Every year almost 300,000 brides in the UK book entertainment for their wedding reception. Whilst many are happy to choose the cheapest they can find there are 1,000s of others who are more discerning. The latter is where The Wedding DJ Association targets most of it's resources at present but also aims to educate/advise those in the former category over the long term.

Planning for this Association started over 2 years ago when it was felt by many in the industry that the true worth of the Professional Wedding DJ was being undermined by those who did not operate with the same ethos and commitment. Over 12 months of market research, followed by another 12 developing the system culminated with the launch of The AMPdj on 14th April 2008

So what makes this Association different?

It's client focused towards the Bride & Groom (you can view the main site Here). The Association promotes to the people who matter - our potential clients. Not one penny of subscriptions is used to encourage DJs to join (you have been brought here at no cost to The Association).

How will this be accomplished?

The bulk of the subscription money (70%-90%) is used to promote The Wedding DJ Association site and it's members to Brides (& the occasional Groom) using on-line and, when funds permit, magazine adverts. The rest will cover the expenses of running The Association.

Although The Association has only been established for a short time we are already achieving some great results - both in terms of enquiries generated and bookings secured by our members. We are reaching clients who, until now, only a select few have been able to afford to advertise to.

Steve Mitchell, based on Merseyside states:

"As soon as I heard of The Wedding DJ Association I applied to join as I could see the potential of it. In the last few weeks I have secured 4 confirmed bookings from the enquiries received - valued at over £2,000. I have also had to turn down numerous others"

Below I will answer some of your questions - pre-empted by what has been asked on the forums - if you have any others simply get in touch.

Where Does The Money Go?

Can I first of all say where it won't go - none of your money will go to encouraging other DJs to join up. This is based on the principle that when a system works well for its' members others will hear of it and join of their own volition without money being spent on persuading them to do so.

This leaves the money to be spent where it matters, advertising and promotion to potential clients. Just think for one moment, what would happen if you spent around 80% of your own turnover on advertising?

The remainder of the funds are used to cover running expenses including web hosting, bank charges and associated costs.

What's in it for you?

Well there's no guarantee that you will get extra work. How you deal with enquiries is down to you and your personal methods. The Association is committed to promoting it's members and working toward bringing extra enquires to those members. 

So the opportunity is there to secure extra work and I am delighted to report that (as at 1st June 2008) every existing member has already received enquiries (many are well into double figures) during the short time The Association has been established! Many of those members have also told me that they have already received confirmed bookings from those enquiries.

What does The Wedding DJA offer that other Associations/Directories don't?

I have studied a vast number of the on-line DJ promotion sites & DJ Associations, what they offer, what are their shortfalls etc. There are some great sites out there and I would recommend that you look into those sites in addition to Wedding DJA. What makes this one different is that we are selective in who joins, we don't offer free listings and we use the vast proportion of our revenue promoting it; making more potential clients aware of it's existence for both their benefit and that of our members.

The Association will show potential clients that there are differing levels of service when it comes to finding a DJ for their wedding. One of the major on-line wedding sites has already recognised this and approached us for a 'Brides Guide to Booking a DJ'. This is only the start ...

How does the Wedding DJA work?

Whilst The Wedding DJA site is aimed at Brides-To-Be there is a section for DJs, including some top-end marketing advice. Although this area is expanding, it's all kept in the background with the emphasis on clients.

Brides come to the site, they select their area and fill in their details. All registered DJs for that area automatically receive the details (no pre-selection by clients) and then it's down to the individual DJ to promote their own business in their reply, either by phone, email or post (as specified by the client).

I do believe that more DJs will charge what they are worth if the number of enquiries they receive is higher than they could possibly fulfil. The goal of The Wedding DJA is to bring in those enquiries in abundance and we're getting there.

How much will it cost me?

One years' membership starts at £49. This will cover registration and up to 3 areas (counties) of the UK. Additional areas cost £10 each.

Periodic reviews will take place and the price for future new membership will be re-calculated to take into account the number of enquiries the AMPdj is receiving and it's worth & value to members.

Who can Join?

The Wedding DJA also has a Registration Panel made up of 5 members who make the final decision on who can join. All applications are treated in-confidence and those who are rejected are given the opportunity to re-apply at a later date if they so wish or to appeal by forwarding additional information to support their application. In these cases the Applicant will also be informed of the reason(s) for refusal so that they can decide if they are able to make the changes required to meet the criteria.

Finally...

Applying to join us is pretty simple - go to the Application Page and fill in the form. This will be processed and you will receive a response, normally within 48 hours. Before doing so however please take time to read through the Code of Ethics .

And that's it. If you have any questions you can either send me a message or give me a call on 07803 753260*

Paul Smith
Administrator
The Wedding DJ Association

*Please take time first to read the information submitted here, where answers to many of your questions may already be provided.

Thank You