Trade Show Magic (1)
It’s been quite a while since my last post due to a run of Trade Show work, the third show of which I start today. Admittedly I paid for the middle of the three shows I’ve been involved in this month but that just makes it even more stressful.
The question I get asked more than any other regarding Trade Show work is “how do you get the work?” Well one of the answers to this is in the first paragraph and I’ll get to that one day. But the first point is one I made in a previous post about How and Why. Why do you / magicians want to work at Trade Shows? They seem to be seen as the Holy Grail of corporate magic and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Here are some possible reasons:
- Money.
- Sociable hours.
- Respect.
- Money.
If these are your reasons for wanting to work Trade Shows then forget it, your barking up the wrong tree and you’ll be sorely disappointed. Lets deal with the most obvious one first, Money.
Okay, you can charge a good fee for a day at a trade show, (some don’t – idiots), but you’re going have to work for every penny of it. An 8 or 10 hour day brings your hourly fee down to less than a good close-up gig, and your going to be in your feet for pretty much all of it. Do a cabaret act instead, that’s where the big fees are, (I’ll post about those at some point.)
Sociable hours – Sure it’s a day-time gig but the chances are you’ll be so f****d at the end of the day that the thought of being smiley, magic boy for an evening gig will not appeal. Also you will need to travel to most Trade Show gigs and that means hotels and away from the family, girlfriend, boyfriend, dog etc for days at a time. You might find you’re stuck with a client who invites you to dinner and insists that you perform for his/her clients even though they didn’t mention it before and you haven’t charged for that service. Also the client could be a complete arse and you’re stuck with them for 3 days – ha ha.
Respect or possibly kudos is another reason for wanting to work trade shows. Respect from who? Other magicians? Your client? The way to gain respect is to be respectful and do a good job, getting the work is not enough. Are you prepared to leave your ego at the door and work as a representative for someone else – this isn’t about you, it’s about the client. You may be working alongside people who think you’re a complete waste of money and don’t get it , you’ll have to work hard to convince them otherwise.
Is it worth it?
I think so and I’ll get round to telling how to get the work and how to do the work in future posts.
