by RobertL | Nov 4, 2019
After a flurry of activity, with a constant flow of wedding reception guests to my photo booth, I finally had a moment to breathe, grab a sip of water and get ready for the next onslaught of revelers.
Just then, a little flower girl (maybe five or six years old) who had been a regular “customer” all evening, came back to the booth yet again, this time dragging an uncle. I dutifully deployed the small road case I had been using to raise the little lady up high enough for the camera to capture, and waited through another session of four photos.
After an evening with “babysitter” tacked onto my photo booth operator job description (the flower girl wasn’t the only excited youngster in attendance), my patience was starting to fray a little, and I caught myself grumbling internally as I ducked back into the booth to remove the road case. The kids were just being kids, but it can get tiring after a while. (Especially when the partying parents are AWOL…but I digress.)
I handed the photo prints to the flower girl (she had to distribute them to all of her photo-mates, of course), and as she passed one on to her uncle, she held her own copy out in front of her and said loudly, “I’m gonna keep this forever!”
We all know that particular photo print is likely already lost, discarded or destroyed. However, that little moment led me to a bigger realization about the symbiotic relationship between DJs and photo booths. It’s all about making memories.
MEMORY MACHINE
Wedding DJs, in particular, are aware of their responsibility in the creation of the memories that make up a “successful” reception. All the vendors have their parts to play, of course, but as MC/host, musical entertainer, and often event coordinator, the savvy wedding jock understands how important his or her personal performance in all areas is truly essential to the event’s overall success.
Along with music programming, mixing, hosting, etc., most DJs also offer extras like uplighting, monogram gobos, video, and more. Over the last decade, one of those “more” items has risen above the rest in importance for many DJ companies: photo booths.
Based on the little epiphany I described above, along with about three years of experience as a photo booth operator (running a fully enclosed, touchscreen setup with printer, requiring a good deal of operator involvement), I see the DJ-photo booth relationship as qualitatively different from any of the other typical add-ons. Why?
The photo booth is a perfect counterpart to the DJ’s “creation” of a memorable event. With a photo booth complementing the DJ’s performance, the guests have a chance to create a visual reminder to jog their memories of the wonderful event. And who better to provide that memory aid than the one orchestrating the wonderful memories in the first place?
(I realize that photo booths can also be great for photographers and videographers to offer, but I would argue that they make the most sense either as a DJ offering or as a stand-alone service.)
Sure, the photo booth experience is about being in the moment (often being quite silly in the moment!). However, it’s also about capturing and saving that moment of fun at a joyous occasion. Whether they’re uploaded to a Facebook feed, under a magnet on someone’s fridge, or in a pile of prints for newlyweds to enjoy, the images from a great event create an afterglow of joy for guests and couples alike. They provide a tangible reminder that augments the photo booth user’s personal memory of the experience. Sometimes they even help a guest remember how much fun the DJ was, when it comes time to plan their OWN event. — Dan Walsh
Dan Walsh is the Chief Content Editor and Curator for Mobile Beat. In addition, he has been working Photo Booths for a DJ/Photo Booth Multi-Op in Rochester, NY for the past 3 years.
by RobertL | Oct 28, 2019
10times.com is the #1 resource for discovering trade shows and conferences that serve a particular interest or demographic. According to the site header, 10times is “The only global event ranking table to calibrate the performance of events in their core missions after carefully considering factors like : audience reach, opportunities created, size, rating, format and international outlook.”
The number of events the site covers is quite astounding, so, each year, to help break it down, 10times.com compiles a Top 100 list for their major categories. For the second year in row, Photo Booth Expo has made the list. For 2018, PBX ranked as the #38 Trade show & Conference among the TOP 100 Photography & Imaging Events.
The most recent list shows PBX making a substantial gain, moving up to the #13 spot. Given that the list includes some of the world’s most prestigious and respected events, this places Photo Booth Expo, and the Photo Booth industry in a very good light globally.
by RobertL | Oct 18, 2019
Catalina Bloch is one of the Photobooth professions top mentors. She is the founder of MDRN Photobooth Company. In just 3 years, she grew her company from a single booth in one city to 9 booths in 3 cities. Cat shares her knowledge freely through her photo booth training website, educational videos like “Secrets To Running a 6 Figure Photobooth Business” and weekly with Photobooth Supply Co Social Media.
Corporate bookings are often the Holy Grail of the Photo Booth business. A few solid “Corporates” can really help your bottom line. Where many business owners fail in getting these lucrative bookings is simply the lack of knowing of how to structure a proposal. Catalina is a pro at this, and will be sharing her knowledge and experience at the 2020 Photo Booth Expo.
In this presentation, Catalina will teach you exactly how to close on corporate clients and corporate event planners. We will go over these 3 main points and I will even include a sample proposal that you can download to start sending to your clients. You’ll learn:
• What Corporations and Corporate Event Planners are looking for
• How to structure your message to them
• How to deliver a stellar proposal that will help you close more large events
by RobertL | Oct 18, 2019
Judd Lillestrand has been involved with selling online for 15+ years. He started his career at Zappos.com and most recently became a co-founder of CheckCherry.com. He believes referrals are the most important gauge in knowing if your business is doing it right. “Referrals can be the cornerstone of your business and provide a healthy baseline of deal flow each month”, he says, “If you’re interested in learning what you can do to develop and foster simple yet effective referral systems, you should attend my session entitled “Developing Well-Oiled Referral Machines.” You’ll find there’s a lot more to getting maximum customer referrals than sending out an email after each successful event.”
by RobertL | Sep 22, 2019
You know you have what it takes to grow your business — so what’s holding you back? There’s a certain level of comfort in running a small “Mom and Pop” Photobooth rental company. To go beyond that level means leaving that comfort zone and taking some serious risks. One of the biggest is when you start hiring and training people to work for you. In a perfect world. everyone you hire will be honest, reliable and hard-working, but everyone who has employees knows that’s pure fantasy.
So, how do build the kind of team that adds value to your operation, so that one day you can enjoy the fruits of your labor? Start by attending Brandon Wong’s seminar “How to Hire and Inspire… So You Can (eventually) Retire at Photo Booth 2020 in Las Vegas. Register now at PhotoBoothExpo.com
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they might not be big enough.” – Brandon Wong
Watch “Photo Booth Training: Turbo Charging Your Photo Booth Business with Brandon Wong” on PBNTV.
