The Westin Gaslamp Quarter – California Ballroom – NetworkFleet Holiday Party
Client: NetworkFleet Holiday Party
Venue: The Westin Gaslamp Quarter
Venue Address: 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego, California 92101
Number of guests: 150
Services Provided: Corporate Party DJ and Master of Ceremonies, enhanced dance floor lighting, , gobo lighting, second wireless sound system.
NetworkFleet, a leading provider of wireless fleet management services that improve fleet operating efficiency by reducing fuel consumption, maintenance expenses and vehicle emissions, had their holiday party at the The Westin Hotel in the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego.

San Diego DJ Holiday Inn USS John Paul Jones
Due to the rainy weather, we made preparations to arrive at The Westin ahead of schedule. We set up around 2.5 hours ahead of time, which gave us time to set up a second wireless sound system. NetworkFleet’s party consisted of the California Ballroom, split into two using a large white curtain. On one side of the curtain, there was a dining area where we set up our DJ system. On the other side of the curtain, two bars were set up along with cocktail-hour appetizers. We set up a separate sound system consisting of two Peavey speakers and a 300 watt amp, and sent the same sound being played in the dining area to the amp using wireless transmission, giving guests the ability to hear music while on the other side of the curtain. Two gobo lights loaded with star gobos were placed on the cocktail side of the curtain, shining brightly into the curtain for that holiday atmosphere.

Westin Hotel Holiday Gobos and Uplighting
We played ‘holiday jazz’ for cocktail hour. At the end of the hour, we made the announcement that the dining area was being made available as hotel staff opened the sides of the curtain. Guests shuffled into the dining area, and we switched to adult contemporary classics sprinkled with holiday music. As soon as the guests were all in the dining area, the curtains were once again closed, and staff went to work installing casino tables and readying the room for the casino entertainment that would start after dinner.
During the end of dinner, we started raffling off prizes. I was asked to conduct the raffle, and had no problems obliging. We had some fun with it, drumming up anticipation and giving light commentary on some of the prizes. Food was excellent, and after dinner they brought out two dessert tables full of delicious desserts such as chocolate eclairs, cakes, and many types of cookies and such.
Once dinner was over, we announced that the casino area was now open and invited guests to start gambling, in attempt to win more tickets for the raffle. I had consulted with NetworkFleet beforehand, and cautioned them that nobody would dance if there was a casino going on, and I wasn’t wrong. However, due to the second wireless soundsystem in the casino area, guest were able to listen to the creative mixes we were doing, and I was told that several people mentioned that they enjoyed the music even without the dancing aspect being involved. Of course, after a bit some people did find their way to the dance floor, but honestly it was around 10 people total.

The DJ equipment set up in the dining area with holiday uplighting
After casino time was over, we invited guests back into the dining area and commenced raffling off prizes. After raffles were completed, there was still around 20 mins left until the scheduled end of the party, so I suggested we start up the dance music again, and invited everyone to the dance floor.
I think the guests really had enjoyed the music while gambling, because when there was nothing to distract them, they were all too willing to enjoy our services and hit the dance floor. Due to the positive response, we continued mixing classics and new club hits, and ended up going well over the time scheduled, ending about 30 mins after the event was supposed to end. And that was only because hotel staff came up to me and mentioned that they wanted to get home! haha
All in all it was an enjoyable night. Although it is not our preference to play music when guests are not on the dance floor, the energetic response once casino time was over made it all worthwhile. The staff of NetworkFleet are very nice people, and it was our pleasure to be a part of their celebration.
Oh, and due to an email I received two days after the event, I am pretty certain we are going to enjoy another fun celebratory night with them next year!
Happy Holidays, NetworkFleet!

Holiday Uplighting at Westin Hotel