Jon Allen Presents
Wedding magic creates memorable moments
You already know your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life. Friends, family and work colleagues all gather together to be a part of it. You may want entertainment for everyone and think, “ I want to hire a magician for my wedding.”
Everything adds to the enjoyment and thrill of your big day. Wedding magicians should do that too. But how? Here are some questions you may have:
If you have never had to hire a magician before, and even if you have, there are things to be aware of before committing to hiring one.Does expensive guarantee good quality of service? Should you stay away from cheapness?
Here are the top 5 reasons why you should not base your decision on price alone:… [Read More]
Corporate event entertainment
“Will you come to our corporate event and do your close up magic around the tables after the dinner?”
“Nooooooooo!”
I have performed magic at many hundreds of corporate events, weddings and private parties. Every sit-down event follows a similar format:… [Read More]
I saw this video online and while it is aimed at photographers it can easily apply to any event service: caterer, live band, musician, florist, table decorator and of course, magician, silhouette cutter, caricaturist or any entertainer.
It very nicely sums up the situation when it comes to being asked to work for free. The key word is ‘work’ because that is what it is for me. Being a magician is a job and at every private party or corporate event that I work, I give 100% (If I were on a talent show or doing sport it it would be 110%).
While I do not work for free, here is what I do for different events:
Charity Event – If you would like to book me to entertain guests at a charity event, I will charge a slightly reduced fee. What I also do is raise money at the event. In my contract I will state the minimum amount that I will raise. If I do not make it up in donations, I will write a cheque to the charity for the balance. In this way, the charity gets top quality entertainment at a vastly reduced rate and I get a sensible fee at which I am happy to work. It’s a win/win situation.
No budget but lots more work – Sometimes I am told by a potential client they have no budget for entertainment at their event but their guests have lots of parties and I can give my card out to them.
It is strange how there is a budget for catering, decor, music and venue but not the entertainment. Also, I give out my card at events for which I do receive my fee. My priority though is not self-promotion at events in order to get paid work but to provide an amazing atmosphere and present thrilling magic to the guests. That is what clients pay me to do. If I do that for free, it undermines those who receive the same experience but have paid my fee.
If I am asked to do an event for free because the guests are “wealthy and have lots of parties”, here is what I do. I tell the client what my fee is for their event. I will write into my contract that if I get another 10 events from the guests at their party, I will return their fee as commission on those 10 other events.
My time, effort, rehearsals, education, purchases, knowledge, performance skills and impact on the guests have a value.
That value is not zero.
What you must know before booking a magician:
1. Booking the right person for your event is the priority. The magic tricks are secondary. The right person creates the experience; not the tricks.
2. Expect to find a wide choice of fees. What you may think is expensive might just be the right fee for the right magician for your event.
3. For your major corporate event, if any close up magician has a three digit fee starting with a 1 or 2… RUN AWAY!… [Read More]
Last Saturday night I was over in Bristol performing magic on stage at Smoke and Mirrors. This is a great venue; it’s a bar with a difference. In the back is a small theatre where every week a couple of stage magicians can perform their acts to a small yet enthusiastic crowd…. [Read More]
Have you seen a close up magician at an event? Maybe you have booked a close up magician for events.
If you answered “No” to both questions you will almost certainly have an image of the magician walking around doing tricks for guests. If you answered “Yes” to either, it will almost certainly have been a magician walking around doing tricks for guests.
This is the usual format but I offer something completely different!… [Read More]
I was very impressed with the table decorations at an event in London last night. Very often there is a large floral arrangement in the middle of the table with a Roman candle or two for good measure. Whenever I turn up for a wedding, anniversary, birthday or other party and see huge floral arrangements of the kind Cheryl Cole would have tattooed on herself, my heart sinks. This is what they had on the tables last night…. [Read More]
Booking a magician for a corporate event?
How many guests can I entertain at an event?
This is a question should be asked more than I am as it is very important. There is no exact formula and it will vary depending on the format of the event and the specific timings.
Bad:
I’ve been booked for 45 tables during a 3 course meal, 1000 people during a drinks reception and 30 people for two hours… [Read More]
It’s TV talent show time again! However, why do magicians have a hard time impressing the judges on Britain’s Got Talent?
There’s a few reasons but I’ll concentrate on the main one. The performer has 90 seconds to impress the judges in their audition…. [Read More]
