When someone pays good money for a magician or for any form of entertainment, they expect a certain level of professionalism, quality and fun. Whether the event is a wedding, trade-show or corporate event; the main objective is to make it memorable. Unfortunately, there are amateur/newbie entertainers out there who call themselves professional magicians right after purchasing a trick at a novelty shop. Newbie “entertainers” often put on a bad show, waste your money and embarrass the organizers. Here’s a tip to separate the bad magicians from the great one:
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The first thing is to decide what type of magic based on the scale of your event type. Is it more than 30 pax? Is there technical systems to support the show? Magicians generally have 3 types of magic performance scale:
- 1) Close-Up Magic (or Street Magic or Roving Magic) which perfect for virtually all events with intervals, cocktail reception, etc.
- 2) Area Magic (or Parlor Magic, Mini-Stage Magic) which is perfect for a small/medium size group.
- 3) Stage Magic which is common for large events.
Next, have the entertain(s) done similar events? For high-scale events, there is zero-tolerances to hiccups; pictures and videos can deceive your decision process. Always request for a previous client contact number just to be sure. Most clients are happy to put in a good word for an entertainment they enjoyed very much. Such clients excludes, private home parties and birthday events.
Lastly, not all entertainers dressed up to the nines for all events. They may have a ragged look like Criss Angel. Nevertheless, a professional magician will have always something for the occasion.
Professional Magician and Author from America, Wayne Kawamoto, suggest to insist on a professional magician whichever state you live in. “Professional magicians provide fun, magical shows, and it can take years for a performer to hone his or her show to the point that it’s a great one. Any professional these days should have a website that offers information about them and their shows.”
Very often, the price is an indication of quality. Newbie magicians have NO overhead as they have NO office, NO staff, NO… you get what I mean no standard to get high volumes of shows. As Darren Ho mentioned, artistes get paid for the countless amount of practice hours put into practicing hard and squeezing [customized] rehearsal at short time from point of engagements to ensure quality is delivered.
Bottom-line is choosing the right entertainers can help build your event. Speak to your favorite booker/agent/organizer or directly to ATOM’s friendly staff and they will guide you everything you need to know to ensure your event goes smoothly and to fit in the right entertainment.
Singapore Magicians & Mentalists Coven 