PeterWardell.com

10 Pre-show Tips for Trade Show Magicians

So now you’ve got the gig what’s next? Well here are a few points that might help:

1. Meet with the client at least once before the show if there’s time. Make sure you know exactly what they want and talk through script ideas if you have them in place. I would always try to avoid “walking through” a half prepared idea as it may not come across in the office environment. Some people feel that charging for these meetings is worthwhile, personally I see it as part of the service and if you charge a good daily rate for the show then you can afford to be “all inclusive.”

2. Do your homework.  Ask for and read everything that the client will have on the stand during the show, (or at least look at it). Even if you don’t remember most of it it will help you understand the current approach your client is taking and which particular products they’re focusing on at the show other than the one (s) your pitching. One of the things that I love about trade show magic is learning about other businesses and how they operate.

3. Pick you position. If you get the opportunity have a look at the stand deign and offer advice as to where you will be best situated. If you can be “built into” the stand that’s even better as it gives you instant kudos and makes attracting people a lot easier.

4. Be heard. Try to get a sound system if you can or “hire” them your own for a small additional fee. Amplification not only saves your voice but it means you can relax the tone of your voice and bottom line it will help you attract a bigger audience.

5. Make it official. Send a contract to the client outlining what style of show you will do and your fee structure.. Are you working continuously or just on the hour? You need to have it signed and sealed so nobody has an unpleasant surprise. It’s important to have a set of terms & conditions that outline what happens if the show is canceled etc. that the client will read before they send a signed copy back to you. Also you it’s a good idea to have the client look over your finished scripts for the show so they know what you’re going to be doing. Obviously only do this if you’re SURE that you will present the routine you’re showing them. If it’s just an idea then don’t sell it a s a certainty.

6. Lead times. If you’re providing “magic gifts” for the client to give away make sure you have enough time to get them produced and delivered. Get them delivered to your own address whenever possible as then you can have a look at the quality for yourself and deal with any problems. Also if you had to over order then you can keep hold of the surplus as examples to show future clients. Send the client some samples but take them to the show yourself – it’s the only way you can be sure they’ll get there.

7. Rehearse your branded pitch! Okay I know it sounds like a no brainer but if you’re unsure about the pitch then I guarantee that by the afternoon of the first day you’ll be doing ambitious card and the branded trick will be consigned to the close-up case. It’s happened to me many times and it will leave you feeling unsatisfied about the show even if the client is happy. Even if you know the trick well you still need to rehearse it with the new, branded script or you could find yourself slipping into your normal routines. You should also rehearse your “build” routines and lines, which will help you attract a crowd. “What brings you to the show today?” is a standard “open” trade show question – surely we can be a bit more creative.

8. Book you car parking in advance! Boring I know, but it will save you quite a bit of money, (especially at shows at ECO in London). If you can get a extra bit of cash for accommodation instead letting the client sort it out, then do. Firstly you will normally be able to book cheaper and closer than the hotel the client is using and secondly the client will probably want a few drinks in the evening which isn’t always the best idea. If you’re in a different hotel you can make your excuses and leave at a reasonable time.

9. An old favorite. If you have new shoes wear them in before the show. The same goes for new shirts – wash them before the show. Trust me 3 days on your feet is tough in the best conditions why make it tougher.

10. Arrive safely and on time. If you can travel to your hotel the day before the event even if it’s only a couple of hours from where you live. Getting up at 5 is not impossible but a long day just got a hell of a lot longer.

So there you go, not exactly rocket science but hopefully useful.  If you have any tips of your own or any comments I’d love to hear them.

Remember you can subscribe to this blog either via RSS or Email – see the form up on the left.

Does Your Idea Have Legs?

I recently performed magic at a Trade Show for a regular client of mine, the difference this time was that I sold in the idea of doing a big box trick as opposed to just the close-up magic.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  The initial response to the idea was very good, when I described it in the pre-show meetings it sounded great, but then like all good ideas the reality of implementation took over.  As I drove across country to pick up the illusion the shine seemed to fade a bit.  Loading the illusion into my car  in the snow and then unloading it into my over filled garage, well the shine faded even more.  The process of re-furbing the illusion so that it was fit for purpose really started to fade the greatness of this great idea and finally delivering the dam thing to my client and building it in their offices for them to look not at all impressed made me think perhaps this was a mistake.

6 Tips to Landing Trade Show Magic Gigs.

I’ve been performing at trade shows for quite a while and I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of how the market works.  The hardest part is actually getting the job and so I’ve listed  things that might help you.  Some people are REALLY good at this part and it’s more important than being a great magician.  If you want to be a better Trade Show magician then you need to sell your services well so you can gain experience on the Trade Show floor.  It’s hard work and can be soul destroying but if you view it as an adventure rather than a necessary evil then maybe you’ll get more done.  Good Luck. read more

What Art?

I recently wrote somewhere that magic was a performance art and although I didn’t think that there was always room for art there had to be an element of performance.  The point I was trying to make is that if you work in a commercial market such as mix and mingle I felt the art side of magic was bound to suffer.  If this wasn’t the case then we wouldn’t all be doing the same kind of material – commercial magic.   Very often we need to make an impact but we only have a very short window of opportunity to do it in, that’s where stock commercial routines come into there own.  They’re direct and require little thought on the part of the spectators, perfect.  So that’s it then, there is no art in commercial magic?
Not exactly.  I was limiting myself to the tricks and that’s always a mistake.
Very often the art lies not in the tricks we do or even the presentations we frame them in,  the art lies at a much more personal level.  If you think that there is no art in interrupting a group of people, or in starting a conversation with a stranger then you are missing out on a large aspect of what we do in these “artless” environments.
For those magicians who look down their noses at Children’s Entertainers and think their is no room for art there then again you maybe missing where the real art is.  It isn’t Run Rabbit Run, it’s the art of talking to children and gaining their respect.  In street performing the art is in crowd building and control not getting the melon under your hat!
Maybe you think that the job of a magician is to do magic tricks in which case you are not only wrong but you are in the wrong line of work.  Do anything but be a magician and then you can do tricks whenever you want and not have to worry about the art.  We have all had the experience of the spectator who can do a few tricks, or who, after you’ve performed a trick, declares  “my son can do that.”  They’re not saying “I’m a professional magician” or “my 8 year old is a professional magician”, they are simply pointing out to you what you should already know – the trick is not that important.  Magicians are professional communicators, and our job is to engage with spectators and that is where the real art lies.
So let me re-state my original point:  Magic is a performance art.  There should always be a performance and the art should be present in every atom and every second of what we do.

What Are You Worth? (Part 2)

I recently wrote about the need to keep fees up and not to drop them in the recession and even though I’m staring down the barrel of a pretty quiet December I still think that dropping fees is wrong in the long term. The problem is that the majority of magicians out there are doing anything to get the work and prices are being cut left, right and centre and I can’t blame them. Also the younger performers who don’t have the overheads that some of us do and can afford to work cheaply are doing so and to be honest I can’t blame them either. The end result however will be that they will “kill the pitch”, (to use a street performing expression), quite literally cheapening what we do and turning the work of the close-up magician into a commodity that has little perceived value.

So far I’ve bitched a little and not really offered any ideas as to how we can combat the problems that this recession has brought to our profession, so I wanted to redress the balance a little: read more

5 Approaches to Trade Show Magic

The following is based on notes from a lecture that I only gave once.

5 ways to approach developing Trade Show material:

•    Close-up Magic that has no link to the company you represent but entertains.
•    Fixed Set
•    Magic that uses the product as the prop
•    Common Language
•    Brand driven read more

What are you worth?

There’s a real problem with fees at the moment, no matter how low you’ll go someone else will do it for less. Hey, why shouldn’t they? After all we all need to make a living and if they’re not working on that day then surely agreeing to work for a p**s poor fee is okay. No it isn’t – not for you, not for me, not for the whole profession. read more

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: read more

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

“Practice lady, practice.”

Okay so it’s a very old joke but the fact is practice alone won’t get you anywhere as a performer.  You need to rehearse. read more