for some extremely talented and remarkable vendors (some who are on my preferred vendor list) and some who I had the pleasure of working with for the first time.
- Colburn Creative – Photography (multiple times)
- Newland Weddings – Photography (multiple times)
- Coleman Films – Videography (multiple times)
- Something Delicious – Wedding Cakes (multiple times)
- Sinful Sweets – Wedding Cakes (multiple times)
- Christina Matiash Makeup – MUA (multiple times)
- Bred For Beauty – MUA (multiple times)
- Trusted Treazurez – Décor, Flowers, Throne Rentals (multiple times)
- Jennifer Costello – Officiant (multiple times)
- SPL Ink – Caricature Artist (multiple times)
- James Kenneth Studios – Photography (multiple times)
- S&S Limos – Transportation (multiple times)
- Madeline’s Catering – Catering
- Greg Francis Photography – Photography
- Chef’s Catering – Catering
- Cel Schneider Photography – Photographer
- Alex Cooper Photography – Photography
- Tina Marie Photography – Photography
- Pauleen Anne Design – Coordinator
- Premier Pastry – Wedding Cakes
- Rockcastle Florists – Flowers
- Elizabeth McDermott Photography – Photography
- Partyman Catering – Catering
- Arenas – Flowers
- Magic Moments – Photography
- The One Recordings – Videography
- Jessica Seaward Photography – Photography
- StudioVie Photography – Photography
- Beanart Photography – Photography
- Kittelberger Florists – Flowers
- Cheesy Eddies – Wedding Cakes
I know I’m missing a lot of other vendors and venues but these are just some that really stood out. Business for this year grew by 32% and as of now, it’s looking like 2018 will be a record breaking year also. This has been my 2017 Year In Review. Next year is just about completely filled (few dates available in February and March) and 2019 is getting filled up now too. Being booked close to two years out is an astonishing thing to happen which I never thought could. Once again, thank you to everyone who has booked me; continues to book me and to all of the vendors I have worked with and get to work with, cheers to a spectacular upcoming year and beyond! I look forward to working with all of you and can’t wait to see all of the wonderful memories we get to make for our clients.
Cheers!
Joshua V.
DJ Kalifornia
www.djkalifornia.net