What We're Up To

We have a lot going on over the next month - on top of awesome weddings, corporate events, school dances and large production shows - and we're so excited about all of it!

-We have a huge Carnival themed Homecoming dance coming up. The dance floor and entrances are going to look like a big top carnival tent!
-We're starting on plans to expand our demo room/lighting show room and getting it ready for our Open Houses in January

-We're getting the ball rolling on plans for our company Holiday Party

-We'll all be out and about at a ton of networking events, so make sure to say hi!

-We're putting together a large proposal for a Baltimore Wedding on the Inner Harbor.

-Working with Rebecca from The Queen of Hearts on a unique lighting design at the Franklin Institute.

-Working with the very creative Leigh Karsch from La Petite Fleur on a few events.

-Finalizing the details for Synergetic's annual Thanksgiving football game.

-Attending LDI, one of the largest national trade shows for lighting, staging and production events.

What big things do you have coming up?

{Testimonial} From a fellow professional

We got this email from Evan of Pebble Hill Media. It's always nice to get positive feedback, but when it comes from a professional who has worked hundreds of weddings, it is pretty awesome.

"Jason,

I was the videographer for this wedding that your DJ’s Dave & Jenn were working on Oct 22^nd at Bensalem Country Club. I have been shooting weddings since I was in High School (early 1990’s). Lately most DJ’s just play the pre-recorded mixes. The same crap each party, very predictable. I was blown away by your DJ’s Saturday night. They made their own mixes and kept the guests up most of the night. It makes it fun and more productive for us when there is actually something to shoot, and listen to. We (my company) do a mix of work and event video is only a portion of what we do. Having a great DJ working the party makes it fun to shoot weddings again.

I just wanted to send my compliments to your company and I was truly impressed with Dave and Jenn’s work. If I ever need a DJ I will call you first."

Thanks so much Evan! We truly appreciate you taking the time to email us and let us know how they did.

{Video} Lighting at Celebrations

Michelle and Sam

It took six workers and almost six hours of labor, but when our team was done setting up for Michelle and Sam’s wedding, we knew we had created something extraordinary.

They had their ceremony and reception at the Loews Hotel at 12^th and Market Street. The Loews is quite an impressive venue and it’s perfect for weddings of 300+ guests like Michelle and Sam’s. Located in the oldest skyscraper in Philadelphia (the PSFS building), the Loews links history and modern elegance as its immaculate renovations deliver a very sleek and contemporary feel. Michelle and Sam came to Synergetic to enhance this beautiful venue with added lighting, draping, A/V upgrades, and of course, good music.

The production crew and I arrived at the Loews at 11:30am. We had a lot of work to do before the ceremony at 6:00pm. We first got to work on the lighting in the Millennium Ballroom where the reception was held. Michelle and Sam added up-lighting in amber, a dance floor wash, and pin-spotting to highlight their 27 centerpieces. We also set up a projector screen directly over the DJ booth that allowed guests to view slideshows of Michelle and Sam throughout the night. Their guests really got a kick out of that!

We also contributed to the ceremony by setting up 40 feet of drape with amber up-lighting.This created a beautiful backdrop that made for some wonderful pictures of Michelle and Sam exchanging their vows.

During the cocktail hour in the Millennium Foyer, I brought Sam into the ballroom to make sure he was satisfied with all the work we had done. He was speechless! The room itself accompanied by the city-scape that surrounds the ballroom made for an amazing sight. After all that work, the party was just getting started.

Michelle and Sam had a lot they wanted to do throughout the reception. They had parent dances, bouquet and garter toss, a traditional tea ceremony, and several slide shows that we projected on our screen. It was important that I kept strong communication between myself and the staff at the Loews to make sure we stayed on schedule. When there is a lack of organization among vendors, a wedding will tend to drag, usually resulting in less dance time at the end of the evening. Dance time is my favorite part of the night! So, before every wedding, I always review the timeline with photographers, videographers, day of coordinators, maître Ds, and any other professional involved in the reception.

On this night, I was able to get a solid two and a half hours of dance time. This is the point where the DJ can make or break your reception. I was recently at a wedding where the DJ was very professional: well-dressed, well-spoken, and handled formalities well. But at the end of the night when he had to show his true DJ skills, he was exposed. If you have guests at your wedding, like Michelle and Sam’s, who are expecting to dance, you need a DJ who can deliver in this spot. It’s these last two to three hours that separates me from your average wedding DJ. So what do I do to keep your guests on the floor?

Before anything, I come to the wedding prepared. Michelle, Sam, and I talked about songs and genres that they thought would work really well with their guests. We also discussed other factors that would contribute to my song selection: the length of the reception, demographic breakdown of guests, and their overall vision of what they wanted from me as a DJ. This information allows me to make a mental blueprint for where I should take the night weeks before the event.

When I’m spinning my music, I try to put myself in the position of the guests on the dance floor. If I was out there with them, what would I want the DJ to do? When mixing song to song, I am constantly aware of tempo, dynamics, and rhythm. By managing these factors, I make seamless transitions and can continuously build the energy in the room without any awkward breaks in the music. This the part of the night your guests will remember the most, so make sure you have a DJ that can keep the dance floor alive.

Michelle and Sam’s wedding was one that I will always remember. It was certainly quite a production! I was very pleased that the Synergetic team and I were able to meet and exceed their expectations with our lighting design and my service as a DJ. Best of luck to them in the future!

For more information on Synergetic, or to set up an appointment, contact Kelly at our office: 215-633-1200.

-Kyle

Thanks so much to Jea Lee Photography for the images.

Fall Music Trends

The wedding world tends to be a little behind when it comes to new music, so you will still be hearing many of the top Summer songs this Fall/Winter. "Give Me Everything," "Yeah 3X," "Forget You," and "Dynamite," should all still be packing dance floors.

Dance music (120 beats per minute, BPMs, or more) will definitely still be going strong. With the success that Pitbull has had on other artist’s songs, it is likely that more and more great dance songs will emerge. Hip hop (105 BPMs or slower) really has been left out - dance music has a strong hold right now. Look for some strong dance tracks from Black Eyed Peas, Rhiannon and dare I say, Madonna.

As each year goes by, we really become more and more distant to those songs we heard 10 years ago. There is just so much more music to choose from. Playing those typical wedding songs just don’t apply anymore. Current music is at least 50% of the music that we play. And I think it is going to remain this way for a while and become more and more prominent.

Probably the biggest trend you will see is the advent of dinner music going away from being slow. Mixing good, creative songs will be something we try and keep up. Guests are expecting the DJ to use dinner to show them what is in store for the night. Now, we don’t mean have everyone dancing, but the typical 40 minutes of jazz, chill type of music is quickly becoming extinct.

As with any blog, this is simply my opinion and the good thing with music is that there is something for everyone. But we are no doubt in a great dance music part of the pendulum and I love it.

-Jason

New DJ Recruitment Night

Have you ever wanted to be a DJ? Now is your chance & we want to meet you!

Come out to our “New DJ” recruitment night on Monday, November 21st, 2011 to see what Synergetic Sound and Lighting is all about! Meet our current DJs, talk to our managementteam and try to mix a few songs. It will be a great chance for you to learn about us.

Recruitment night is at our offices, 776 Haunted Lane, Bensalem, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come out anytime during those hours - but give us a call so we know you're coming, 215-633-1200. Make sure to bring your resume and a head shot.

Light the Outside

As the days start to get shorter and the sun sets earlier, don’t be afraid to light the outside of your venue. You can set the tone for your guests from the minute they pull up.

We can light the walls of the building, columns, the trees or even the grass. Be creative! Have some fun and let’s see how many times we can make them say “wow!” Let us help you come up with some cool ideas and unique designs.

David Zaveloff Photography

-Jason

Vinyl

For those of you who don’t know, I am a vinyl junky. I own thousands of records - 45s, 33s, 78s, I have them all.

We did a project recently that required me to hand over some records to be repurposed in order to make something unique for our studio. While this was extremely hard to do, it was quite interesting to go back through all of my records. I had to try and find ones that I wouldn’t mind parting with - but I didn’t want to part with any of them! So, I thought I would just share a few of my favorite with you:

Thriller

Billy Joel Greatest Hits

U2

Needless to say, I needed to find 50 records I could give up and I found 51. So you may be wondering what the project was. We created our logo out of real vinyl! The whole sign is made out of records. This was a really cool project and we think it came out great. You can see this in our reception area when you walk into our office. Here's a peek - but the picture doesn't do it justice - you'll have to come in and see it for yourself.


-Jason

{Video} Lighting at Cescaphe

Whose Table Is It Anyway?

A few weeks ago I attended the Society of Wedding Planners, Whose Table Is It Anyway event at the Phoenixville Foundry. The Foundry is a beautiful space for an event - the architecture is amazing and I just love the light fixtures :). Definitely check it out if you need a venue for your next event.

At this event, some of the industry's hottest designers and florists create table designs in four different categories - Weddings under $10,000, Weddings over $10,000, Theme and Rising Star.

J. Scott Catering provided the food for the night. There was a sushi station and a delicious mini sliders (beef, portabella and crabcake), french fry and milkshake station. I may have had two milkshakes ...

Entertainment for the night was provided by Brandywine Valley Talent. Also contributing to the wonderful evening was Frank's Wine Mart, Sound Choice DJs, Shutterbooth, Blossom Productions, Wegmans Collegeville and Party Rental, LTD.

The tables were absolutely beautiful. I had a hard time deciding who to vote for - there are a lot of talented people in the Philadelphia area.

Winner in the Rising Star category was Laurie Sasko Designs.

Winner of the Theme category was Passion for Petals.

Winner of the Weddings under $10,000 category was Blue Moon Florist.

Winner of the Weddings over $10,000 category was Christofer + Janesson/Ilonka Floral Decorators.

It was a great night - SWP raised over $800 for the Gift of Life Family House.

Thanks so much to the talented Lindsay Docherty of Lindsay Docherty Photography for the images!

-Becky

{Video} Lighting at Holly Hedge Estate

What We're Up To

On top of rooting for the Phillies, we have a lot going on :)

-We're working on a bid for a homecoming dance with a circus theme. The concept involves a "big top" design.

-We're putting the finishing touches on a great design for an upcoming wedding at a Montgomery County country club.

-We're designing a huge ceremony drape concept for a Las Vegas client - there will be over 600 people at this event.

-Thinking about throwing a Halloween party at our office - we are on "Haunted Lane" after all.

What are you up to this week?

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