Sarah & Greg's Reception at the Cleveland Hyatt Arcade on July 30th, 2016 with Cleveland DJ Troy Entertainment

We met Sarah, Greg, and Sarah's mom Toni at another wedding we provided DJ entertainment and event production for at the Cleveland Courthouse.  They wanted to work with someone who has experience with challenging acoustics and that can make the party happen.  After several conversations and months of planning we delivered a formal yet fun reception  These two families know how to party it up. Working with The Hyatt Arcade Hotel staff and Photographer Lindsey Beckwith  was a pleasure beyond words.

Sarah & Greg's awesome reception at the Cleveland Arcade with Cleveland DJ Troy Entertainment from Troy Entertainment on Vimeo.

Weddings In Cleveland feature article still holds true today!

From time to time we all do house cleaning on our computers and delete files or folders we don't need or value more than the space they take up on our hard drive. While browsing thru My Documents folder I have to say it was a lot of fun looking back at the events we have done, pictures we took, and the press we received over the years. As I scrolled thru the files by name I found this gem below...an featured article that was published in Weddings In Cleveland Magazine in 2007. Funny thing is that this still holds true today. Over 9 years later this remains our path to success, niche, and mindset:

CLEVELAND DJ Entertainment & Event Production -- TROY ENTERTAINMENT
With a passion for entertaining the only thing the staff at Troy Entertainment loves more is the people they have performed for. If you have met Pete Troy, founder of Troy Entertainment, you’ll better understand why his company is on the recommended list of the majority of halls, hotels and party centers. “Personality, Organization…and someone who will make their event fun are the things today’s brides and grooms are telling us they want most” said Pete Troy as he attempts to keep his hand on the pulse of what people truly want. “Our clients appreciate the peace of mind we provide throughout the entire experience. Specifically, the attention they receive working directly with the owner of the company. I personally assist every client in the planning process, and we are the on-site event directors to the affair. They really value that relationship”.

“There is nothing more rewarding than to be asked to provide the entertainment for the friends, relatives and family members of our past clients. Creating return referrals and building long lasting relationship is something we have always been grateful to achieve. During this past year alone we have been asked to entertain at several weddings that were planned for family members of the management of local halls, hotels and country clubs. These are the people that see entertainment each week throughout the year. We are truly honored to have been selected for these extraordinary events”.

Mr. Troy and his staff have a history of credits and accolades within Cleveland’s media too. They have been featured in the Plain Dealer, Scene Magazine, and Sun Newspapers as well as interviewed on local television news and nationally released video wedding planning guides.

Keys to success: “Everyone wants to have fun. However, fun means different things to different people. We create a fun fit for each event. By utilizing a custom timeline, event preferences and personalized music programming, we are able to achieve a pleasurable balance of entertainment and hospitality.

Keys to selecting entertainment: “One would assume most DJ’s will have music and good equipment. With today’s technological advances that is the somewhat the easy part. However, the most important trait of a good DJ is not measured in megabytes, watts or ohms. It’s having the ability to think on your feet. Knowing what to play, when to play it and who you’re playing to!” says Pete. “So that being said what really separates DJ’s from one another is talent and experience…and the only way to judge talent and experience is by ones track record. It all comes down to their proven ability to create a fun and festive atmosphere. This is what we offer to all of those who are looking for quality entertainment. Our enthusiasm is contagious. I still find myself at these great events thinking ‘I can’t believe this is my career’ I’m truly fortunate”.

If you are not familiar with Troy Entertainment they would like to invite you to experience the difference in a non-committal informal setting. First, visit their website at www.troyentertainment.com . Feel free to browse the pages of their site, and while your there fill out the “contact us” form. You’ll be responded to quickly and cheerfully. Then take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to meet them in person and explore the possibilities. Its sound advice…you’ll be glad you did.

PH: 440.238.9480

The Anatomy of a Wedding Reception: “Making it Flo”.

The Troy Entertainment DJ’s philosophy on wedding flow and getting the party started!

It’s been said many times “ I want my wedding to have good flow”. This article will provide you with insight on some of the ideas and techniques we utilize to create not only good transitions between formalities but also how we achieve the wanted response from your guests, whether we are trying to move them into a mood, a seat, or onto the dance floor.

Each wedding reception we do can have several components or formalities. Most weddings will start with a bed of music during cocktail hour. For a moment think about the time your guests arrive. They enter the room slightly self-conscious and may go straight to the bar or they may try to locate a friend or group familiar to them. The DJ’s music should be uplifting but at a comfortable level. Music sometimes termed as “elevator music” may be too mundane and not inspiring enough to create what we call a “party mood” in the room. During cocktail hour sound level is extremely important, if kept just right guests will not have to strain to talk to one another.

Now it comes to the time to get your wedding guests into a seat.  For the DJ this is a process. Think about what people are doing at this point in the evening. They are in the middle of conversations and they have had a few cocktails.  You can hear that “buzz in the room”.  For this reason our DJ’s use what we call the “3 times a charm” method of DJ announcements. We repeat the information 3 times in the body of the same announcement. For example, if the DJ just opened up the microphone and said “We would like to have everyone find the seats” Most guests would probably miss the announcement entirely. Using the 3 times method and saying something like “Ladies and gentlemen, please find you tables and your seats, the introductions of the evening are next as soon as we get everyone comfortably seated, so once again let’s find our tables and our seats, thank you”. The first time they notice something is said, the second time they listen, and the third imbeds the information.

During dinner is a good time to play those smooth selections and keep it mellow to provide a comfortable backdrop so your guests can enjoy their meals and converse some more.

Let the dancing begin!  A novice DJ would think all you have to do is play the current hottest song and guests will come running to the floor. How often have you seen that a good song is played by the DJ yet nobody wants to “break the ice” and be first on the floor? This is common but there is an easy fix. First, let’s think about what we do know about the guests at wedding. In general  you have couples in attendance and we know men don’t dance much. They can however be made to feel obligated to dance. Our DJ’s can use several methods or tactics to start the night. We may use “peer pressure” to get them to commit to at least one dance and that’s how we will get are best chance to kick start the party.  Our DJ may say something like “Gentlemen, we want you to take your significant other, be it your wife, girlfriend, or date by the hand and look her in the eyes and ask her for this first slow dance of the evening”.  The minute some other guy does this you can bet most men will circum to the social pressure. Once the dance floor ice is broken you can bet all couples will follow.

Now Our DJ has a good opportunity to launch the party. He has all the couples on the floor. They are within crowd so they don’t feel like everyone is looking at them.  So what will we do next?  We then can pull out that popular song that has mass appeal and get the crowd moving.  We sometimes pass out “party enhancers” right before the transition from the slow song to the first dance hit just to keep the non-dancers engaged. Not everyone can bust a move, but they will waive a wand or shake a LED baton in the air with their friends!

We love talking to people about how we do what we do. If you have and comments or questions please feel free to ask. You are always welcome to see what our clients are saying at their event on our Youtube channel.

Three Things That Make A Wedding DJ “Good”

What makes a wedding DJ “good”? Caring. “Caring” feeds passion. “Caring” motivates and creates action.Very little can happen without it. Talent. Defined many ways, but is easily recognized when experienced. Love. Love fuels all great performers. Unconditional Love with no expectations. That’s why they “give” a performance – it’s an act of giving. When a wedding DJ loves his/her clients everything stems from that-every action; every decision; everything.... (read more here: Mark Ferrell's Blog) - Mark K. Ferrell