DJ Richard Mills

On the evening of Friday 6th November I was the Master of Ceremonies for the auspicious Hutt Valley Business Excellence Awards. These awards recognise Read the rest of this entry »

The Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards honour New Zealand companies that have excelled in their field of expertise over the last 12 months. Now in their fourth year, the Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent news story I read how in Australia, Austereo radio listeners will be able to control what is being played on air in real time and even nix bad song choices as they are playing in a radical new experiment that blends online and traditional broadcasts. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sitting in a 737 waiting to take me to Auckland. It’s already been a big day, as I worked last night until 1am at the Turoa Ski Lodge in Ohakune, which was a three hour drive from Wellington airport.

I’m to be the Master of Ceremonies for the two bridal fashion parades and I’m looking forward to it very much. Lisa runs a great wedding expo and it will be a huge day. I’m planning to offer a few nuggets for brides attending to help with the planning of their big day. Should be fun!

I’ll be flying back home this evening for some much-needed catch up sleep!

It came to my attention recently that there is a DJ operating in the lower North Island who has a conviction (and spent time in prison) for an abhorrent indecent assault on a female guest after an event. Another DJ in New Zealand had a complaint of alleged inappropriate behaviour levelled against him when he was a scout leader.

I realise that these are isolated cases, but it got me thinking about ethics, morals and scruples and it prompted me to get in touch with the Ministry of Justice to get a letter confirming my own clean criminal record. Read the rest of this entry »

Ohakune Mountain Mardi Gras, 27th June 2009

Tonight is the biggest party night of the year for Ohakune. As I sit in the upstairs lounge at the Turoa Ski Lodge writing this post, teams of people are busy rigging up the main stage, the sound the lighting, Read the rest of this entry »

It is with huge sadness that I read today of Michael Jackson’s death, aged 50. Ranked as one of Rolling Stone’s top 25 singers of all time, Michael was a true chameleon, changing looks, styles, sound and entertainment style with the decades. I’ve been Read the rest of this entry »

With the H1N1 Swine Flu now officially a worldwide pandemic, what thoughts have you given to preventative measures at your event or celebration?

Do you have sterilising hand gels in the rest rooms? How about face masks? Imagine, just for fun, a wedding group photo with everyone wearing a mask! What are your thoughts?

Take a look!

Compared with many DJs, my equipment when set up, is incredibly compact and visually discreet. The aim is to not detract from the (usually) beautifully decorated venue with big speakers, lighting frames, cables and other equipment.

When the situation requires it however, I use substantially more equipment than most. Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent post on his blog, my fellow DJ Nick Logan commented “If you’re looking at a photographer who “has great pictures but is much cheaper than everyone else”, ask yourself WHY that is”.  I found this comment extremely poignant and it really holds true for any service provider, DJs included.

If a DJ says he does everything for you that the recognised professional DJs do, but for a fraction of the Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to the two wedding shows in Dunedin and Auckland where I am acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the bridal fashion parades, I’ll be entertaining at lovely weddings in Taupo and Queenstown. I do love seeing other parts of the country and entertaining at new venues.

Once again I’m honoured to have been asked to act as compere/MC for the bridal fashion parades at the wedding shows, which are now in Dunedin and Auckland. Otago’s wedding show was on 5th April 2009 and Auckland’s one is coming up on the 19th April.

I’m extremely proud to have been nominated as a finalist in the Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards for the Entertainment section in 2009. Please vote for me- the button is below.

Corporate Events Guide Peoples Choice Awards Nomination for Entertainer DJ

For the third time I made the pilgrimage to America for the annual MBLV DJ show. This trip is always incredible, as I get my enthusiasm boosted, catch up with the very latest developments in equipment and performance, but mostly because of the incredible knowledge sharing and ideas I get from other attendees. The one area where most DJs fail is in continual self improvement Read the rest of this entry »

Valentines Day, the most romantic day of the year and this year one that I got to spend helping Jan and Cath celebrate their civil union wedding. It was a lovely ceremony at Old St Pauls in Thorndon, Wellington, which I provided music for. We all then moved on to the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor for the reception. I was the Master of Ceremonies and played the first few tracks before handing over to Nudge dance band. It was a great day and Jan and Cath were lots of fun.

It’s been the season for gorgeous, sunny Hawkes Bay weddings. In the last few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with couples and their guests at The Mission Estate Winery, Church Road Winery, Te Awa Winery, Elephant Hill Winery and the Old Church Restaurant. Please click on the links to view pictures.

Well it’s true to say that the wedding season is underway once more and what a spectacular start! Chris & Che’s stunning wedding at Stoneridge in Queenstown was lavish, spectacular and great fun, with music from both myself and iconic New Zealand band The Feelers. Jon & Denise’s wedding was just as memorable, out at the impressive Castaways in Waiuku on a very energising, blustery day. Following on from that was a fantastic article in the Dominion Post about planning company and corporate events.

On Friday 5th September I’m excited and very honoured to be the DJ and MC for Classic Hits FM’s complete classic wedding giveaway. Read all about the competition, the contestants and the winners (Tamar & Glenn) here.

Some people ask why I like do work so often as a wedding DJ. It’s because I truly want people to have an incredibly great wedding day. I want to be the person who takes the entire burden off their shoulders, who makes things go smoothly, who helps them avoid mistakes and create memories that Read the rest of this entry »

The 2008 Wedding Dreams Bridal Expo was a huge hit and was thoroughly enjoyed by attendees and exhibitors alike. The next Wedding Dreams Wellington wedding show is on Sunday 29th March 2009, again at the TSB Bank Arena. Expect an even bigger, brighter and better wedding expo this time! Winter is a traditionally quiet time for weddings and it’s a time to regroup and plan. This next season will see Richard entertaining in Auckland, Queenstown, Napier, Hastings, Taupo and of course, Wellington and the Wairarapa. It promises to be another fantastic year full of beautiful, memorable weddings.

Time is racing by at the moment as I’ve taken on the challenge of creating and organising the Wedding Dreams Bridal Expo at Wellington’s TSB Bank Arena. It’s aiming to be the annual Wellington wedding show that sets the standard for other wedding shows in Wellington to strive for. Expect an unprecedented radio campaign in the week leading up to the expo. Visit the website www.weddingdreams.co.nz for more information.

This last weekend was huge. I had a wedding on Friday, another on Saturday and another on Sunday. Each one was lovely and all were totally unique and different. Matt & Lisa’s wedding at Wallaceville House was an intimate affair, with lots of amusing Irish antics setting the tone. Paul & Krupti celebrated their wedding in Essex with a New Zealand wedding ceremony and reception for all of Paul’s family and friends and it was a wonderful celebration at Soi Restaurant at Greta Point. On Sunday, Tony & Nicolette FINALLY tied the knot after about ten years together and had a great fun knees-up with their friends and families. Thank you all- didn’t we have a great time??!

Wow. Just wow. I’m freshly energised, refocused and totally excited about the new direction, ideas and skills I’ve learned at the MC workshop and DJ convention in America. The wedding in Melbourne straight after the convention was wonderful also and I look forward to the next few weddings here in New Zealand!

I’m proud to be one wedding DJ and wedding MC who insists on continuing to learn and invest in my professional development to the benefit of my clients. Too many mobile DJs don’t invest anything in this area, which is a great shame.

I’m currently in Las Vegas at the MobileBeat International DJ Convention. Please accept my apologies if I don’t reply to your phone calls and emails immediately as I will be busy in seminars and workshops for much of the time.

I apologise to anyone who may have attempted to send me an enquiry through my web site between 8th December 2007 and 27th January 2008. I became aware that I wasn’t getting any enquiries and although the Christmas/New Year period is naturally slow for enquiries, this was abnormally quiet.

I did some testing and discovered that my contact form wasn’t sending emails to my address, possibly as a result of my ISP’s spam filters being too aggressive. I have now changed the email address and the form is working correctly again. If you’ve tried to contact me and haven’t had a reply, please accept my apologies- I wasn’t ignoring you, I promise! Please feel free to re-submit your query and I’ll personally phone you back to talk about your wedding or event plans.

Shortly I am flying to Las Vegas to attend the 12th annual Mobile Beat DJ Convention. In addition to the incredible equipment and technology expo hall, there are a huge number of advanced seminars and networking opportunities. I last attended this convention in 2006 and my clients have since benefited greatly from the application of the advanced learning and new ideas I brought back.

In addition to Mobile Beat, I have also paid and booked a position in the Marbecca Method Advanced Master of Ceremonies Workshop. Very few New Zealand MCs and DJs do anything to improve their knowledge and skills, let alone such an intense two day course in America. It’s a big investment in time and money, but well worthwhile to help my clients enjoy the very best celebration possible.

Having excitedly resigned from my full time employment, I have now turned professional and am 100% a full-time mobile MC and DJ. The reason for this change is that there simply wasn’t enough time to properly prepare for each wedding or event, as well as spend time with my family. This will allow me to have more comprehensive preparation and even better events and celebrations from now on. I am extremely proud to be one of the only 100% full-time professional mobile DJs in New Zealand. The vast majority of DJs still rely on a primary unrelated income to subsidise their DJ work. Many actually consider being a DJ as ‘a hobby that pays’!

Recognising this evolution, Rendezvous Discotheques Ltd has now officially become Award Entertainment Ltd. Branding has now been changed and I have phased in the new business name. Nothing other than the name is changing, apart from the change to full-time professional DJ/MC.

The name change also reflects that times have changed and that the terms ‘disco’, ‘discotheques’ ’sounds’ and ‘road show’ no longer represent the service provided by me. Also, virtually nobody was able to spell ‘Rendezvous’!

Sign-written DJ Transportation

One of the first and most obvious changes is the Award Entertainment company car, which has just received it’s new livery (sign writing). Here’s DJ Richard’s work vehicle, the trusty Holden V8 Station Wagon.