SPEAKER_01 0:00

Um, as it is when you meet anybody, like sometimes you found that find like a genuine connection right away. And I really tried to go deeper with people and and have genuine friendships.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter, where we have conversations with Northern Colorado's best networkers and find out how they make connections that help them grow their business. Now, I don't know, Matt, if anybody has been to a wedding where there's a lot of people that are involved in a big event, but uh tell us a little bit about your business and what you do to collaborate.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Um, I do have a business that does a lot of weddings, actually. That's about half of the events we do. Um, we also serve everybody from small, you know, like a speaker rental up to corporate award scalas with theatrical lighting production, outdoor events that need wireless audio spread, you know, a couple blocks in any direction. So we do uh that kind of stuff. We also um do photo booths as well. And they're a great marketing tool.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

Really cool. So um how did you get into the industry? How did you become a DJ MC and be able to get the scope of work that you do?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Well, I started as a broadcaster many years ago, and I found out pretty quickly that I didn't really like hanging out in a you know broadcast studio by myself. And so I started to do uh events. Most of them were like after hours parties and raves, and I got into doing more professional work as time moved on.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

You don't have to stay up as late, maybe, or do you still like uh uh sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Yeah, but you know, a lot of the stuff ends at like 11 or midnight these days, 10, 11, 12 a.m.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

There's been a shift towards earlier events recently.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Okay. Well, and when people are planning an event, um generally what's their first approach? Are they reaching out to you first and then needing other services, or are you getting brought in by uh uh an event planner or a corporate uh venue of some kind? Um what's the what's the process of how you generate business?

SPEAKER_01 2:12

We really rely on the our connections with event planners and venues. Usually people bring us in at some point after they've kind of secured their venue and their catering. And you know, we're usually top of the list. We get thought of early, but we get booked after they have some, you know, more important elements of the event taken care of.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

And and I'm sure you would love them to book slightly sooner than what they do, right? You get those like, hey, I are you available this weekend? You're like, maybe not. Um but what what goes into planning a good DJ set or a good um good event set?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Um well to answer your question about when people we would like people to book, um, you know, events like weddings that really require the DJ's heart and soul. We like to have a few months of planning time. Sure. Um we find that a lot of our corporate events book a little bit closer to the event date. And what goes into it is, I mean, from day one, you know, once they've activated us, we are including them in our logistics meetings with scheduling people, scheduling equipment, and uh getting to know the client and their preferences and finding out what's gonna make their day like uniquely them and special.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

So, what's what kind of things do you do to keep the relationships with your venues or your event planners that are referring you consistently strong and so that you continue to stay top of mind?

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Really uh just try to be a friend. Yeah, and see how you know, find out how we can help people. It's it's really about having a genuine connection with people. And uh the people that we work the best with we've worked with for years. Um of course we're always meeting new people. And um, as it is when you meet anybody, like sometimes you find find like a genuine connection right away. And I really try to um go deeper with people and and have genuine friendships and and really get to know them and you know spend time outside of work with them, do whatever we can to really um have an authentic relationship.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Yeah, is there anyone specific you want to mention that you've built that really genuine connection where maybe it goes beyond uh uh strategy or or just doing an event, but somebody you generally enjoy doing business alongside with?

SPEAKER_01 4:29

There's a few venues where we've gotten to know the um people that are doing the sales or they're running the events at the venue. Um it is kind of a high turnover job. Sure. And so when we get to know these people, when we get to know those people and we know that they're sticking around at the venue for a long time, um, I just, you know, have a visit, go out for a coffee or a beer, um, maybe go to a show together, whatever we can do.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Yeah, what are you seeing with events 2025? Uh, you know, we went through COVID, people are coming out, but now I see a lot of people doing a lot of different things. Um, any trends that are happening right now that you're seeing?

SPEAKER_01 5:06

I'm seeing uh trends of events starting and ending earlier. I'm seeing trends of people kind of scaling back a little bit and um not doing quite as elaborate. Um however, there's always those big ones as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Right. So, you know, you can never you can never tell what's gonna be coming across the email, I guess, when people are asking for event services.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Well, I always love the role that you do to facilitate a great event because as somebody who throws a lot of events, um, it could be that that place, that meeting place, that that time where somebody makes a connection. So um, what do you do to cultivate the right energy, build the right move, create the light the right uh environment for what the event is looking for?

SPEAKER_01 5:56

It comes from a solid pre-event communication vision, finding out what the client's vision is and what success looks like to them and building off of that. Uh you know, we really we're really focused on the flow of the event from start to finish. Um to me, it's like a theatrical production. You've got um, you know, your opening act, you've got your middle, and then you've got your closing act.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Well, when you talk about flow, unpack that a little bit more. Um, different parts that come in, different ways that like things, crescendos. Um, you know, how are you working with the other teams involved to make that happen?

SPEAKER_01 6:36

We work with the other teams to make that happen by finding out from them what's gonna help them be successful. So, for example, if you're at an event and you've got a photographer, let's just say, um, we need to know when sunset's gonna be so that they can take their guests of honor out for golden hour photos. Sure. We need to know when the food's gonna be served so that we can plan our act some activities around um hot fresh food so that the food's not sitting there dying while we're running some other activity that we should have started earlier or waited until later for. Finding out when people are going home, finding out when other vendors are cut, right? We don't want to wait to do um cool things that are gonna be great photo opportunities um until after the photographer leaves. We want to make sure we we make those things happen before the photographer leaves, just little things like that. Being aware and taking a holistic approach and and really understanding um what's going on in the big picture and not just our role.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Yeah, really cool. Well, I met you at a networking event. I saw you out and about, and I know you're involved in uh our community, but how is networking been a big part of how you're growing your business?

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Networking is a huge part of growing my business. I would say that networking with people in the event space was where I started my focus. Um, I've done a lot of networking with other people who have my role as an entertainer or DJ or a photo booth company. And that's probably been some of the net the best networking we've done because we're kind of now a go-to company for people that are traveling in from out of state for resources of equipment or you know, production assistance. And uh just having people that are calling us to to help them with their events or people that we can call for help their help with our events is really important. Um as it relates to networking locally, I've really made it a focus on doing that more recently, maybe since about January. And at first, I was like, how do I provide value to these people who have no, you know, they don't really have like a connection to the event industry.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

And so how can I help help these people um be more successful? And how can I like make authentic connections with them? And so having a focus on that and understanding what their needs are and and and how they want to be introduced, right, has been really important.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Well, I want to go into how you're able to network with people who also do what you do and and turn that into a very productive relationship. So, do you get any resistance when you first approach somebody? Because they're like, oh, it's Matt with Mountain Event Services, and so maybe they're intimidated that you're reaching out as um or or is it collaborative in the whole industry?

SPEAKER_01 9:28

It's pretty collaborative. I think that people might be a little bit more guarded with local um business friendships because it's kind of you know, we're our kind of in competition. We're if you're anywhere between Cheyenne and Colorado Springs, we might be competing for the same customers. Sure. Right. And so um you really just have to to um share until it hurts.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Okay. There you go. So are you the one generally reaching out to them? Are they reaching out to you, or how do you make those first initial contacts?

SPEAKER_01 10:01

I think it's a little bit of both, but I think most of the people that I network with, I've meet in a like a group setting at first or a social setting, or we run at each other at an event and we see what each other's work is like, and then we have trust. And from there, we can go deeper, right? Because um, there's a lot of broad connections that are made, right? And um, I think it's really important to take those uh initial meetings. You know, you can't just go to the networking meeting and like there's you meet like 10 people and then that's it. You gotta go deeper with people and you gotta like really build those genuine and authentic connections.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

Yeah. So when you're out networking, and I I know I see you networking in a lot of places. Um, you're in that group in Fort Collins, you're in uh the stuff in Windsor with me, but who are you looking to connect with and what kind of relationships are you looking to build?

SPEAKER_01 10:54

I have found connecting with all different kinds of people in all kinds of different businesses really to be fascinating for me. I'd love to learn what their story is and how they got into it. Most of us didn't get into business to provide some kind of personal service because we wanted to start a business. We got into it because we loved providing the service. And so, you know, learning what that journey was from I like to do this thing to uh now I have a business where I offer this service to people is always a great story. I love that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

With the networking stuff that you're doing, um, what kind of connections are you looking to make? And what kind of relationships are you looking to build at those networking events?

SPEAKER_01 11:36

I like to make connections with people that are active in the community. And the relationships I'm trying to build are um I really do authentically want to like help and connect people to other people. And so whatever I can do to help somebody find um their next connection, whether it's a business connection or it's just somebody that they can like pass a referral along to, um, that's important to me. Um, I like to have that um that that clout of like being the one that knows the the secret thing, right? And so um, for example, today I just went and met with somebody who has uh a business with a lot of space and they're offering it as a space for people to meet. And um it's kind of like being a realtor that has off-market houses and they're building.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

You got those pocket listings, right? Exactly, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Yeah, you it's you know, they're not in the normal marketplace where people are looking for venues, but I have the some secret sauce that I can share with people.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Well, and I think a lot of people want to plan an event that is not the normal event. It's something unique to them, something that's memorable to them. And sometimes it's not just about what you know, it's who you know and what connections you have. So Matt, how big's your team? I know uh you got a lot of different DJs for the a lot of different occasions, but how big's your team? And is there anybody on the team that we want to shout out who's doing it at a high level?

SPEAKER_01 12:56

I've got about 25 people, the you know, um DJs and MCs, the roadies and um photo booth technicians, and I would really want to give a shout out to the people that are driving a lot of our five-star reviews right now. Eric, Cassidy, Ryan, um, you know, the people that are out there making the events happen and um, you know, just really taking care of the the customers and their guests.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

Yeah. And and uh how do you pair the right MC, right DJ with the right event? Or is it is it mostly logistics, is it uh availability, or is it flow or energy? How do you make those connections?

SPEAKER_01 13:33

I think the top priority is uh personality match. Um we're not all the same. Right. Uh we all have skill sets that we share, but I might not be the right guy for a certain event, but I've got somebody on my team that is. And so I like to think of uh how that event is gonna look successful. I like to look at it through that lens and see who's gonna be the best talent to match with the customer and their guests.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

Yeah. And you talk about the five-star reviews. Um, and a lot of people are reaching out and they're looking at the Google reviews before they hire in somebody, even if it comes in through a referral. Like uh, if I recommend that you should use something, before they reach out, they they Google them and see how they are doing. So how what do you do to provide that five-star experience and make sure that you're getting those five-star reviews?

SPEAKER_01 14:22

We we well, we have to stay visible, right? Um, I mentioned earlier that people book us sometimes weeks or months in advance. And so um, we can't just take the booking and then like disappear. Sure. Right. And responsiveness is really important. Um, you know, just getting back to people or answering right away if we can, um, letting people know that we see them and we'll get back to them as soon. Um and those are those are just you know some of the ways we we've we really value follow-through, solving problems, and of course infusing every event we do with joy.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Yeah, I love that, Matt. Well, thanks for coming on. I I think people that are in your industry do networking in a really great level. I always see after an event, a vendor will post, hey, here's all the different uh vendors that were a part of this and and tag each other a network. I know Northern Colorado has a lot of different uh Facebook groups that are where people are networking. Um, and it's a really great insight for coming on the podcast and sharing what you do. But if somebody wants to get on your vendor list, uh if somebody wants to book you for an event that they have planned coming up, what's the best way for them to get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Uh call, text, or email.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

All right. Yeah, you want to give out your absolutely yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

The phone number is uh 970-372-4882. You can make a text message, you can send a phone call. We'll do everything we can to get back to you or answer right away. Um, if you prefer email events, e-v-e-n-t-s at mountain eventservices.com. Event is singular, services is plural.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

All right. Well, we'll put it all in the podcast description. So yeah, come network with us, meet Matt uh and connect with him. But Matt, I hope to see you around uh the networking scene and uh thanks for what you do for throwing great events in Northern Colorado.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Hey all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado, I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh go in the podcast description. There's a way so you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.