Can the after-party start the moment the program ends?

Yes. The sound system goes up before the doors open, so the band or the DJ is set and checked during the reception, can play dinner at conversation volume if the night wants it, and turns the dance floor on at the emcee's last word, with no changeover the guests can see.

Do we need a second sound system for the after-party?

No. Sound support that's the right size for the venue is included, and a band, the DJ and a live musician over the DJ set all run through the same system on the same contract. A hotel's house system is specified for speeches and won't carry a dance floor, which is why ours comes with the booking.

What does the hotel need to know?

The dock time and the elevator window, the circuits we need, one or two dedicated 20-amp lines depending on the act, the decibel cap and the curfew, and the run of show. Footprints and power by size are on our technical page, written so a hotel's events office can read them without a phone call, and load-in usually runs 45 to 90 minutes depending on size.

Which acts work as an after-party?

The open-format DJ on its own or with a saxophonist or a bassist over the set, live band karaoke when the point is the crowd on stage, the soul and R&B band on a ballroom floor, and the yacht rock band for a crowd that wants to sing every chorus. A DJ can also carry the late set after the band wraps, through the same system and on the same contract.

Can conference attendees request songs?

Yes, and the DJ reads the dance floor from the first song. An open-format set is built for a conference crowd from six cities. Live band karaoke takes requests by definition, with the words on a screen.

How loud can it be, and what about the curfew?

As loud as the venue allows. A hotel's decibel cap and curfew are honoured as written, and we'd like both numbers at contract so the set is built under them rather than turned down on the night. Denver's downtown hotels and the convention-center properties each run their own rules, and we settle them with the events office before the day.

After-parties

The after-party is the part of the night people talk about.

The conference after-party, the hour after a gala’s last award, the back half of a holiday party once the speeches are done. It’s the part that comes up on the flight home. A DJ with a live musician over the set, a band that lets the crowd sing, or a soul band on a ballroom floor, on the sound system that’s already up.

Denver hosts corporate conferences of several thousand people at a time, and the hotels beside the convention center run the after-parties for them and for the city’s largest galas. This page is written for the destination management company, the conference hospitality lead and the gala committee who book that hour: what it can be, what the hotel needs to know, and how it sits on one contract with the rest of the evening.

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Tony Medina’s Purple Rain, the kind of song an after-party turns on.

Common after-party configurations

Four common configurations for the hour after the program.

Each one runs through the same sound system as the dinner music, on the same contract, so the dance floor opens the moment the program closes.

The DJ, with a live musician over the set: An open-format DJ reading a dance floor of people from six cities, with a saxophonist or a bassist playing over the set. A solid DJ gets people moving and is the most common single booking of the corporate season, and the live musician is the difference between a playlist and a crowd watching something happen.
Live band karaoke: A real band plays the 80s and 90s hits on its own and hands the mic to anyone who wants a song, with the words on a screen and a host on the floor. Nobody has to sing for it to work. For a conference crowd that spent the day in a ballroom, it’s the after-party they describe to the colleagues who skipped it.
The soul and R&B band: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and the Motown book, sung out front with a horn on the choruses. The ballroom floor act for a gala’s second half or a holiday party once the awards are done.
The yacht rock band: Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Hall and Oates and Toto in three-part harmony. For the crowd that wants to sing every chorus rather than dance every song, and for a summer after-party on a terrace.

A DJ can also carry the late set after the band wraps, through the same system and on the same contract. The DJ page covers how that handoff works.

What the hotel needs to know

An after-party in a hotel ballroom or a hospitality suite comes with a few hotel questions: a dock time, an elevator window, the circuits, the decibel cap and the curfew. We settle all of them with the events office before the day. Our load-in usually runs 45 to 90 minutes depending on the size of the act and needs one or two dedicated 20-amp circuits, and the system goes up before the doors open so the dance floor can open on the emcee’s last word.

A hotel’s house system is specified for speeches and will not carry a dance floor across a ballroom, which is why sound support that’s the right size for the venue comes with every booking. The cap and the curfew are honoured as written; give us both numbers at contract and the set is built under them rather than turned down on the night.

Footprints, power and load-in for every size are on the technical page, written so you can forward it to the hotel as it stands. A certificate of insurance, the W-9 and one itemised invoice come with the contract.

The occasions

The occasions that book an after-party.

Conferences and incentive programs: The closing night of a customer conference, the hospitality evening a sponsor hosts, the last night of an incentive trip. The corporate page covers the contract and the vendor onboarding, and the retreats page covers the mountain version.
Galas and award nights: The floor after the last award. The galas and award nights page sets out every cue in the program that comes before it.
Holiday parties: The back half of the office party, once the speeches and the raffle are done. The holiday party page dates the season and covers the January party.
Weddings and private parties: The late set after the first dance and the toasts, or the birthday that keeps going. Weddings and private parties each have their own page, with the configurations and the venues.

After-party questions

More booking questions are answered on the planners question list.

Can the after-party start the moment the program ends?: Yes. The sound system goes up before the doors open, so the band or the DJ is set and checked during the reception, can play dinner at conversation volume if the night wants it, and turns the dance floor on at the emcee's last word, with no changeover the guests can see.
Do we need a second sound system for the after-party?: No. Sound support that's the right size for the venue is included, and a band, the DJ and a live musician over the DJ set all run through the same system on the same contract. A hotel's house system is specified for speeches and won't carry a dance floor, which is why ours comes with the booking.
What does the hotel need to know?: The dock time and the elevator window, the circuits we need, one or two dedicated 20-amp lines depending on the act, the decibel cap and the curfew, and the run of show. Footprints and power by size are on our technical page, written so a hotel's events office can read them without a phone call, and load-in usually runs 45 to 90 minutes depending on size.
Which acts work as an after-party?: The open-format DJ on its own or with a saxophonist or a bassist over the set, live band karaoke when the point is the crowd on stage, the soul and R&B band on a ballroom floor, and the yacht rock band for a crowd that wants to sing every chorus. A DJ can also carry the late set after the band wraps, through the same system and on the same contract.
Can conference attendees request songs?: Yes, and the DJ reads the dance floor from the first song. An open-format set is built for a conference crowd from six cities. Live band karaoke takes requests by definition, with the words on a screen.
How loud can it be, and what about the curfew?: As loud as the venue allows. A hotel's decibel cap and curfew are honoured as written, and we'd like both numbers at contract so the set is built under them rather than turned down on the night. Denver's downtown hotels and the convention-center properties each run their own rules, and we settle them with the events office before the day.

Book the after-party on the same contract as the dinner.

Live music for your event, from a solo musician to a full band, with sound support that’s the right size for the venue and a personal contact for the night.

Check a Date

Send us the date and the venue, and we’ll come back with a recommendation and a price for your night. What live music costs in this market is on the pricing page.