Utah Wipa DJ Gig | Gala Recap
By DJ Cam Reeve
Photos by @breannawhite_photo
As a wedding DJ, I’ve had the opportunity to play at many amazing events. However, there’s something truly special and humbling about being asked to perform in front of your locals peers and wedding vendors. I recently had an opportunity to perform at such an event, and it was quite a special opportunity. Before I get to that story, though, I want to share with you a little background of where I was just a year ago and how I got into this position.
Years ago (before the pandemic) if you would have asked me to DJ in a room full of wedding professionals I would have honestly laughed you out the door. This wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows me well. Why? Because I didn’t love the thought of trying to please a room full of people who attend and plan weddings and events for a living. I always found myself thinking, “They are just going to be judging me the whole time.” Trust me, I didn’t like that thought.
So what changed?
In 2021, I attended the DJ Collective. This is a conference focused on making a creative space with emphasis on performance, branding, social media, marketing, and better business practices. Just weeks before that conference, I attended Wedding MBA. At the Wedding MBA conference I got a small taste of the power of what true networking can accomplish. When I attended The DJ Collective, it not only solidified in me what was initially sparked at Wedding MBA but magnified in my mind the power that comes from working alongside vendors, planners, and event hosts.
I know what you’re probably thinking. “Cam, you work with vendors and planners and event hosts all the time!” Well of course I did. I had just never really taken the time to build relationships to that point. I unfortunately had a bit of closed-minded thinking along the lines of “your talent will do all the talking for you, and so will your marketing.” Boy, was I humbled! As I was listening to a few sessions at the DJ Collective, I was reassured that working with people will get me further than working against people.
While at the DJ Collective conference in 2021, I jotted down a few phrases that stood out to me:
‘More is not better, better is better.’
‘Would I recommend myself?’
‘Master one thing while staying diverse.’
‘Focus on your client’s experience and the relationships, the rest will follow.’
I came home in November 2021 determined to be better and put some goals on my vision board. One of those goals was to DJ a conference in front of my peers.
Fast forward 11 months. I received a call to DJ the local Utah WIPA Chapters Gala. What a surreal moment – just 11 months before, I don’t believe I would have wanted to or even been asked to be part of such an event. There’s something truly special about having a vision and seeing that vision play out in under a year. What’s even more remarkable is that the news wasn’t the only rewarding news I would receive that week. Later on, I also got word that I would have the opportunity to DJ at the Wedding MBA DJ Takeover. If you’d like to learn more about that experience, you can check out my recap on Wedding MBA.
Now, back to our story. For those that don’t know, the WIPA Gala is a celebration and recognition event organized by the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA). At the Gala, vendors celebrate their achievements and recognize the contributions of their peers. The WIPA Gala provides an opportunity for networking and connecting with other industry professionals as well as spotlighting some of the amazing vendors in the local area. Each chapter has their own gala, and the Utah WIPA chapter holds theirs each fall after the busy season concludes.
Curious about the details of the 2022 Wipa Gala? Here’s what you should know. First and foremost, it was held at the beautiful Pendry Park City.
Planning and executing of the event was done by Tonya Hoopes of Hoopes events, Sarah Christine of Montage Deer Valley and Kaushay of Kaushay & Co. Events
The floral work was done by @floralrhapsody
The paper products & design were provided by: @annelizabethprintstudio
The incredible photographer for the event was @breannawhite_photo (She took all the photos in this blog)
The photo booth was provided by one of my good friends Mikey at @clementinephotobooths.
The rentals were provided by: @diamondeventandtent.
Live performers were provided by Utah Live Bands and the outdoor lighting entrance was provided by Skylark Productions.
Powell Wedding & Events provided speakers for the entrance.
As a recap I was honored to be a part of this event and the community around it. I provided lighting, sound, Co’2 fx and DJ services for the Gala with the help of Powell Weddings and events. You can listen to part of my live dj sets here👇(Below) I knew that no matter what I was gonna play, people would choose to dance or not to dance. These professionals are at events 2-3 times a week and I promise you they have seen and heard it all. So I opted to play current top requested music at events but putting my own twist to them with the mashups, bootlegs, and house music trends. I played for 6 hours and can’t say thank you enough to those who let loose on the dance floor. Big shoutout to the Utah WIPA Chapter for letting me be a part of this event.
For those interested in collaborating on an event or interested in my DJ services I can be reached on website www.djcamreeve.com or by email at info@reeverbent.net
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