Leaving a Magic Gig – Essential Things You Should Do

Being a magician is about learning and performing magic, but being a working magician means you need to look after the business side of entertainment too. What you do as you leave a gig can be just as important to your success, as the marketing you did before you landed the job. If you simply pack up your bag and head home, you could be missing out on some very important opportunities to bring in more work. So let’s look at some of the tips and tricks you can do, after the card tricks have been done, to make sure you get the most out of each and every booking you do.

See the Toastmaster.

If the event has a toastmaster or master of ceremonies, make sure you tell him or her that you are leaving. They love to announce it to the room (Toastmasters crave announcing anything they are can, whenever they can), and you will get a round of applause from all the guests. This is a boost for your confidence, but most importantly it shows everyone that the group really enjoyed having a magician attend. The client confirms that they made a wise investment, and all the people clutching your business card, see how well the magic went down with everyone. The final thing you want the whole room to associate you with is a huge round of applause.

Say goodbye to the client.

The room is in full swing and the client is buzzing from table to table talking to their guests. Make sure you go up to them and say that you now need to leave, and thank them for booking you. NEVER just pack up and go, when your time is up.

Hold a magic trick back just for the client.

When you say goodbye, you don’t want to appear too eager to leave. Yes, I know, that McDonalds you noticed on the drive in, is calling you, but resist it. Stop and chat. They will often ask for ‘one more trick’ so hit them with a great closer effect, so you leave them amazed.

Give the client your deck of playing cards.

Let’s face it, almost every magician performs card tricks that require the spectators to sign a card. Keep those playing cards with signatures on, in the deck rather than giving them to the spectators and you have a great gift for the client at the end of the evening. They get a deck of cards with all their friends and families names on them. It’s a nice keepsake, especially at a wedding, and also shows the client, how you got around everyone and worked hard. Pop your business card in the card case too.

Would you like to learn more tips and advice for when you leave a magic gig? The Merchant of Magic has written a free ebook on the subject. It’s free and suitable for complete beginners getting ready for their first magic performance, right through to professionals wanting to get more gigs and improve their feedback.