Things that can Rock or Ruin your Dance Floor

Things that can Rock or Ruin Your Dance Floor

• ROCK - I know lots of couples may not like this one - but get on that dance floor. People will naturally gravitate towards you, so if you are on the dance floor, even in spurts - or at least at the start for a wee bit - it will be much easier to get others on the dance floor.
• RUIN - placing older guests, guests more sensitive to sound closest to your band or DJ. Ideally, the people you should have closest should be your party goers. Your drinkers and the people most likely to dance. Even if you are clearing tables, those are the people least likely to miss their seats. Your band/DJ may not be able to turn the music up very loud otherwise.
• ROCK - lighting. Limiting venue lighting and having some dance lighting can help people who are more self conscious to have more confidence to hit the dance floor.
• RUIN - being too restrictive with your music. Bands and DJs will often play to as many people as possible, but if you specify what to play and when to play it too much, this can effectively shut down the ability for your professional to adapt to the energy in the room. Trust the people that you hire to know how to take your music brief and use it to guide how they play.
• ROCK - on the other hand, do let your professional know a bit about what you do want to hear and what you don't want to hear. Giving a handful of suggested songs and genres is better than absolutely none - then let them curate and play based on your tastes.
• RUIN - having your band or DJ too far away from the dance floor. Your vendors need to be able to see people and also understand that generally the speakers are next to your performers - so if your dance floor is a little way away from them - they will have to push the volume louder to reach the dance floor or find some type of work around.
• ROCK - have your bar near your dance floor. Not so close that the bar tenders can't hear, but close enough that people aren't venturing too far away from the dance floor. The music should be audible from the bar, so that people can catch those moments when they hear a song they love and can easily make their way back to the dance floor.
• RUIN - people don't have a lot of control over this next one but it's heat. In Canterbury during the peak months the temperatures can get to well over 30°C in Summer. So that period between Dec-Mar can have a significant impact on your dance floor. While many venues have aircon, often people naturally open doors and windows which means aircon won't work. But that level of heat can drive people outside. Don't worry about it - just go with it. You could consider having your dance floor outside or finding ways to cool your dance floor.
• ROCK - add ons like the led sticks in the picture above can be a great way to allow your guests to have a bit of fun. The kids love it, plus if any of the above ruin aspects occur - the led sticks can bring people back around again.
• RUIN - this is one that not many couples are aware of beforehand, venues with noise limits. The reason they're often not aware is that venues can sometimes be a bit elusive about how much of an impact this can have and most couples don't understand the practicalities of what that can mean. There are a number of venues in Canterbury who have ridiculously low noise tolerance levels, one I played was asking me to turn music down when I was playing background music. Another venue I played, I was playing with an incredibly small system (no subs) and they told me the music had been too loud. Talk to your venue. Find out how restrictive they are and whether there are particular times.