Most entertainment RFPs produce bids that cannot be compared to each other. One vendor quotes four hours of music, another quotes a full day with run of show ownership, a third quotes equipment only, and all three numbers land in the same spreadsheet as though they mean the same thing. The fix is specifying the scope tightly enough that every bid is answering the same question.
“DJ Reese is fantastic. We have been using him for our Corporate Promotional Events. Often we find DJs tend to want to put their own spin on things, but not what we’re looking for. After explaining the type of music and the overall vibe of the day, DJ Reese was able to deliver just what we needed. He’s very easy to work with from booking through payment and execution.”
, Joy Weir, verified client review
5.0 from 121 Google reviews. Learn more about our corporate event DJ services.
Most entertainment RFPs produce bids that cannot be compared to each other. One vendor quotes four hours of music, another quotes a full day with run of show ownership, a third quotes equipment only, and all three numbers land in the same spreadsheet as though they mean the same thing.
The fix is specifying the scope tightly enough that every bid is answering the same question. Here is what to include.
Section one: the event, in facts
- Date, including whether it is firm or provisional.
- Venue name, address and room name. Not just the hotel, the specific room.
- Headcount, and whether that is confirmed or projected.
- Audience description: seniority, industry, age range, whether clients or partners are present.
- The business objective in one sentence. What does leadership want to be true when people leave.
That last line changes bids more than anything else on the list, and almost no RFP includes it.
Section two: the scope, stated as hours and duties
This is where comparability is won or lost. State the start and end time of the performance, the load in window, and then the duties separately, because duties are where the price differences live.
- Music during which segments, specifically.
- Microphone and speech reinforcement for how many speakers.
- Emcee and run of show ownership, yes or no. If yes, say whether that includes writing introductions and managing timing.
- Any awards, reveals or produced moments, with a rough count.
- Whether the vendor is expected to coordinate with an AV company or supply all audio.
Section three: the questions that actually differentiate
Ask every vendor the same set and make the answers part of the submission rather than a follow up call.
- Name the person who will perform. Is that guaranteed in writing.
- List the backup equipment included, item by item.
- Describe how you would handle a microphone failure during the awards presentation.
- How many planning calls are included and when do they happen.
- Give three comparable events with dates, venues and headcounts.
- What are the overtime terms and who authorizes overtime on site.
- Are you subcontracting any part of this scope.
Section four: the administrative requirements
State the insurance limits, the certificate holder entity names, the payment terms your organization actually operates on, and whether you require the vendor to sign your paper. Putting this in the RFP rather than at contracting saves a week of redlines later and screens out vendors who cannot meet it.
What to leave out
- A budget number, unless your organization requires it. Stating a number produces bids at that number. Stating a range produces bids at the top of the range. Ask for the vendor best scope for the event and compare, then negotiate.
- A song list. Specifying music in an RFP signals you want a jukebox rather than someone reading the room, and the vendors worth having will read that.
- A required format that makes the answers hard to compare, such as an open ended narrative. Ask the seven questions above as seven questions.
How many to send it to
Three to five. Entertainment RFPs sent to a dozen vendors produce a pile of responses nobody has time to read properly, and the good vendors, who are usually busy, tend not to respond to what looks like a mass solicitation.
Give a real deadline and answer questions
Vendors will have questions, and the answers change the bid. Name one contact, set a question deadline, and circulate the answers to everyone bidding. An RFP where one vendor got clarification and the others did not has produced bids that still are not comparable.
Our answers to the seven questions
- Who performs. DJ Reese, named in the contract, with no substitution without your written approval.
- Backup equipment. Speakers plus backup speakers, a full wireless sound setup, three wireless microphones with one backup powered on and ready at all times, a backup laptop and a backup DJ table. Spares are live, not packed.
- Microphone failure during the awards. The spare is already live, so the recovery is a switch rather than a search. At a Newark summit in front of roughly 300 attendees this took about eight seconds.
- Planning calls. Included. Run of show review, name pronunciation, music direction and a walk of the room where the venue allows it.
- Three comparable events. A 500 attendee sales kickoff with a 20 plus segment run of show, a life sciences summit for roughly 300 leaders, and the FTF News Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel New York, booked in 2025 and again in 2026. Dates and venues on request.
- Overtime. Stated rate, stated increment, and one named person authorized to approve it on site so nothing arrives as a surprise.
- Subcontracting. None. Single operator, which is the answer most multi operator companies cannot give.
Send us your RFP and you will get these in writing, in your format, within the deadline.
Questions we get
Do we need an RFP for a single DJ booking
For a small internal event, no. For anything where procurement is involved, where the spend needs defending, or where you are comparing more than two vendors, the structure pays for itself.
Will good vendors respond to RFPs
To a well written one, yes. To a three line email asking for a price, often not, because the effort to quote it properly is the same and the odds are worse.
Can you send us a template
Yes, and we will send it whether or not you are considering us. Ask and it goes out the same day.
Next step
Send us your draft RFP and we will tell you what a vendor cannot answer from it. Most corporate events book us 60 to 90 days out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you plan for first with this type of event?
Date, including whether it is firm or provisional. Venue name, address and room name.
What’s the most common mistake to avoid?
This is where comparability is won or lost. State the start and end time of the performance, the load in window, and then the duties separately, because duties are where the price differences live.
What actually matters most on the day?
Ask every vendor the same set and make the answers part of the submission rather than a follow up call. Name the person who will perform.
