Volume Adjustment Request at Hyatt Regency

​Not so much an "incident", more of an adjustment. The 2nd client asked RD to slight slightly later, at 12:00 rather than 11:45, which RD was fine to do. A few minutes into RD's set, she came up to RD again and politely asked him to turn the volume down ever so slightly. She maintained that it's elderly people and they have been shouting to hear one another. She asserted that it's fine for her and said that the music was lovely. RD was very understanding and recounted a similar situation with the Burgh House event 09/07/2023, where there were an older generation. He hastily turned down the volume on the unit. For the 2-hour set, he couldn't hear the backing tracks most of the time he didn't know which song he was playing such was the minimal level of engagement. The function was very boring and RD kept checking the time. He also had plenty of time to think about this and other times where clients have complained about volume, in most cases, for it being too loud, but occasionally, where they have complained about it being too soft. He thought about introducing a prominence score into the Show Advance, maybe a 1-10 scale for clients to fill in, with descriptive words according to how prominent they want the music to be. RD was only too pleased when the 2nd client said that they're going to wrap things up at 14:07, 8 minutes earlier than the agreed end time of 14:15, which RD was only too happy to do, because he was hoping to get the 14:32 train from Paddington.
RD also felt a bit critical of himself when he suddenly launched into a recounting of a previous event where this happened, and was worried that this might have made him sound fanatical. He made a mental note for next time that just to comply and adjust and not say much is perfectly sufficient. The clients don't need to know about previous events etc. It's of no interest to them. But maybe he told her that to be jovial, as a friendly/informal gesture, or to reassure her that he was used to these sorts of requests, so that she viewed him as a professional.

Title
Volume Adjustment Request at Hyatt Regency

Description
During a solo performance by RD at the Hyatt Regency on 21/11/2024, the second client requested two minor adjustments:
Start Time Adjustment: The performance was slightly delayed, starting at 12:00 instead of the originally planned 11:45.
Volume Adjustment: Shortly after the performance began, the client politely asked RD to lower the volume, citing concerns from elderly guests who were struggling to converse over the music.
RD complied immediately, reducing the volume to a level that made it challenging for him to hear the backing tracks, which reduced his ability to engage fully with the performance. Despite this, he completed the set professionally, with the event concluding a few minutes earlier than planned at the client’s discretion.
Reflecting later, RD felt self-critical about recounting the previous event, concerned it may have seemed excessive or irrelevant to the client. He recognized that in such cases, a simple, courteous adjustment without additional commentary would suffice, as clients are unlikely to find such anecdotes of interest. Despite this, RD may have shared the story as a friendly gesture, aiming to convey professionalism, informality, or reassurance that he was experienced with such situations.

Action Taken
Compliance with Client Requests:
RD adjusted the start time as requested and reduced the volume promptly after the client's feedback.
Professionalism Maintained:
Despite the challenges in hearing backing tracks and reduced engagement, RD maintained professionalism throughout the 2-hour set.
Post-Event Reflection:
RD considered ways to address similar issues in the future, such as implementing a Prominence Score in the Show Advance. This would allow clients to specify the desired prominence of the music (e.g., background ambiance vs. performance focal point).
Identified the need for minimal verbal feedback during such interactions, ensuring future communications remain concise and focused on accommodating the client’s needs.

Resolutions
The event proceeded without further complaints, and RD accommodated all client requests satisfactorily.
The performance concluded slightly ahead of schedule, allowing RD to leave for his 14:32 train on time. The performance concluded smoothly and slightly ahead of schedule, satisfying the client.
RD noted for future reference to handle volume-related requests with minimal commentary to better align with client expectations.
Future events may benefit from implementing a Prominence Score system to better align performance levels with client expectations.

Notes Comments
While not an incident as such, more of an adjustment, this situation highlights the importance of clear pre-event communication regarding performance prominence and audience expectations.
RD’s quick adaptation underscores his professionalism, though it also highlights the potential for disengagement when volume adjustments are extreme.
This experience reinforced the importance of balancing friendly client interactions with professionalism.
RD’s recounting of a similar event, while intended to be informal and reassuring, highlighted the need for restraint in such contexts.
The idea of sharing similar experiences might be better reserved for casual or informal settings, not active event management scenarios.

Reported
Reported Date: 21/11/2024
Reported By (Individual): RD
Reported By (Organisation): R

INDIVIDUALS

Involved, Responsive, EC, Client
Provided feedback on adjustments. Note it wasn't EC who made the request, it was another lady, but I can't remember her name.

Responsible, Active, RD, Alto Sax
Adjust performance as required

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This incident triggered the following developments...
Prominence Score