needadisco

The needadisco.com Support Guide

Welcome to the Support Guide for the needadisco.com Member Dashboard.

The Member Dashboard is the central point of management for your mobile disco listings on needadisco.com and its related subsites, presently:

• needaweddingdisco.com
• needakidsdisco.com
• needalastminutedisco.com
• cheapdisco.com
• mobilediscoprices.com
• needadeejay.com
• UK-DiscoHire.co.uk (currently in redevelopment)
• UK-Parties.co.uk
• UK-HallHire.co.uk
• UK-FunctionRooms.co.uk
• UK-SocialClubs.co.uk
• UK-Dancefloors.co.uk

This guide should answer all your questions about how to use the dashboard. You can browse the document using the navigation sidebar on the left, or search the entire document by using CTRL+F in your browser.

The latest version of this support guide can always be found here: needadisco.com Support Guide.

Getting Support

If you really cannot find the answer to your question in here, then you have two other avenues.

If your query isn't answered by this page, you can contact us by email on admin -at- needadisco dotcom

There's usually someone here to answer messages between 10:00 and 18:00 Monday - Friday. However as we prioritise dealing with client requests, please allow 24 working hours for a response. We are closed at weekends and English Bank Holidays. If there are any other opening hour restrictions these will be posted as an Alert on the dashboard.

Alternatively, you can join our private member-only Facebook chat group. To do this, first of all ensure we have your Facebook details on file and attached to your record via Member Dashboard -> Documentation -> Social Networking. Then you can apply to join https://www.facebook.com/groups/170745706404715/

Just Joined?

WELCOME TO NEEDADISCO!

Since 2006 needadisco.com has developed into the UK's leading mobile disco matching service. Processing thousands of quote requests each week from members of the public as well as venues and corporate users, through our far reaching targeted websites we deliver great results for hundreds of members across the UK.

Through our DJmark Awards scheme we are gradually educating the public and venue owners about the need to verify the credentials of the third parties they hire. Membership of DJmark is FREE for all needadisco.com members who meet the eligibility criteria. For more details on these criteria, see the DJmark Awards & Validators section below.

If you're new here, then we strongly suggest that you work through the various tabs on the member dashboard left to right, familiarising yourself with the wide range of settings and preferences that you can configure in conjunction with this support guide if anything isn't self-explanatory.

The more effort you put into setting up your listing properly, the more relevant the leads we send you will be. As you upload documentation such as PLI and PAT, these will open up new avenues for you too - check out the entry criteria for our various Sub-Sites.

Some members have previously commented, sometimes publicly, that this site generates too many irrelevant leads which they have trouble converting. Almost invariably, these same members simply run with the default configuration which will serve them all leads they would be eligible for. By applying a few simple rules and filters, this can be cut down dramatically leaving you with leads that you are interested in bidding for, within your travel area, required budget, audience age range, and so on.

We keep a log of all of the leads that we filtered out based on your settings, so you can quickly check to ensure that you've not "overcooked" it!

The Top 6 Most Important Things You Should Do

If you're a new member finding your way around the site, these are the most important things you should do first to make sure we're sending you as many relevant client leads as possible from the outset.

1. Coverage Area - we will only send you leads from the areas selected
2. Age Groups - by default we will send leads for ALL age groups
3. Services Offered - until you tell us otherwise, we will not send you leads where the client has specified extras such as karaoke
4. Gig Types - by default we will send leads for ALL types of gigs
5. Venue Types - by default we will send leads for ALL types of venue
6. PLI/PAT/ProDub certificates etc. - improve your site ranking by supplying documentation, testimonials etc.

Ready to Get Started?

Simply visit www.needadisco.com and click on "Member Dashboard" from the top right of any page.

Alternatively, bookmark http://www.needadisco.com/dash

The next page shown is the Member News page which carries our most recent announcements plus a whole range of interesting statistics, from our user polls as well as the site itself.

If you are already logged on to the system, you will be invited to click a direct link to your own dashboard. Otherwise there is a drop-down list of all members in alphabetical order from which you may select.

That's it! You're in! If you are not already signed in, enter your username and password to gain access.

Your Dash

Your Dash is the top-left button on the member dashboard and shows the very latest alerts, your real-time ranking, coverage area and transaction log showing everything that has happened on your account in reverse chronological order. From this page you can also see your DJmark status and your availability calendar.

Quick Glance Strip

Across the top of this and every page of your Member Dashboard is the Quick Glance Strip - showing the current live status of the documentation for the account holder.

Here's all the possible icon combinations:

	Shows the status of your PLI Proof. A green tick shows that you have supplied and that we have validated your PLI certificate which is active and current. A yellow exclamation mark shows that a previously-supplied certificate is about to expire. A red cross shows that we have not yet validated a PLI policy for your company or that an old one has expired.
	Shows the status of your ProDub Proof. A green tick shows that you have supplied and that we have validated a ProDub certificate which is active and current. A blue information mark shows that instead of a ProDub licence, you have signed and returned one of our ProDub Disclaimer Forms to confirm that your business does not require a ProDub licence. A red cross shows that we have not yet received either a ProDub licence or disclaimer from you.
	Shows the status of your PAT Proof. A green tick shows that you have supplied and that we have validated your PAT documentation which is active and current. A yellow exclamation mark shows that previously-supplied documentation is about to expire. A red cross shows that we have not yet validated PAT documents for your company or that old one(s) have expired.
	Shows the status of your Contracts/Terms & Conditions Proof. A green tick shows that you have supplied and that we have accepted your standard terms and conditions issued to new clients. A red cross shows that we have not yet seen or accepted as reasonable a set of standard terms and conditions issued to new clients.
	Shows whether or not you offer Client Meetings. A green tick shows that you DO offer client meetings. A red cross shows that either you have not yet confirmed that you offer client meetings or that you have notified us that you DO NOT offer them.
	Shows whether or not you accept Requests & Playlists. A green tick shows that you DO accept requests and/or playlists. A red cross shows that either you have not yet confirmed that you welcome requests/playlists or that you have notified us that you DO NOT accept them.
	Shows your Golden Testimonials A Golden Testimonial is positive feedback received for work sourced via needadisco.com. These are jobs where we have a complete feedback loop from the client's initial enquiry through to a report provided shortly after the gig is completed. See how this process works Golden Testimonials remain valid for three years. These also contribute towards your Ranking. The number of Golden Testimonials currently valid and on file is shown in the middle of the red heart logo.
	Shows Negative Reviews This symbol will only appear if you receive 1 or more negative reviews for work sourced via needadisco.com or its sub-sites. When a negative review is received and verified by us, you may provide a response which will be posted alongside the review on your public-facing page. Negative reviews have an impact on your ranking. When calculating your eligibility for a Gold or Platinum DJmark award you must have 5 or more Golden Testimonials for each negative one.
	Shows whether we have a Landline on file. A green tick shows that you have supplied us with a standard 01/02 UK landline number. A blue exclamation mark shows that you have supplied only a non-geographic number which diverts to a landline (05/08) OR have asked us to hide your landline from public display. A red cross shows that we have no landline details on file for you.
	Shows whether we have a full Postal Address on file. A yellow exclamation mark shows that you have supplied only a non-geographic address such as a PO Box, OR have supplied an incomplete or partial address. A red cross shows that we have no address details on file for you.
	Shows the status of your Method Statement. A green tick indicates that you have supplied and we have validated as being fit for purpose a general company Health & Safety Method Statement, or Safe System of Work. A red cross shows that we have no Method Statement on file for you.
	Shows the status of your Risk Assessments. A green tick indicates that you have supplied and we have validated at least 3 Risk Assessments conducted by you within the last 12 months. A yellow exclamation means that we have less than 3 on file OR that those on file are about to expire. A red cross shows that we have no validated risk assessments on file for you.

Alerts

The alerts panel is used to communicate system-wide announcements (prefixed by [ADMIN] so that you can identify them) and specific announcements intended for your own information only.

We will use the alerts panel to bring things to your attention - especially if we are having difficulty communicating with you by other means.

Please get into the habit of checking the alerts panel when you visit Member Dashboard. Any user-specific alerts will be accompanied by a DISMISS button - clicking the button will remove the alert(s) from this panel and place them in your Log instead.

Negative Feedback

For all work that you source via needadisco.com where we have a complete line of control, we ask the client to provide feedback after the event.

In the event that your feedback is not positive, we provide you with the opportunity to leave your own response alongside the client's comments. If you have any negative reviews which require comment, they will be shown here, directly below your Alerts box. Negative reviews will be shown on your Public-Facing details page along with your response.

If you are a DJmark Award holder then the general public have a right to lodge a complaint via the DJmark website. All complaints will be validated before we accept them as genuine. DJmark-instigated complaints are dealt with in the same manner. DJmark instigated complaints for non-needadisco.com sourced work will NOT be shown on the Public-Facing page.

Your Ranking

All of our members are ranked against each other to determine the position on the red->green dashboard dial. We use this information along with proximity data to determine the order in which we present DJ companies when site visitors run searches. Your ranking is shown in near-realtime and can be affected by the actions of other members.

When sending bid invitation emails, these are sent in order of rank with a 20-30 second processing time delay between each outgoing message. This could mean several minutes' gap between the first member on the list and the last, which can be especially important for leads which invite a telephone response.

All good reasons why you should do your best to improve your rank as much as possible. See the table below for details on how to do this.

The ranking dial is NOT LINEAR - your position on the dial is determined by the activities of all of our members. It is not a worst possible->best possible scale.

Remember - ranking data is not shown publicly.

Ranking is determined based on a calculated 'score' and then members are sorted according to this value. The exact formula we use is not published, however all members are assessed using the exact same algorithm.

The following table shows the aspects which have a positive or negative impact on your ranking:

DJmark Awards and Validators

DJmark is needadisco's accreditation scheme which has been in operation since 2007. The scheme rewards members who operate industry best practices with an independent 3rd party award which they may promote on their own websites to add credibility to their service offering. We regularly promote the virtues of employing DJmark accredited DJs to high class venue operators, bridal and events management fora.

The DJmark Validators can be regarded as "building blocks" which will eventually lead to DJmark Awards and may be used to show that you have independently-validated standard documentation.

DJmark Validators

These are granted once we have validated your:

• PLI policy
• PAT documentation
• ProDub Licence
• Health & Safety Method Statement / Safe Method of Work Policy
• Testimonials

Validators will remain available whilst you maintain your subscription and your documents remain valid. To place a validator on your own website, you will find full details including our copyright statement and terms of use on the Creatives tab. The above screenshot shows a member who has achieved all 5 validators.

DJmark Awards

We periodically review the scheme to ensure that it is fit for purpose, and also to encourage members to develop best practice in order to achieve them. The last update to the scheme was on 1st October 2012 at which point the Bronze award was withdrawn and a new top-level Diamond award added.

• The Silver DJmark Award requires validated PLI, PAT and Client Contracts in addition to a ProDub Licence or a disclaimer. Finally, you must maintain a positive to negative review ratio of 1:2 or higher - that is, for every positive review you cannot have more than 2 negative reviews.
• The Gold DJmark Award will require all of the above plus one current Golden Testimonial, a positive to negative review ratio of 5:1 or higher, a full postal address and landline held on file, plus client meetings and music requests as a standard offering. You must also keep your Pending Leads count below 100
• The Platinum DJmark Award will require all of the above plus a validated Health & Safety Method Statement and three recent on-site Risk Assessments

The new Diamond Award is for members who meet the Platinum criteria, and:

• Have held a DJmark award at any level for 2 full years without interruption
• Maintain a positive (golden) to negative review ratio of 10:1 or higher
• Hold at least 3 current golden testimonials, EXCEPT for members who are based in a Limited Catchment Area where 1 or 2 are required in which case the ratio in the previous point is also adjusted accordingly.
• Share a documented customer complaints procedure, which in our opinion is fit for purpose
• Hold a Trading Standards Buy With Confidence award IF THE SCHEME OPERATES IN THE AREA IN WHICH YOU ARE BASED (or in a neighbouring area if their policies allow this) in accordance with the government's Buy With Confidence website. Some areas which operate a scheme do not currently accept mobile DJs/entertainers in which case it is deemed that a suitable scheme does not exist. We will review the coverage on a monthly basis. The onus will be on the member to advise us once they have successfully joined the scheme.
• If the Buy With Confidence scheme does NOT operate in the area where you are based, and it is not possible to join one in a neighbouring area, this will not be part of your assessment. However, once the scheme is launched in your area we expect that you will join it within 60 days to retain your award. The onus is on you to prove to us that a scheme is not available or does not accept mobile DJs/entertainers. Such proof may be a letter from Trading Standards or a link to a formal website, for example.

You will not be invited to upload documents relevant to Diamond until you reach Platinum level.

Awards are re-assessed and updated on a WEEKLY basis, usually on a Sunday evening except around month-end and English Bank Holidays where re-assessment may move by a couple of days either side.

Member Offers

Occasionally we are approached by members (and third party companies) who wish to present a special deal for other members in their area. We accept a limited amount of paid advertising to help keep our subscription costs as low as possible. We won't accept just anyone's money - the ads must be relevant. A maximum of 4 ads are sold per postcode area and any current offers will be displayed in this section. If there are no current offers for your postcode area, this section will not show on your dashboard.

If you would like to advertise products or services to other members, you can do this from the Money Matters tab. Common offers include PA and lighting hire, dancefloors and other equipment resellers, PAT testing services etc..

Coverage Area

This is the main differentiator between needadisco.com and competing websites. Rather than send you blind leads for enquiries "in your area", we get you to tell us what your area is, and offer you leads accordingly. This is also our basis for charging. The more areas you wish to cover, the more your subscription will cost.

Across the majority of our sites, your coverage is defined by Postal Outcode Area. The Postal Outcode is the first part of a UK Postcode, for example if your postcode is RG1 1XX then your outcode is RG1.

Each member has a certain number of 'credits' depending on their subscription rate. The default is 6 areas but this can be upgraded at any time by visiting Money Matters. Each credit is valid for any number of Postal Outcodes within the same Postal Area. Taking our example above, you could opt to cover the whole of the RG area (ie. Reading, Newbury etc.) for which we could 'charge' one 'credit'. You could also choose to limit your coverage just to inner Reading (eg. RG1, RG2, RG3, RG4) which would also 'cost' one 'credit'. You may choose to cover all of an area except for a certain part, so for example you could cover the whole of the RG postcode with the exception of RG1, RG2, RG3 and RG4 if you don't want to play in the city centre venues. Again, this would 'cost' one 'credit'.

To enable a Postal Area simply click on the relevant box on the schematic map as shown in the following screen shots. This will only be possible if you have available credit(s) remaining.

To enable PARTS of a Postal Area, first select the whole area as above. The box on the map will go green. Click the green box and you will then be able to remove or modify the specifics for this area as shown in the example below.

Availability Calendar (Secure Mode Only)

One of the biggest frustrations reported by members has been the receiving of leads for dates on which they are already booked. With our Availability Calendar you can tell us on which dates you are fully booked. We won't then send you leads for events on the same date, although we will record them so that you can see how effective your subscription is.

Marking dates available/unavailable is a simple case of clicking on the relevant date to "flip" it over from green to red / vice-versa. Each time a date is "flipped" a corresponding entry will appear in your Log in order to maintain an audit trail.

We also offer a FREE Availability Checker Tool which you can install on your own website. For more details see the Tools tab. This tool links into the same calendar data.

Transaction Log

The Account Transaction Log is simply a (by default) reverse chronological summary of all changes made to your listing, either by your own direct changes, administrative updates or transactions such as Availability Checker activity. Alerts which have been dismissed also appear in the log.

Documentation

This tab is concerned with all aspects relating to the provision of documentation used to improve your ranking and calculate entitlement to DJmark Awards and Validators.

In this section we cover key documentation (PLI, PAT etc.), the Tagline and Description used alongside your listing, the Picture that we use when introducing your company, and Social Networks on which you participate and any Professional Memberships that you hold.

Key Documents

This section is an expanded version of the Quick Glance Strip offering more detail about the status of your key documents.

To upload documents, simply click the relevant button (bottom right) and follow the prompts which appear in the popup window.

Before uploading documents for the first time, please make yourself aware of our Documentation Standards detailed below. The most common cause of documentation rejection is non-adherence to these standards.

ALL supplied documentation will be securely deleted or destroyed once we have taken the necessary information from them in line with our data protection policy.

When uploading documents, please be aware that there is a maximum file size limit of 2MB for PDF files and 4MB for all other file types. We accept documents in the following formats only: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf plus any graphical format (eg. .jpg, .png, .gif, .tif). We also accept .zip files so long as they only contain documents with the same types shown.

Complaints Procedure

NB: Only applicable to Platinum & Diamond DJmark holders

One of the requirements of a Diamond DJmark Award is to submit a documented customer complaints procedure for validation by us. Use this section to upload your document.

Buy With Confidence Membership

NB: Only applicable to Platinum & Diamond DJmark holders

Diamond DJmark Awards require membership of your local Trading Standards Buy With Confidence scheme WHERE ONE IS IN OPERATION.

Full details on the scheme can be found at buywithconfidence.gov.uk including information about the individual schemes operating in your area.

IF THERE IS NO SCHEME IN OPERATION IN YOUR AREA then we cannot penalise you for this; the Diamond Award will be granted once you meet the other requirements for that level. However, we will regularly check for new schemes opening, and once a scheme opens in your area we will give you a 3 month grace period in which to become listed otherwise your award will be downgraded.

Documentation Standards

This section describes the standards required and the checking / validation processes followed for all documentation requirements making up proof points or DJmark Awards.

These requirements will be applied fairly for all members. There are very few acceptable exceptions to these requirements.

Introduction

In order to determine a ranking for needadisco.com members, and to contribute towards DJmark Awards and Validator buttons, we encourage members to submit various forms of documentation which we refer to as "proof points".

All documents supplied will be vetted against the checklists detailed below to determine their suitability. You can also expect that the documentation provided and your entire record will be viewed holistically - that is to say that we expect the whole record to "ring true" and any suspicious aspects may be vetted further.

We have been operating documentation checks since 2006, and in this time we have experienced every trick in the book, from "borrowed" documents to outright forgeries. As an organisation promoting professionalism in the mobile disco industry, we are meticulous in our checking and will take a dim view of any member who attempts to obtain a higher ranking, validators or awards through nefarious means.

Remember - membership of needadisco.com does NOT require the submission of ANY documents at all. However, should you wish to improve your company's visibility on the site, earn DJmark Awards or gain access to our premium directories such as needaweddingdisco.com then certain documents must be provided.

Format

Documents may be supplied as photocopies of originals, scans of originals, PDFs, screen dumps or digital photographs. They may be uploaded using the relevant buttons on the dashboard, emailed to admin -at- needadisco dot com or posted to 58 Forest Road, Sandown PO36 0JZ.

We will NOT follow URLs to sites other than your own website. Therefore you should NOT send links to Facebook, competing directories (for example AMPDJ), etc.. We WILL accept URLs which link directly to insurance documents stored on a broker or underwriter's system so long as an account or password is not required; similarly testing records on a repository managed by a PAT testing company.

PLI

We expect to receive a copy of the insurance policy certificate or cover note as provided by the broker or underwriter. This must include:

• the level of cover
• your name and address, matching that stored on the account
• full contact details for the issuer, broker or underwriter
• a unique policy number
• a brief summary of the cover provided and any major exclusions
• the date of issue
• the date of expiry

You can expect a representative of needadisco.com to contact the broker or underwriter to confirm the validity of the document. You can expect this check to occur shortly after submission of the documennt and at any time during its stated validity period. You should bear in mind that the majority of DJ PLI policies in the UK are issued by a small number of parties. We are in regular contact with all of these.

Any attempt to present an expired certificate may result in suspension of some or all of the services we provide. Similarly if a policy is cancelled rendering the original certificate null and void, we reserve the right to suspend some or all of the services we provide unless a replacement certificate is sent in good time.

Any attempt to present a forged certificate WILL result in immediate cancellation of your listing and a lifetime ban from our websites.

Should the name and/or address details on the certificate not match those on your account, we shall seek a credible explanation prior to accepting the document. You can pre-empt this by providing details when submitting the document. Members commonly use a stage name or have a different administration address and these are examples of valid exceptions.

PAT

We expect either a summary certificate or a detailed schedule as provided by the person undertaking your PAT testing. This documentation should include:

• the date of issue
• contact details of the person undertaking the tests
• contact details for the person or company whose equipment has undergone test
• the quantity and types of equipment tested
• where a detailed schedule is available, a line-by-line breakdown of equipment which has been tested

You can expect a representative of needadisco.com to contact the PAT tester or company to confirm the validity of the document as part of our checking process.

Any attempt to present forged documentation may result in suspension of some or all of the services we provide.

If you have a staggered test schedule we expect you to supply the certificate which details the largest pool of equipment. So, if you have a certificate showing 50 items and another showing 30 items, we wish to see the certificate for 50 even if it has a shorter renewal date.

If you Self-Test or Self-Certify then we expect you to provide some sort of proof of competence with the first certificate(s) you share with us. This may take the form of a City & Guilds or college/training establishment certificate, or an invoice for a commercially-undertaken course detailing the name of the recipient. We will also expect to see proof of calibration of the PAT testing device with each annual certificate provided.

If your PAT testing provider does not issue test results or a covering certificate then you may forward a copy of the invoice covering the work undertaken, so long as it clearly identifies the service provided and contains the information shown in the bullet list above.

We will only consider a maximum 12 month validity for PAT certificates. There is no hard rule about renewal periods therefore we consider that 12 months is the maximum allowable gap between tests.

The HSE in their publication Maintaining Portable and Electrical Equipment (click here for PDF copy) state in Paragraph 56 (Frequency of inspection and combined inspection and testing):

Deciding on the frequency of inspection and testing is a matter of judgement by the duty holder, and should be based on an assessment of risk.

The HSE then go on (in paragraph 59) to set out suggested maintenance intervals for different types of equipment based on their usage patterns. We believe that mobile disco equipment is best married to the HSE's classification "Equipment used by the public, eg in hotels" which suggests formal visual inspections every three months and a combined inspection and test (PAT) every 12 months.

Obviously in the majority of instances disco equipment is NOT used by the general public (unless you dry hire or provide wired microphones without isolation) however it is generally used in the company of the general public who may come into physical contact with it, which is why we feel that the above category best suits disco equipment from the suggestions given.

We expect that new equipment is PAT tested before first use. There are many publicly-available examples of faults and certification issues with brand new equipment, and as a result we will not accept records or certificates which do not show testing of new equipment.

CONTRACTS

We would like to review the documentation issued to clients who wish to book your services. This must include a summary statement of the service(s) and product(s) offered along with a set of your standard terms and conditions of trade. It may also include cover letters and any marketing information you usually send.

METHOD STATEMENT

Otherwise known as a "safe system of work" this is a static document which sets out the rules to your employees about how health and safety is to be considered in your typical working environments.

Whilst some industries, for example construction, require individual Method Statements on a per-job basis, this is impractical for a mobile disco operator on very short term engagements, and therefore we are happy to accept a static guideline document.

The format and length of a Method Statement will vary considerably between different organisations, however we feel that the following key pieces of information must be provided in order for us to accept a Method Statement:

• a summary of the main hazards you expect will be presented to staff
• a staff Health & Safety induction procedure (unless you are a solo operator)
• site access and egress considerations
• manual handling and working at height / from ladders and steps considerations
• preventative measures that you (the company) or staff must take to mitigate risks from hazards including welfare arrangements and first aid
• safety of other contractors and members of the public considerations
• personal protection equipment which should or must be worn and in which circumstances
• COSHH considerations when handling dangerous substances (eg. machine fluids, pyrotechnics)

In particular, given the industry we are in, we expect clear guidance to be included in the MS with respect to electrical testing schedules and in-service inspections, and for this to include the mandatory testing of new equipment.

RISK ASSESSMENTS

We expect that a Risk Assessment is drawn up for each individual gig. However, due to the commonality across venues we know that many DJs tend to use a pre-printed template which acts as an aide memoire.

We will NOT accept simple templates with different venue names and a few tweaks of the "High/Medium/Low" column. We expect to see any standard template which you use to be clearly modified for each gig.

The key to having your Risk Assessments accepted for DJmark awards lies in the fact that we need to be CONVINCED that risk management is a central and living part of your Health & Safety policy and therefore will be looking for evidence that risk is duly considered and mitigated (or at least flagged) on a gig-by-gig basis, hence we require sight of Risk Assessments from different venues all completed within the last 6 months.

If your Risk Assessment record keeping policy does not match this requirement, then we will be unable to accept your risk assessments as sufficient proof for DJmark purposes.

We expect unique nuances of particular venues or gigs to cause manual changes and additions to any standard template that you use. For example, some aspects being flagged as higher or lower risk than the norm, and venue-specific risks being identified and mitigated.

We understand that some members will attempt to produce a "catch-all" risk assessment, and these are usually fine so long as all of the irrelevant aspects are struck out or removed.

To help understand what we mean by "unique nuances", here are a few examples of real instances where we would expect a typical risk assessment template to be modified. We would not expect to see these scenarios in a standard checklist as they are unique to a small number of venues:

1. The "Moving Dancefloor" - temporary tiled dancefloors which are not adequately anchored and which inch their way towards the DJ booth over the course of the evening...
2. The venue with no convenient parking, requiring stopping on yellow lines and a quick unload across a busy pavement...
3. The external fire escape - great on warm summer evenings but lethal in the rain or ice especially when unlit...
4. The sprinkler system - triggered by the fire alarms...

For any of the above, or other unique situations, we would expect to see handwritten or clearly-added observations and mitigating actions added to a typical template. At the very least we would expect to see an existing catch-all entry modified to account for the scenario.

For example, take #3 above. Your standard template may well have an entry describing access via stairs or steps, perhaps in the manual handling section. You may choose to amend the level of risk of personal injury to High as a result of needing to use the external steps on an icy night. Your mitigating actions may be modified to record the fact that torches were provided or that the steps were gritted before use.

Having been working DJs for over 25 years we know that you WILL find unique specific risks on a per-venue basis if you look for them.

We also expect to see entries on a standard template which do not apply to you or the gig in question removed or clearly struck off. For example, we have seen many copies of the AMPDJ RA template describing pyrotechnics which clearly many DJs do not use, yet the risk details and mitigation steps are still presented.

A comprehensive risk assessment should include as an absolute minimum:

• Responsibilities
  • Agreement with venue management and other third parties over policies and responsiblity for:
    • Fire and emergency evacuation procedure
    • Noise limits
    • Crowd safety (eg. drinks on dancefloor, overcrowding)
    • First aid
    • End-of-night procedure
• Electrical safety procedures
  • Equipment testing and inspection regime
  • Premises electrical safety certificate inspection
  • Testing of premises electrical safety
  • Position of heat-producing equipment
• Access and handling
  • Lifting and manoeuvring of heavy/large equipment
  • Rigging at height
  • Personal safety equipment
  • Public safety considerations when sharing access routes
  • Steps, stairs and lifts
• Installation considerations
  • Suitability of designated setup area
  • Proximity to safety exits
  • Loading of gantries and stands
• Post-installation residual hazards
  • Trip hazards
  • Equipment above head height
  • Liquid ingress avoidance
• Inclement weather
  • Wet weather considerations
  • Icy weather considerations
• Audience safety
  • Noise level monitoring
  • Loudspeaker positioning
  • Fire safety announcement policy agreed with venue
• Optional Aspects
  • Strobe and flashing lights
  • Laser beam positioning
  • Laser over-ride methods
  • UV lighting exposure
  • Smoke and haze
  • Bubble, foam and fake snow fluids
  • Pyrotechnics, including compressed air cannon
  • COSHH

The above is NOT to be considered a comprehensive risk assessment and must not be used in its entirety as a template

Tagline

The Tagline is a short statement - a maximum of 50 characters - summarising your company's offering and is usually displayed alongside your company name where a full description is inappropriate. To amend your tagline, click the Amend Tagline button and follow the prompts.

The example below shows how this member appears in a postcode search:

All Taglines are subject to our Disallowed Content rules as well as the Advertising Standards Authority's CAP Code, both detailed below.

Description

The Description is your opportunity to sell your company's products and services. This information is displayed on your Public-Facing Details page and, if you qualify for membership, on some of our other subsites too. To keep things sensible there is a maximum of 1500 characters, and the description is subject to our Disallowed Content rules as well as the Advertising Standards Authority's CAP Code, both detailed below.

To amend your description, click the Amend Description button and follow the prompts.

Additional Products & Services

Many members offer complimentary products alongside mobile disco services. Examples include photography, equipment hire, casino tables etc..

The purpose of the Additional Products & Services field is to allow you to show these on your listing at appropriate points. The products and services which you show here must be in a simple list format and be not directly related to mobile disco.

To add or amend this field click the Amend Extras button and follow the prompts. The contents of this field are subject to our Disallowed Content rules as detailed below.

Disallowed Content

In order to avoid publishing conflicting information, as well as allowing potential clients to easily compare members, references to the following aspects are not allowed within taglines or description fields. The majority are provided for elsewhere within your listing.

You may state, once only, your base location as a town or a county in either your Tagline or company Description. Location may not be used in DJ Profiles.

All updates to taglines and description fields are moderated and the above exceptions will be strictly enforced.

Image Copyright Policy

needadisco.com is responsible for maintaining the copyright on all images hosted on its servers. Therefore we do not accept images unless it is clear that the copyright is owned outright by the submitter. In sending the image to us, you transfer publication rights to us. More specific transfer details appear wherever image upload facilities exist throughout the website.

Due to the complex licensing nature surrounding Stock Images we do not accept these under any circumstances unless you can provide us with evidence of holding a special licence which effectively grants you permission to reuse the image as you see fit. These special licences are not available from all stock image websites, but those which DO offer the licence generally charge a much higher fee than for a standard use-once licence. We will also accept images licensed under GNU, Creative Commons or similar so long as you can prove to us that the correct attribution has been made. This will usually take the form of a clearly legible copyright statement overlaid on the image itself.

ALL submitted images will be checked for authenticity and any attempts to bypass copyright will result in an infraction being recorded against your account, which will result in a negative impact on your ranking.

ASA CAP Code

Content published on needadisco.com is required to comply with the Advertising Standards Authority's CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) Code (external website).

As a result, all information submitted for inclusion on our site will be considered and moderated to ensure that it complies with our understanding of the content of the code, and modify it if not. As professional organisations, we also suggest that our members also understand the code and apply its requirements to their own web and print advertising to avoid misleading the public and attracting complaints and investigations by the ASA.

Picture

All members may upload one picture which we will use to promote your listing across our relevant websites. This picture is in 4:3 format (landscape) and is downsized to 200 pixels wide and 150 pixels high.

If the supplied picture is too tall or wide then we will resize it and add white, black or grey bars either top+bottom or left+right to avoid over-distorting the image. Images which contain lots of text will likely be too small to be readable.

Members who do not submit a unique picture will be represented by our standard placeholder shown left.

Members who qualify for listings on our sub-sites, especially needaweddingdisco.com and needakidsdisco.comneedakidsdisco.com may upload additional high-resolution pictures. See the specific help sections for more details.

Before uploading ANY pictures to our sites please review our Image Copyright policy.

Social Networking

Many members maintain presences on the main social networking sites, and this section of the dashboard lets you provide the relevant details so that we can add buttons and content to encourage visitors to click through.

At present you may provide details for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and a single YouTube video of your choice.

• Facebook - send us the entire url, eg. http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Great-Disco/12983718237812839278
• Twitter - send us your login name, eg. FredsDisco
• Google+ - send us the entire url to your PROFILE page, eg. https://plus.google.com/1111788723489728748328772
• YouTube - send us the video clip code, the bit after ?v= in the url, eg. zedq1VhaS90

Professional Memberships

As a website promoting professionalism within the mobile disco industry, we are happy to promote your membership of certain other organisations on your listing. The entitites we currently endorse are:

• NADJ - the National Association of Disc Jockeys
• SEDA - the South Eastern Discotheque Association
• Musicians' Union
• Equity
• FSB - the Federation of Small Businesses
• Buy With Confidence - Trading Standards

To provide details pertaining to your membership of any or all of these organisations, simply click the UPDATE button and follow the prompts. Note that membership numbers/IDs will be required and will be periodically checked. NADJ membership information is validated daily.

We do not endorse any other organisations particularly those DJ "associations" which actually operate as profit-seeking enterprises.

Preferences

Use the configuration options in this section to filter the types of leads we send to you and change your security settings.

Price Bands

When site visitors request quotes, they are asked to select one of three price bands - Budget, Mid-Price or Premium. Alternatively they can specify a maximum budget, and based on our extensive knowledge of regional pricing and other factors such as the type of gig, type of venue etc. we will define the price band accordingly.

There is a fourth combination - "A Range of Quotes" - which, when applied to requests received at needadisco.com, is usually an admin override to maximise the number of quotes supplied - usually for a short notice gig or occasionally when we firmly believe that the client has selected the wrong category.

Leads sourced through other sub-sites will be classified accordingly. For example, ALL leads received via needaweddingdisco.com are set to "A Range of Quotes" and ALL leads received via cheapdisco.com are set to "Budget".

To amend your settings, click the UPDATE button and follow the prompts.

Any leads which you WOULD have been entitled to receive, but were filtered because of your price bands setting will appear in your Leads Not Sent list. Over time this will give you an insight into the types of event which are being filtered out.

Client Buying Criteria

Clients are also asked to choose from a set list of criteria when requesting quotes. This is to ascertain their priorities when comparing quotes. One of the options is "Lowest Price", suggesting that the client will choose the DJ who supplies the lowest priced quote which meets their requirements.

You may now filter out quote requests where the client has selected "Lowest Price" irrespective of their stated budget by setting the checkbox accordingly.

Minimum Pricing

We have identified the 27 most common types of event which result in quote requests through our websites.

You may now specify your MINIMUM acceptable rate for each of these types of event and we will compare this (silently) with the client's maximum budget where one is stated. We will then only forward you enquiries where the client's budget matches or exceeds your minimum. This works in conjunction with all other filters.

This information is NEVER published or shared with other members, and is not available on any of our public-facing pages.

Once you have set your Default Minimums, you may then amend these on a per-postal-area basis if you prefer. This allows you to raise your minimums to cover increased travel costs, reduce them for local venues or cherry-pick high paying work outside your normal travel area, as a few example of usage.

Age Groups

When requesting quotes, site visitors are asked to specify the age range of the majority of the guests in attendance. Based on this response along with any other age-indicators such as birthday parties for specified ages, we can filter leads for you accordingly.

The age categories we use are shown in the screenshot below. To make changes to your settings click on the UPDATE button.

Any leads which you WOULD have been entitled to receive, but were filtered because of your age groups setting will appear in your Leads Not Sent list. Over time this will give you an insight into the types of event which are being filtered out.

Gig Types

When requesting quotes, site visitors tell us about their event. By classifying these into one of 7 categories, we offer you the ability to filter the leads we send to you based on the type of event.

The event categories we use are shown in the screenshot below. To make changes to your settings click on the UPDATE button.

Where it is not possible to determine the gig type from the client's input, we will mark it as 'Unknown' and in this event it will not be filtered.

Any leads which you WOULD have been entitled to receive, but were filtered because of your gig types setting will appear in your Leads Not Sent list. Over time this will give you an insight into the types of event which are being filtered out.

Venue Types

When requesting quotes, site visitors tell us about their venue. By classifying these into one of 12 categories, we offer you the ability to filter the leads we send to you based on the type of venue.

The event categories we use are shown in the screenshot below. To make changes to your settings click on the UPDATE button.

NB in the image below please ignore the right-hand column as this has now been amended

Where it is not possible to determine the venue type from the client's input, we will mark it as 'Unknown' and in this event it will not be filtered.

Any leads which you WOULD have been entitled to receive, but were filtered because of your venue types setting will appear in your Leads Not Sent list. Over time this will give you an insight into the types of event which are being filtered out.

Services Offered

This section is divided into three due to the slightly different methods of updating/modifying the services and products offered by your company.

The information in this section is used to filter leads based on the client's stated requirements. For example, if a client states that karaoke is required, we will not send the lead to otherwise-eligible members if they do not offer karaoke as a service.

Basic Services

These are a simple yes/no toggle and are can be changed by clicking the UPDATE THESE SERVICES button then following the prompts.

Products Which May Be Resold

This covers products which are commonly requested alongside mobile discos but which are regularly resold by members from third parties. Clicking UPDATE THESE SERVICES will show more options than for the basic services above.

Dancefloor Hire

This special area allows you to not only define whether on not you supply or resell dancefloors, but also to highlight the commonly available types which you offer. Supplying information here will automatically include your company on UK-Dancefloors as well as our other directories.

Any leads which you WOULD have been entitled to receive, but were filtered because of your selections in this section will appear in your Leads Not Sent list. Over time this will give you an insight into the types of event which are being filtered out, which in turn might help you determine demand for new services which you currently do not offer.

Security

needadisco.com's Member Dashboard uses one of two security models to protect client information and, optionally, non-personal member configuration details.

Open Mode allows public browsing of your dashboard but protects client details by issuing a PIN number for each one. Open Mode will work on virtually any computer or browser without any modification. No member personal details (address, email) will be surfaced in Open Mode. Some website features (notably calendaring) are not available in Open Mode due to the potential for abuse.

Secure Mode protects everything with a single secure login name and password. When you first browse to a protected page you must authenticate to proceed further. All client leads are available without a PIN as these are protected by the same password. With cookies enabled in your browser, this becomes transparent. The use of Secure Mode requires session cookies to be placed on your computer. Some browsers cannot handle this requirement. Others may have had their security settings modified (particularly corporate computers) such that this is not possible.

The default mode for members signing up prior to 01-03-2012 was Open Mode. To move to Secure Mode needs you to opt-in using the CHANGE MODE button.

The default mode for members signing up since 01-03-2012 is Secure Mode.

Personal Details

For your protection, we do not store your personal details online. All personal details are kept on closed, firewalled systems for the purposes of account administration only. Because they are not stored online, they cannot be amended online.

Therefore if you wish to change any of your details you should email the changes to admin @ needadisco dotcom FROM THE EMAIL ACCOUNT STORED AGAINST YOUR LISTING.

If it is not possible to use this account, for example if you have surrendered it or if it has been hacked, then the message MUST contain your member ID code. You will find this code in the Member Dashboard -> Preferences -> Security/Personal section.

The following aspects of your account details are classed as "personal":

• Contact Name
• Business Address
• Telephone Numbers
• Email Address
• Website Address

DJ Profiles

We are soon launching a new brand and website which will match clients with individual DJs based on their background and skills.

Membership of this site will be FREE of charge to qualifying needadisco.com members.

You can be prepared for the launch date by completing your DJ Profiles now. These follow a standard format for ease of comparison and include:

• The DJ's name or stage name
• Date of birth (so we can automatically calculate approximate age)
• Year first DJd (so we can estimate experience)
• A headshot picture to be used for promotional purposes
• Employment status
• Service types
• Background experience (mobile / club / radio etc.)
• Specialist music genres
• A short narrative

Each DJ may nominate up to 6 genres in which they specialise. The genre list is not exhaustive but is made up from the commonly requested music types taken from thousands of quote requests over the last couple of years.

If you want to provide profiles for more than one DJ, we must have a valid ELI (Employers Liability Insurance) policy recorded on file for you. This will allow up to 6 profiles to be built.

Once you have successfully added profiles, you may then upload PLI, PAT and ProDub records for these DJs under the Documentation tab.

Charging Mechanism

Managing the DJ Profiles brings an administrative overhead, therefore each basic subscription will be entitled to list up to 6 DJ profiles. This will cover the majority of members' requirements.

Members requiring to list more than 6 DJs may upgrade their account by first purchasing additional Coverage Areas. With each Coverage Area upgrade an additional 6 DJ Profiles will be included.

Leads

This section details the contents of the Leads tab plus the individual leads pages, links to which will be sent to you by email as new leads to which you are eligible are posted.

Leads Received

This table shows all of the client leads which have passed through the filters that you set in the preferences section, your coverage area configuration and your availability calendar. By default this is shown in reverse chronological order of the date/time received but you can re-order the list or use the search tool if you wish.

The screenshot below has the columns numbered 1-11 which will be explained in more detail below:

1. Source - an icon depicting the site from which the lead was generated (hover over for more details)
2. Received - the date on which the lead was received by needadisco
3. Ref - the unique reference number for this lead which you should use in all correspondence
4. Bid - the number of members who have indicated that they intend to provide a quote for this job. On CLOSED and WON jobs this number is not accurate
5. Event Date - the date on which the event (or the first of a series of events) is to take place
6. Bud - the budget which the customer has set for this job
   • £ - budget DJ required
   • ££ - mid-priced DJ required
   • £££ - premium DJ required
   • All - a range of quotes are required
7. Tick - when the green tick is shown, the client has supplied a maximum budget figure which we have validated against long-term averages to confirm that the stated budget range is appropriate
8. Town - where the event is taking place. When you drill down into the quote details, the actual venue will be shown but this detail is behind an extra layer of security
9. Event - a broad categorisation of the type of event in question
10. Status - a coloured button which, when clicked, will lead you to the full details of the lead or, in the case of a CLOSED event which you did not win, any feedback we received from the client who placed the request
    • Pending - you have not yet looked at the details for this lead. You must keep the number of Pending leads below 100 if you wish to achieve DJmark Gold or Platinum levels
    • Reviewed - you have looked at the lead details but not yet acted upon them. This fact will be visible to the client
    • Responded - you have indicated to us that you intend to quote for this job
    • No Bid - you have indicated to us that you do NOT intend quoting for this job
    • PDF Sent - a PDF Auto Responder has been sent to this client but you have not yet told us that you have issued a quote or do not wish to bid for this job
    • Won - you have told us that you have agreed terms with this client. Be aware that we do not consider this a "win" until the client feeds back to us that they have booked a DJ. The lead details will remain visible to all other invitees until we receive this confirmation from the client
    • Closed - this lead is now closed and you did not win this job
11. Report or Info - a yellow exclamation mark allows you to report a problem with this particular lead. A blue Info icon (against a Closed lead) shows you more details about the closure, including any feedback that the client may have left

Lead Details / Status Update

Click any of the coloured buttons to drill down into the lead details. This is exactly the same page as if you clicked on the URL which is included with every lead notification email.

Users running in Open Mode will be prompted for the unique PIN number for this lead. The PIN number is included with every lead notification email.

The lead details pages comprise several sections detailing:

• Any special notes or messages from the client
• The number of members who have so far placed a bid
• The current status of this bid from your perspective. Leads which were previously Pending will automatically update to Reviewed as a result of you viewing this page
• The event details - date, timings, event type, number and ages of guests, lead source, budget range
• The client's contact details - name, telephone number (if permission has been given to share this with you), email address and preferred contact method
• A reminder of our terms and conditions pertaining to the use of client data
• Details of the actual venue including a link to one of our detailed pages if this is a venue we hold on our extensive database

Here is an example screenshot for a lead where the member concerned has not yet indicated a bid:

Clicking the UPDATE STATUS button brings up a pop-up window in which you can update the status:

In the popup you will see a series of options which apply to the lead. The exact buttons shown will depend on the current lead status. Those buttons which also show the red UNAVAILABLE will also, when clicked, mark the relevant date as unavailable on your calendar which will prevent us sending you any further leads for this date (unless you visit the calendar and reset the date).

When leads are closed by the client, we will send you a confirmation email. This will confirm whether or not you won the bid, and if not, whether another needadisco.com member won the bid or whether the client went elsewhere. All clients are asked to leave feedback on the process and where provided this will also be included in the email we send you.

Members should be aware that the client can see the status of their lead in real-time. The screenshot below shows an example of an active lead. Hopefully this underlines why it is so important to keep your lead status information up-to-date.

Leads NOT Offered

This section was introduced in late May 2012 and details the leads which were not sent to you because they were filtered out for some reason.

Reasons for filtering include:

• Jobs outside your budget range
• Jobs for audiences outside your specified age range
• Event types which you do not cover
• Venue types which you do not cover
• The client has specified a product or service which you do not provide
• Your availability calendar shows you as unavailable on the required date

For each event, the event date, type, town and reason for not sharing is shown. Events not shared because of a calendar conflict also show the date and time when the calendar lookup was performed. This provides a full audit trail.

Be aware that changing your preferences will NOT restore access to these leads. Once they are processed they cannot be reassinged unless the client changes their requirements.

Leads CONFIRMED

NB: Applies only to users running in Secure Mode

This section summarises the feedback status for leads which you have won, where the client has confirmed you as the winner.

If the client does not confirm the winner, no feedback will be sought.

Clients are instructed how to do this in their initial email from us when their lead is processed, with several reminders for one month later.

Key to feedback status

• - (dash) means feedback has not been/will not be sought for this gig
  • gig took place in the last few weeks so feedback is not yet due
  • we had incomplete details (eg no venue specified)
  • gig took place before we started recording this data
• Pending means that the feedback has not yet been requested
• Requested - Awaiting means that feedback has been requested from the client
• Not supplied means that the client ignored our requests for feedback
• Received means that feedback was received and assigned to your account

Leads NOT Confirmed

NB: Applies only to users running in Secure Mode

This section summarises those leads which you have marked "won" but which have not been confirmed by the client.

This information is provided so that you can continue to link to the lead details even after the event, when the lead information disappears from the 'Quote Requests Received' table.

We will not seek feedback for leads in this section. If the gig is in the future, the client can still close the lead properly using the link we have sent to them. In this case the lead will move from "Unconfirmed" to "Confirmed" and increase the likelihood of feedback being sought.

The Lead Closure Process

Due to the volumes of leads processed via the site, this process is fully automated and manual intervention is not possible.

• When a client lodges a quote request with us, we send them a detailed email which includes, very clearly at the top of the message, how to amend or close their request.
• 7 days after the lead is first registered, we email the client on the address given at the time of placing the enquiry, inviting them to close the request and confirm the DJ selected.
  • If a member marks the lead "Won" before the 7 days is up, then this process is started shortly afterwards, rather than after the full 7 days
• We then send three more requests at 8 day intervals (so that the requests arrive on different days of the week).
• After 4 attempts we do not issue any further reminders. The lead will remain open until the date of the event (or until we eventually receive instructions from the client).

A few important notes:

- only the CLIENT may close a lead. Any attempt by a member to close a lead will be regarded as an infraction.

- this automated process cannot be manually over-ridden

- if you are aware that the client's email address differs from that presented with the lead details, you can ask them to email admin@needadisco.com to confirm. From that point forward we will send the remaining reminders to the new address instead

- we are unable to send additional email reminders outside of the automated process. If a client reports that they have not / are not receiving these automated messages, you should advise them to check Junk/Spam folders and to whitelist our notification email addresses needadisco@ukp-mail.com, needadiscoleads@gmail.com and needadiscoalerts@gmail.com. The first email we send to clients with the closure link is issued when their lead is processed - usually within a few minutes of their request being placed (during office hours), and therefore within a few minutes of the notification email we send to you the member.

Money Matters

This tab deals with all aspects of subscriptions and payments.

Subscription

One benefit of long-term needadisco.com membership is that the payment terms you accepted when you first joined the site will never be changed whilst you maintain an unbroken active subscription.

This panel shows your expiry date and subscription rate. You may extend your subscription at any time and we will simply add time to the end. You will not lose out by renewing early.

What Happens at Renewal Time?

Here is what to expect as your subscription comes up for renewal. Please consider two things:

1. The trade-off we need to make between making you aware of the situation and hassling you
2. You are free to extend your membership at ANY TIME. We will simply add 12 months to the end of your existing subscription and there will be no overlap. Your expiry date is always clearly shown.

In the following example assume that your subscription expires on 1st November.

• on or around 14th October we will email you and invite you to renew. This message will also appear in your Log
• on or around 21st October we will email you a reminder. This message will also appear in your Log
• on 31st October we will email you a final remainder. This message will also appear in your Log
• at close of business on 31st October we will SUSPEND your account, and confirm this with a notification email. Suspended accounts do not receive new leads and when you visit Member Dashboard the only available action is to extend your subscription. During suspension DJmarks and Validators remain active (so long as their supporting documentation does not expire)
• on or around 7th November we will send you a reminder email. This will also appear in your Log
• on or around 14th November we will send you a FINAL reminder email. This will also appear in your Log
• at close of business on 30th November we will REMOVE your account and all of its history. DJmarks and Validators will no longer work. Your login will be disabled. If you hold any Postcode Banners these will be forfeited without refund. If you have any Additional Identities one of these will become the new Master account and it's subscription rate increased to the full amount at the prevailing rate.
• after this point it will not be possible to recover any of your prior history with the exception of negative testimonials which will remain on file for 12 months in case you rejoin, and your responded leads history
• you are welcome to rejoin at any time after this but you will not be eligible for any new member discounts and will rejoin under the prevailing terms and conditions. Any accrued ranking credits for long term membership will have been lost

So, to summarise, a total of 6 notifications/reminders by email and on your Log, plus a whole month with no new leads and no access other than to the renewals page before we remove your details.

Public Page Redirection

Your Public Facing Page is a highly detailed summary of everything we know about you - descriptions, photos, websites, social media, video clips, services offered, coverage area, contact details, secure email, customer reviews, venue information and so on - in fact, everything that is for public consumption.

Wherever we feature your company on needadisco.com and on any of our other websites, there is always a link back to this public facing page. It appears with every venue you review and it is sent to every client who requests quotes in the area you cover (subject to the usual filters).

This page also has strong on-page SEO. You will regularly see these on the first page of Google when searching for DJs in your area - sometimes you'll even find them ABOVE the DJs own organic listing.

The Public Facing Page is designed to bring enquiries to the needadisco.com quote process. After landing on any of our members' public facing pages, the user may only a) leave the page or site, b) contact you directly using the details provided or c), the most common, ask for quotes from all members covering their area.

This feature allows you to automatically transfer people who land on your public facing page across to your own website. You will then own the conversion process from that point. Once configured, when a client lands on your public facing page all of the information is still presented (for SEO purposes) but is not accessible. After a few seconds' delay, once the page has fully loaded, the user is bounced across to your own website instead. An information panel is shown during this few seconds so that it doesn't come as a surprise.

Coverage Area Upgrade

Do you want to receive leads from a wider coverage area than presently? You can upgrade in blocks of 6 for a fixed annual fee increase.

Each time you upgrade your coverage area, we will "level" your subscription renewal date taking the new payment into account. This will mean that when your subscription is next due, it will be for an increased amount to cover the total number of areas you cover.

Postcode Banners

Would you like YOUR company name to appear at the top of search results irrespective of your ranking? needadisco.com offers sponsorship of one advertising banner per postcode area on a first-come, first-served basis to its members.

Postcode banners can be configured to click through directly to your own website, facebook page etc. or to your needadisco.com public-facing page if you prefer.

They will also be shown against any venues that you review on our sub-sites, bringing you even more clicks from potentially thousands of well ranked pages around the web.

This panel shows you which areas you already have bought, their expiry dates and the banners currently in use. The orange RENEW NOW buttons allow you to extend the sponsorship by a further year at any time. The FIND AVAILABLE BANNERS button will take you to a summary page showing all of the banners currently sponsored and those which are available for sponsorship.

If your preferred banner is already taken, you can ask to be placed on the waitlist. When a banner becomes available we will immediately inform everyone on the waitlist and it will be a case of first-come, first-served. When purchasing a banner you can ask us to put up a placeholder graphic if your banner isn't yet ready for publication, so there's no need to wait!

Banner File Specifications and Rules of Issue

Before submitting banner artwork please consider the following:

• Banners are 468 pixels wide and 60 pixels deep
• The following file formats are accepted with no exceptions: JPEG, GIF, Animated GIF, PNG
• Animated GIFs must have a maximum file size of 100Kb and fit with the general feel of our site (in our opinion)
• You may change the banner graphic up to 4 times per annum without charge
• Any change of file format mid-term may take some time (up to 12 weeks) to take full effect
• If you are paying for banner design and you are unsure whether it will be acceptable, please send us a proof before purchasing
• Banners will be hosted on our servers therefore our usual rules regarding copyright, stock imagery and CAP Code Compliance apply
• Payment for banners is annual in advance by PayPal only
• Banners are only available to current needadisco.com members
• If your main needadisco.com subscription lapses any live banners will be forfeited without refund
• The price you pay for your banner will not be increased whilst you maintain annual payments

Referrals Scheme

We want to encourage members to pass their unwanted leads to needadisco.com rather than simply turning them away. If you refer a client to us who goes on to book one of our other members (as confirmed by both the member and the client) you will earn a FREE 1 month extension to your listing (a couple of minor exceptions apply - see below).

All referrals made will count towards your site ranking, even if they do not convert.

You do this by calling our quote generator with a special referral code as exampled in the screenshot below. We will also report back the number of leads you have sent us, the number which have been reported successful by the member involved, and finally the number of credits actually granted.

Exceptions: Charity events and jobs where the client confirms the budget at less than £100. However you will still receive a ranking credit for each referral.

Venues

As part of the UK-Parties group of websites, needadisco.com and its sub-sites have access to a rich database of UK party venues. In fact, it is due to cross-promotion on this database that we receive a good proportion of our client leads.

As well as helping us pull in more leads to the site which we can then divert to you, we encourage members to report their findings at venues they visit for the sake of other DJs who have not visited before.

Members can review any number of venues both from a DJs perspective (access etc.) and from a client's perspective (suitability etc.). Both types of review will contribute to your ranking.

Venues Reviewed

This section summarises venues which you have already reviewed. To see more details on the DJ-centric review, click the picture or the venue name. If a venue has a green plus symbol, this is an invitation to supply a consumer-centric write-up in addition to the details already provided.

Venues Pending Review

This section highlights some of the venues on our database which do not currently have DJ reviews. They are all within a short distance of your base postcode - this distance depends on your proximity to a major city. To review any of the venues, click the relevant RENEW NOW button.

If you want to blacklist a venue - that is, not receive quote requests for events taking place there, click the red BLACKLIST button to add this to your blacklist.

To review a venue NOT shown here, scroll down to reveal the REVIEW VENUE NOT SHOWN HERE button.

All reviews take a standard format and take just a few minutes to write.

Venues Blacklisted

These are venues which you have previously told us you do not wish to work at. When filtering new quote requests from clients, we check against your blacklist before sending new leads to you.

Blacklist information is completely private, and as such is only available to users in Secure Mode. We share anonymous data with other members, such as how many companies have blacklisted a particular venue and why, but this is never linked to actual DJs.

All venues on your blacklist can be whitelisted again simply by clicking the appropriate green button.

Creatives

This tab contains graphics which you might want to place on your own websites to promote your listing on needadisco.com, your DJmark Validators or Awards.

A wide selection of graphics in different shapes and sizes are provided.

When placing DJmark Awards and Validators please pay close attention to the Copyright Details below. These are also shown at the top of the Creatives page as a reminder.

Copyright position in respect of DJmark Awards and DJmark Validators

You are welcome to place any of these marks on your website as long as they are a "live link" to the images hosted on our server. Therefore they must not be used in any other medium, such as print. You must not modify them in any way. Sample HTML code is provided and the validator images are available in a variety of sizes to suit.

We will consider misuse of our awards as a copyright infringement or a breach of the Advertising Standards Authority's CAP Code and will pursue misuse appropriately.

Copyright position in respect of Advertising Creatives

You are welcome to use these freely as long as you remain a member of needadisco.com.

Tools

This tab contains details about tools and widgets which we have developed to enhance your own website, needadisco.com listing or integration with third party products. Currently there is just one tool - the Availability Checker - available for use.

DJEP Integration

We currently offer limited integration with DJEP but are working to improve this in the future.

Provide us with your DJEP Account Number (also known as DJ ID) and we will then enable a button on lead information pages. Clicking this button will transfer the details of the lead across to your DJEP account as if the client had entered the enquiry directly.

The needadisco.com quote request process does not capture client address information, but all other captured aspects will be sent across. If you have claimed a "Win" on the lead, and the client has confirmed this to us, then we will also send across the registered telephone number details even if these were originally withheld.

Availability Checker

Our Availability Checker tool allows visitors to your website to instantly check your availability. The client enters their event date, your needadisco calendar is checked, and if you are showing available the client is immediately forwarded to a page of your choice on your website.

If you are showing unavailable, the client is offered quotes via needadisco.com instead. If the client does not want quotes from us, they are forwarded to another page of your choice on your website (the same as, or different to the first).

Should the client take up our offer of quotes and one of our other members eventually succeeds in securing the job, you will be rewarded under our Referrals Scheme.

The whole process is diagrammed in the flowchart below:

Steps you need to take to be able to use the Availability Checker:

• Set up a return page on your website for successful date checks. When we call this page we will append the date as a URL parameter - you may interrogate this in software or ignore it
• Set up a return page on your website for unsuccessful date checks. The client will only be diverted here if they do not want quotes from needadisco
• Insert the HTML code shown on the Tools page into your website wherever you want the availability checker to appear
• Keep your calendar up to date!

RSS Feed of Golden Testimonials

Use any of hundreds of free and commercial RSS reader scripts, tools and widgets to display your Golden Testimonial comments on your own website, Facebook page or blog.

Pick up your unique RSS URL from the Tools tab and use it to surface your positive feedback on other websites.

Sub-Sites

needadisco operates a number of highly targeted as well as general-purpose websites. We are also part of the UK-Parties group of websites, which is a series of generalist and targeted directories covering tens of thousands of party venues and service providers across the country.

Members are cross-promoted as applicable across all of our relevant websites. This helps us draw in leads as well as helps enhance your own internet presence.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to consider only the mobile disco related sites below.

cheapdisco.com

cheapdisco.com specifically targets price-conscious clients. However our experience has shown that a good proportion of people who start off looking for a cheap disco can be convinced of the need to improve their budget to receive a quality service.

You will automatically be included on this website if your Price Bands include 'Budget' DJs. All leads raised through this site will have the budget level set to 'Budget'.

needakidsdisco.com

needakidsdisco.com specifically targets clients searching for quality children's and teens entertainment.

You will automatically be included on this website if your Age Groups setting includes any or all of our 3 children's age categories (0-6, 7-11, 12-15) AND you hold a current DJmark Award at any level.

Once your entitlement to a listing has been established, you may also upload up to three high-resolution pictures and short 150-character summaries of your service offerings for each of the three age groups, as seen in the example screenshot below:

All of the pictures uploaded for use on this website must be free from overlays, logos and watermarks.

needalastminutedisco.com

needalastminutedisco.com specifically targets clients who are looking for a DJ for events within the next 7 days. Experience has shown that in general people expect to pay a premium for late bookings, especially if they are searching because they have left it late to book, rather than been let down at short notice.

You will automatically be included on this website if your Services include 'Last Minute' DJs. For events taking place within 48 hours, we may send SMS text messages to your registered mobile phone number if all other filters show that you might be available.

needaweddingdisco.com

needaweddingdisco.com specifically targets clients looking for high quality DJs for weddings and civil partnerships. All of the venues featured and reviewed on this site are from our Hotels, Historic and Unusual/Unique categories which is why this site tends to draw lucrative enquiries, with clients often looking for more than just a basic disco.

You will automatically be included on this website if your Gig Types setting includes weddings/civil partnerships, you offer client meetings, you take music requests or playlists in advance AND you hold a current DJmark Award at any level.

Once your entitlement to a listing has been established, you may also upload up to five high-resolution pictures in different categories for ease of comparison against competing members. These pictures are used extensively in slideshows etc. because they tend to be very high quality.

The picture categories are:

• A headshot picture of the owner or DJ, possibly at work
• A rig shot of a typical wedding equipment rig
• A bride and groom picture, ideally during a dance together
• A busy dancefloor, showing guests having a good time
• A "freestyle" picture of your own choice

All of the pictures uploaded for use on this website must be free from overlays, logos and watermarks.

uk-dancefloors.co.uk

uk-dancefloors.co.uk specifically targets clients seeking suppliers of dancefloors for hire.

You will automatically be included on this website if your Services include dancefloors, either from your own stock or supplied on a reseller basis.

Public-Facing Page

This page is simply a collection of all of the public-facing information we know about you. This page is the one which is linked to when we inform clients who have requested quotes of the DJs we have forwarded their details to. It is also the page we link to from all our of search results pages.

The details found on this page are used across a number of sub-sites as appropriate to promote your listing and your business.

Nothing on this page is directly editable - this page is simply a reflection of all of your other configuration settings made throughout your Member Dashboard.

Golden Testimonials and Negative Reviews

These are detailed fully on this page. Each Golden Testimonial received will be displayed alongside a thumbs-up symbol and each negative review will be displayed alongside a thumbs-down symbol. There is also a star-rating box showing 0-5 stars for each of Promptness, Standard of Equipment, Standard of Presentation, Music Choices & Requests and Audience Interaction. These stars are averaged across all of your golden testimonials and any negative reviews so that visitors can see at-a-glance how DJs compare.

How Feedback Works

We are frequently asked how feedback is sought and applied. This summary explains the process in full, along with our internal rules regarding feedback acceptance.

For feedback to be requested from a client, two things must have happened BEFORE the actual event...

1. The client must have confirmed you as the "Winning" company using the URL (link) that we sent to them. This link is sent with the initial confirmation mail when the lead is processed, and again in reminder emails after 7, 15, 22 and 30 days, assuming that the event has not taken place by the time that each reminder is sent.
2. You, the member, must have marked the lead as "Won"

Feedback is requested from the client after one week (for non-wedding events) or three weeks (for weddings and civil partnerships). We have experimented with different timings over the years and these are the most productive. Feedback is then re-requested after 7, 15, 22 and 30 days if we do not hear from the client.

Feedback takes the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire plus a "free text" box for comments which is optional. The client is given a unique PIN code which is required to validate the feedback and a unique URL (link) which leads to their questionnaire.

Once feedback is received we run a series of security checks to validate the feedback is genuine. This usually takes less than 24 hours but can take several days.

The deciding factor between a Golden Testimonial and a Negative is whether or not the client states that they would recommend you to family/friends. We do not have a "neutral" category and will not be introducing one.

Feedback which is not presented in accordance with the above process will not be considered under any circumstances, even if it relates to work sourced via needadisco.

Complaints

When a negative review is received, the member concerned is allowed to post a response via their member dashboard. Only one response is allowed becuase there exists no mechanism for the client to post a retort.

needadisco.com staff will not mediate disputes. We are an introduction service only; any contractual obligations are between the member and the client in question.

The only way that a negative review will be removed from our system is if the client expressly requests that it is taken down, in writing, from the same email address used throughout the enquiry process. Such requests can be sent to admin @ needadisco .com and must carry the lead reference number, venue name and date for positive validation.

Negative reviews received via the DJmark complaints process in respect of gigs which were not advertised via one of our directories will not be shown on your public facing page, however they will still be counted when calculating your rank and DJmark assessments.

Additional Supporting Information

The Golden Testimonial Process

Collection of testimonials from needadisco.com sourced clients is quite a complex process as outlined in the diagram below.

Limited Catchment Areas

Some of our members operate in a limited catchment area - that is, their subscription allows them access to a reduced number of postcodes or they are based in an area where the typical number of gigs on offer is much lower than the average. This includes several offshore areas of the UK.

Members in these areas enjoy some concessions which helps keep them "on a level playing field" compared to the majority of members. Each "Limited Catchment" member is individually assessed for their suitability and the geographic areas we deem as "limited" are reviewed quarterly to ensure that 'regular' members are not disadvantaged by any concessions made.

Currently, members based in the following areas are considered for "limited catchment" concessions:

• BT (all postcodes) - Northern Ireland
• GY (all postcodes) - Guernsey, Alderney and Sark
• HS (all postcodes) - Outer Hebrides
• IM (all postcodes) - Isle of Man
• IV22 upwards - North-West Scotland and Isle of Skye
• JE (all postcodes) - Jersey
• KW (all postcodes) - Kirkwall, Northern Scotland and the Orkneys
• LL40 upwards - parts of North West Wales and Anglesey
• PA20 upwards - Isle of Bute, Argyll & the Inner Hebrides
• PO30 upwards - Isle of Wight
• TR21 - TR25 inclusive - Scilly Isles
• ZE (all postcodes) - Shetland Islands

What Happened To The "Old" Testimonials Process?

When we launched DJmark in 2007 it was the first third-party compliance checking scheme for mobile disco operators in the UK. Since then there have been several imitators, all of whom have fallen by the wayside, and the reputation of DJmark has grown.

Each year we review the requirements for our awards, to ensure that they remain fit for purpose considering changes in best practice and the law. We also close any loopholes that are found to be exploited and extend the scope and difficulty of the awards to avoid "bunching".

Our 2012 review was announced at the beginning of August 2012 and took effect on 1st October 2012. A number of changes were implemented, the most significant of which were:

• The withdrawal of the entry-level "Bronze" award
• Stopping accepting third party testimonials for Gold level and above
• The introduction of the new top level "Diamond" award, named in honour of the Queen's jubilee

All affected members were emailed in August 2012 setting out the impending changes. We also carried notices on our News Page and in the lead-up to the change there were numerous system alerts presented via the Member Dashboard.

From 1st October 2012 we no longer accept third party testimonials of any kind. We only accept so-called "Golden Testimonials", which is positive feedback for work sourced via needadisco.com. Some 80%+ of clients respond to our feedback request process and we have a number of security systems in place to ensure that feedback received is genuine.

Golden Testimonials are valid for three years from receipt.

• For a Silver DJmark award you do not require any Golden Testimonials, BUT if you receive NEGATIVE feedback you need to carry positive in the ratio of 1:2 or higher - that is, for every positive review you cannot have more than 2 negative.
• For Gold and Platinum DJmark awards you require ONE Golden Testimonial and you need to maintain a positive to negative ratio of 5:1 or higher. That is, for every 5 positive reviews, you cannot have more than 1 negative.
• For Diamond DJmark awards you require THREE Golden Testimonials and you need to maintain a positive to negative ratio of 10:1 or higher.

On 1st October 2012, any "in-flight" testimonials received under the previous process were honoured until their expiry date. Therefore the latest that any of the "old style" testimonials will remain valid is 30th September 2013.