As they Say - **It Happens

Randy Bartlett of Premier Entertainment in Sacramento, CA tells us a story of a wedding ceremony he was part of a while back. The bride and groom, Dana and Dave, were both police officers and were getting married by the departments Chaplain. As she was conducting the ceremony she looked at Dana and asked, “Do you Dana take MIKE to be your lawfully wedded husband?” A confused Dana looked at the Chaplain in bewildered disbelief before Dave turned to the guests and said “All right, who is MIKE??”

To which the guests roared with laughter. The embarrassed officiate apologized profusely and continued on.

The point of all of this is that Dave handled the snafu with a sense of humor, and made the mistake a humorous outtake.

Much of the same was done at the recent 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia. After years of planning, putting in the prep work and even having dress rehearsals, not everything went as planned. One of the key effects for the opening ceremonies was to have five electronic snow flakes descend into the stadium (a la winter theme), open up and form the five Olympic Rings. Everything worked just as planned the day before in dress reheasal but on opening night, the snowflakes made there descent and only four of the five cooperated and one remained a snowflake (picture above).

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

This moment was not lost on the host Russians though and when closing ceremonies took place 16 days later they once again had a blossoming of the Olympic rings and again only four of them opened, this time though it was planned, making light of the original glitch.

And where am I going with all of this?
Charles Swindoll once said “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react.” Officer Dave and the Russian Olympic Committee handled their dilemmas with humor. So whether you are planning your child’s birthday party, a wedding, a bar mitzvah or a fundraiser know that – as the saying goes – stuff happens. Know this in advance and recognize how well you handle it may determine how successful your event turns out.

Until next time

~ Mike ~

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

Keep Moving Forward

Michael Walter, a noted contributor to the DJ industry, recently posted on the Disc Jockey News Writers Facebook page: “I just read my copy of the October issue cover to cover and I wanted to say Kudos. The content and advice in all the articles is superb. John and Lori Young (publishers) you both do an amazing job each and every month.”

It says something that Michael Walter, the guy who has written a book on how to successfully run a large multi-op DJ business (RunningYour Multi-Op), the guy who has been a keynote speaker at every major disc jockey convention and seminar in the country, is still reading publications from cover to cover in search of that one bit of advice or nugget that will help him continue to improve.

Likewise, Peter Merry, who may be regarded as the closest thing to a celebrity that exists in the Mobile DJ industry, is also a regular reader. Like Michael, he has written a book (The Best Wedding Reception Ever), has spoken at every major DJ convention in the country, and has appeared at many other wedding professional-related seminars. He has been interviewed on radio and television shows, been the president of the American Disc Jockey Association, toured the country presenting for that group, and, probably most notably, is paid a hefty figure for his DJ services. Yet last year, Peter was sitting cross-legged  on the floor with a group of us at the 2011 Disc Jockey Conclave the night before making his presentation. Not only did he attend the presentations, but he also took part in the interactive games and even joined us all the following evening for a Juicy Lucy. As successful and accomplished as Peter Merry is, he is not too proud to try and learn something new. He still considers himself one of the guys.

You’re probably catching the theme here: Michael and Peter are an example of many other industry leaders. They don’t simply rest on their past successes. Instead, they continue to look for ways to improve. They live by the code that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.  It’s a code I try to follow as well. In the past I have been to countless seminars on sales, customer service, social media and technology, both on the local level and the national stage. In addition, I am eagerly anticipating my first trip to the nationally acclaimed Mobile Beat Las Vegas DJ Show in February. The way I see it, even after 21 years, I still don’t know everything there is to know about being a small business owner  - or even a DJ. The truth is, I probably never will. However, one thing I do know is that when I’ve given up the quest to learn more and keep improving, then I’ve given up the opportunity to create a better business and a better lifestyle for myself and my family.

Seventeenth-century political leader Oliver Cromwell once said that “he who stops being better, stops being good.” Amen to that. Many professions, from teaching to nursing, regularly need to update their training to stay current in their chosen fields. If I aim to be considered a true professional in my field shouldn’t I do the same?

Unti next time,
~ Mike ~

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Dubuque / Galena

www.alexxus.com  |  563.590.5815