I want to start performing magic commercially again – How?

Stuart wants to start performing magic commercially again, but worries that times have changed..

Stuart writes:

Dear Dominic, I thought I would take up your kind offer of seeking advice and ask this:

I used to perform regularly as a walk around, table magician but other factors (children, day job etc) got the better of me. Now my children are a touch older I want to get back to more general/ close-up work in order to generate more income from magic and also simply because I love performing this type of magic and would like to do more of it again.

So there’s the background, but my question would be if you can offer any tips on how to get back in? The world is a very different place to ten years ago when websites, showreels etc weren’t so important and it seemed all I had to do was walk into a place and show the boss a trick.

(Lastly, I’m 46 years old, still have most of my own teeth and can still muster the energy to do the leg work for chance bookings etc!) Many thanks in advance for your advice and your time.’

Hi Stuart

That’s great news that you are thinking of getting back into performing close-up magic.

You may think that the world of magic is very different from a decade ago, but it’s actually pretty much the same when it comes to working locally as a magician. Granted, there are a wave of magic enthusiasts performing and promoting themselves online, but that tends to be it’s own bubble, often aimed at fellow magicians, and is quite distinct from ‘real world’ commercial marketing for work. The core techniques for doing magic commercially remain the same.

Who’s following you?

I often get magicians coming to the magic shop and talking about how many followers, subscribers, or facebook friends they have, yet they complain that they don’t get many bookings from those channels. I usually ask them if they know the percentage of their online followers that are magicians, or magic enthusiasts, compared to how many of them are event planners, venue owners, industry service providers, etc. It’s usually the case that magicians tend to collect other magicians in their social networks, but that is the least valuable group from a marketing perspective!

It’s not how many people you reach.. it’s who those people are! The most important activity you can do to get more work is:

Meet people that make the decisions about entertainment for events!

This could be a restaurant owner, a venue events manager, or simply people planning a party or wedding. Having a high end website or a huge social media following is great, but it all depends on who visits your website or follows you.. magic fans/friends Vs. people that are actually looking to book a magician.

Stepping back into performing magic commercially again

For you, the first move is to brand your service as a close up performer so you can market your services again.

I’m assuming you already have a range of material to perform as you were working as you were performing magic commercially in the past, so it’s mainly the approach to getting gigs that you need to kick-start.

First step:

You need a website and magicians business cards dedicated to the market you want to service. A base for clients to contact you and find out about your services. You can set one up yourself easily ( www.weebly.com ) or have a designer build it for you.

Once you have a website and some business cards, you are ready to get out and start promoting your services.

Approach 1 : Performing magic in restaurants : It’s low paid, but will springboard you into other bookings and get you out performing. Find a busy restaurant area and visit a load of establishments. See if you can get a few to allow you to perform for one night free of charge per month, so they can see you performing, and appriciate the effect of the entertainment. In exchange, you can hand out business cards to hopefully get work from it. It’s a hard slog, but you should get some gigs from it, and can go from there.

Do this now: Go online and make a list of all the local restaurants in your area. Set a date to contact or visit each one to introduce yourself.

Approach 2 : Wedding exhibitions. Look at local wedding events going on in your area and book a table. You should get a few gigs out of it.

Do this now: Read my free ebook on how to do wedding exhibitions.

Approach 3: Market to venues and corporates: Visit local hotels and event venues to chat with the event planners.

Do this now: I would recommend that you read this excellent free ebook on marketing as a close up magician. It will give you a load of information and templates to start looking for work and getting gigs: One Minute Magic Business

Hope this helps

Dominic Reyes

Performing Magic in Restaurants – The Staff

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

By Dominic Reyes

Performing Magic in Restaurants – Talking to the Staff

When you perform magic in a restaurant you are part of a team. You're one cog in the machine that is designed to give the guests a great experience, a fantastic atmosphere, and a wonderful meal. Being part of a team means that you need to consider the other team members. Sometimes the restaurant may not have used a magician before. Take a moment to talk with the staff and reassure them that you will be an asset rather than a hinderance. Here's some points you may want to communicate to them:

When will the magician perform magic in the restaurant?

Usually you will be performing magic in restaurants during the waiting time between a guest ordering their food and the meal arriving. Let the staff know that you will not approach a table while guests are looking at the menus, eating their food, or once the guests have asked for the bill. Restaurants care about turning their tables, so your job is to entertain during the waiting times the guests experience, not when they should be doing something to move the process of the meal forward.

How performing magic in restaurants helps?

Let the staff know that the magician is a helpful tool for the restaurant. There are many ways that magic can help things run smoothly. If a table is facing a long delay getting their food, the staff can tell the magician to keep the table occupied. Let the team know they can call you over to a table when they need this service.

Magic in restaurants is exciting.

Suggest that the staff mention to the guests that a magician will be performing magic in the restaurant when they are shown to their table. Ask the staff to let you know as soon as possible if guests have requested to see your magic.

Interuptions.

If possible, mention that there are applause moments in the magic you will perform. In those moments the guests will be watching closely. Don't boss the staff around, but if you mention this they will look out for it and soon understand when it's not a good time to interrupt. This is also a good time to ask that waiters don't offer drinks or canapés to a group if you are performing for them. Be polite about this and explain that you will not get in their way. If the staff are aware, then it will not ruin the magic for the guests.

Talk about Tips.

Assuming that you are not working just for tips, I recommend that you pass on any tips you receive to the main restaurant staff. Let the team know that a magician may increase tips because the guests will have a great time. If a guest insists on tipping, accept the gift, but check if the restaurant has a tip jar to it's shared with everyone working that night.

Let the team know how a magician will help them.

Performing magic in restaurants is a bonus for the whole team. Let the staff know how magic will help them:

You will entertain the guests and give them a great experience.
Long wait times can seem shorter if guests are being entertained.
A guests special celebration can have a magic trick to mark the occasion.
The magician can identify any guest issues and bring them to the staffs attention.
Magic in restaurants can increase tip levels for everyone.
Make regular customers feel extra special.

It's also important to reassure the staff that you won't be a hinderance. Let them know that you will not:

Disturb the guests whilst they are eating.
Interrupt food or wine presentations
Take their tips.

You don't need to give a long speech to the waiting staff, but a quick chat just to mention these points will really help your interaction with the whole team when you start at a new restaurant. Performing magic in restaurants can be a fast paced and challenging experience, so keep the restaurant staff on your side and aware of the help your magic provides.

8 Questions Magicians Should Answer When Arriving at a Venue

by Merchant of Magic Leave a Comment

Questions for Magicians at a Venue or Event

Do you ever internally ask any questions when you arrive to do close up magic? It’s important that you take moment to look around the area you are going to be working and consider your surroundings. It’s easy to forget the real reason people are sat around the table for the evening:

8 Questions to ask yourself:

After you have arrived at the venue, take a moment to look around the room you will be performing in. Answer the following 8 questions:

The Layout – Is there room to move between tables?
Blackspots – Are there places with limited viability or bad angles?
The Serving Flow – Where do the waiting staff enter and exit the room?
Waiting areas – Where are the best places to wait when speeches or awards take place?
VIP Tables – Where will the client be sitting?
Bag Corner – Where can my magicians case/bag be stored and easily accessed?
Table sides – Which side of each table would be best to perform from, to get the best visibility, yet providing shielding from the other tables?
Table Time – How many tables will I need to do, and how much time can I allow per table?

Dominic Reyes talks about checking out the venue when arriving at a gig

Understanding the layout of the room and the places that you should avoid, so you are not in the way of the waiting staff, will mean you can quickly move around the room without getting in the way of anyone.

It’s much easier to do this BEFORE the guests fill the room, so make it a habit to arrive a few minutes earlier, so you can walk through the venue and note these points.

The Service.

Remember that you are NOT the most important member of staff in the room. The guests are there to eat and chat, your job as a magician is to entertain them IN-BETWEEN these primary activities. If waiters come to clear plates, stop and let them take over the table.

Careful planning, once you understand the serving flow, will mean you can work the opposite side of the room from the food being served, but sometimes a table will need to be cleared, while you are there. Let it happen and be happy about it. If you act annoyed that you have been interrupted, it comes across as ‘self important’.

Taking the time to scout out the venue and answer the 8 questions above will mean that you will face less unpleasant surprises at your gigs and will work much better with the restaurant staff.