Stratford Small Business Spotlight: Celebration Entertainment Disc Jockeys

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Celebration Entertainment Disc Jockeys
Owners: Tommy MacKay
Website: www.BookTheDJ.com
Address: Stratford,CT

How did you come up with the name?
I wanted the name of my company to be exciting while also conveying what we do in a simple way. We provide entertainment for any kind of celebration, so it was a no brainer! What we didn’t take into consideration was the length of the name, which is hard to fit in some formats of advertising or marketing materials. So when we launched our website we made it even easier to remember how to Book The DJ!

Why start a business in this town?
I was born and raised in Stratford. I attended St. James School from K-8 and I graduated from Stratford High (Go Red Devils!) This is my hometown. And while many of my friends longed to move away-I’ve always wanted to be a part of my community.

What business are you in?
Celebration Entertainment is a full service mobile disc jockey company. Not only do e provide the music for your celebration, but we also offer Party Planning, Audio/Visual Production & Mixing, Social Media Marketing Solutions, Graphic Design, and Event Lighting. We provide DJ/MC service for Weddings, Sweet 16’s, School Dances, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Corporate Events, the list goes on and on.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
The industry has changed a lot since we started in 1996. At that time there were about 10-15 DJ companies in Fairfield & New Haven County.
Now, due to the inexpensive technology, there are over 100 companies vying for attention. And while there are many DJ’s to choose from, there are still very few professionals that can cater to every type of event. It’s not as easy as just pressing a button and -’poof’ -people dance. There is an art to it. Every event should flow with a natural building energy that makes it easy for guests to get up and dance. After 19 years I feel that we are DJing our best events ever!

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?
We’re on our way reach our 3000th booking ever. That is quite an accomplishment. And we owe it to our commitment to work hard and make every client happy one party at a time. Over the last 19 years we have DJ’d at bars and night clubs, bowling alleys, town carnivals and fairs, charity events and conventions. But it is the private parties-the weddings, anniversaries,etc that have solidified our reputation and keeps the word of mouth referrals going.

How does your business give back to the community?
Celebration Entertainment is proud to donate our services to worthy causes, with upcoming events for the American Cancer Society and the Lupus Foundation of America. Being a hometown DJ company, we also lookout for our friends & neighbors and try to help out with a discount or giveaway when we can.I’ve been back to DJ at my old stomping grounds, whether it’s a “Father Daughter Dance” dance at St. James School or Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet at United Methodist-we enjoy reaching out to our local schools to offer something back.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email wendy.mitchell@patch.com.