Welcome back, readers. It's your neighborhood friendly corporate event magician Spencer Grey here back with another article, this time discussing something a little more controversial and interesting. Today's topic is the top five reasons why you should NOT book a corporate event magician.
If you are a frequent reader, you will know that a majority of my writing is very pro magician, and as a professional magician myself, this would naturally be the case. However, that said, it is not uncommon for me to have an opposing viewpoint on bringing a magician to your event. I feel it my responsibility to say that magic is not always the best fit for every event.
The role of a magician varies from performer to performer, including their flexibility and ability to make accommodations for your event. That said, there are plenty of instances where booking a magician may not be the best fit for your event. For that reason, I'd like to walk you through five different reasons why this may be the case. Let's get into it.
Reason 1: A Corporate Event Magician Does Not Align with Your Goals
When planning an event, the first thing you should be thinking about is what is the goal? Is this a celebratory office party as a way to say thank you to employees? Is this serving the function of a networking event where you want your staff members of another company to mingle. Is this a team building workshop? Is this an office meeting?
It's important to understand what the bottom line is for your event. And then once you know that information, from there, you can start filling in the blanks in regards to what activities you want to include.
Pro Tip: Check out this Corporate Magic Video to get an idea of what magic looks like at events to see if it will be a fit.
Here are a couple of examples of events whose goals may not be in alignment with bringing on board entertainment. First, if your event is very short already and it is already filled with meetings or other business oriented goals, attempting to bring in a magician to also perform may not be the best fit. In this example, bringing a magician on board and you have a lot of work to do on your agenda, a magician may actually be a distraction.
You should always be aware of what your event goals are and if bringing in entertainment is something you want to do. Bringing in a corporate event magician can change the mood. It's designed to be fun, engaging, and make people relax. But if your event is only an hour and you have a lot of things to discuss, there may not be enough time to get into the entertainment and out of it. So just be mindful of what your goals are.
Reason 2: Budget Constraints
Hiring a professional magician can be expensive. Often a predetermined budget for an event must be allocated to different activities and offerings such as food, catering, venue, decor, and other activities. If you think bringing a magician to the event would be a lot of fun, but the only budget you have is whatever's left over, that may be a sign that it won't be a great fit. I always recommend that if there's a small amount left over and you're looking for ways to spend it, but it's not quite enough to bring in a professional magician, consider allocating the remaining funds towards food or drinks or a smaller activity. Magicians can cost thousands of dollars, and if your remaining budget is only $500, it may not make sense to spend that on a magician.
Keep in mind, the overall goal when booking a corporate event magician should be quality and professionalism, and that often comes with a higher price tag, so be prepared to pay just a little bit more for someone. You can also consider the idea of saving this magician for another event, where there is a larger budget, and plan the rest of your event around that.
Reason 3: Limited Interaction
For myself, when I perform at events. My style of magic, like many performers, is highly interactive. That means you need people's full attention, and quite often, they will be assisting you on the stage during the show.
This can coincide with magic not being in alignment with your event goals. If the event is two hours and you already have it planned to have dinner and speeches, there may not be time for a 45 minute magic show because guests will be eating.
And if you've heard me speak on this topic before, you want to avoid having a show while guests are eating. Eating a meal is its own form of entertainment, and if you ask guests to choose between a juicy, delicious steak or a magician, they will most likely always choose the steak.
Trust me, my feelings are not hurt by this. This is just the way things go. Also, the last thing I want to do is attempt to invite a person on stage to help me and take them away while they are in the middle of eating their food. This can result in guests not enjoying the show or resenting the performer for interrupting them during a meal.
A magic show, mentalism show, or hypnosis show is its own activity and should be separate and requires the full attention of the audience. Therefore it is not recommended to have a corporate event magician perform whilst guests are eating a meal.
Reason 4: Space and Logistics
This one is very important to me, as I see it being one of the biggest hurdles to overcome during a majority of the events that I work.
As a corporate magician in the industry with over 17 years experience, I have worked hundreds of events throughout the years and understand what logistics are required for a successful show or close-up magic.
A lack of elevated stage or platform can often be an issue for group shows. I've worked many dinner events with close to 50 or 60 guests spread out in a room, at tables.
If I am not elevated on a stage, you run the risk of only the front tables being able to see the performer or the magic tricks. When guests are unable to see what is happening, they turn their attention away from that and begin side conversations in the back and are not fully engaged in the performance.
A lack of visibility leads to most guests turning their attention away from the performance. And to side conversations or other distractions. This can in turn lead to a further distraction for other guests in the area.
Imagine you're at a movie theater and just one person is talking. That one person can be heard throughout the movie theater and can be a huge distraction. We've all experienced this before, and how difficult it can be to pay attention and enjoy a performance when one person in the movie theater is talking. Now imagine this same example, but at a live event where dozens of guests at back tables are unable to see the performance and therefore start side conversations or chatting because they are uninterested.
Even the performer on stage is able to hear these distractions, and if the performer can hear it all the way on the other side, the other guests will also be distracted, making for a less enjoyable experience. Luckily for you, this issue can be easily remedied by planning ahead and providing proper staging, lighting, and sound for the performer.
Reason 5: Competing with Other Activities
This coincides with the first reason I spoke about at the beginning of the article, which is a lack of alignment in your event goals.
Overcomplicating your event's schedule with too many activities, especially activities occurring simultaneously, can prevent guests from enjoying a performance. Let's take a look at the two different ways this can happen. First, with a show.
Things such as a live band playing on a separate stage or area, a DJ, food, or similar activities whilst a performance is happening on stage can be a distraction. For this reason, it is recommended for the show to be the one and only activity occurring during the performance.
Pro Tip: Distractions such as waiters or serving staff refilling drinks or water glasses in a dining hall during the performance is just as bad of a distraction. Which is why upon arrival at an event, I speak with the kitchen staff and the event lead, as a reminder to suggest no service is had during the show. This includes refilling waters, drinks, serving or removing plates.
Secondly, for occurrences during mingling. While mingling magic is a fantastic option for providing magic while other activities are happening. There are some instances where other distractions can prevent enjoyment. These distractions include activities such as a loud band playing at a volume in which normal conversation cannot be held. Live bands are exciting and fun to sing and dance along with. However, if a magician is attempting to entertain guests, close up and is having to yell, this can heavily impact the magic.
It's often a common request to have a corporate event magician entertain guests close up at the tables during dinner. Again, much like a live show, dinner is an activity and should be left as such. I'm a big fan of performing mingling magic during a cocktail hour before dinner is served, or after dinner as coffee or light dessert is being served.
A lot of magic tricks are interactive and require hands-on participation from guests at the tables. But if their hands are already occupied with a fork and knife and their mouths are full, eating it makes it inconvenient to guests to also participate with interactive magic.
For this reason. Be mindful of the application in which you would like to apply the magic. Always consult with your magician to ensure your ideas and vision for the event are logistically appropriate.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, magic is extremely versatile and can be applied to so many different types of events. It's important to remember that much like any activity, there are best practices for a reason. As a professional performer who entertains at corporate events full time, I'm aware of these best practices and I'm always excited to consult with my clients and work with them to ensure their event is the best that it can be.
I'm not just hired to entertain your guests and provide an amazing experience. I'm also hired as a consultant and professional in the live entertainment field. Who understands best practices for applying magic in a successful manner.
If you have any questions about magic for your upcoming event and whether or not it would be a good fit, contact me today Corporate Event Magician Spencer Grey to get in touch for more information. I'd love to hear from you and learn more about your event to see if we can make it unforgettable. I hope this has brought you value and insight and will help make your next event a success. As always, thanks for reading and I will see you on the next one.
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