How to book the right magician and illusionist
Booking the right magician, illusionist or mind reader can be as tricky as the magician himself. With so many to choose from, how do you know who is good, who will turn up and who will make your event a success? Here are some factors to consider when deciding on booking your magician:
Are they a full time professional?
Unfortunately magic is the only art form where people can learn a couple of simple party tricks and think they can call themselves a magician. There is a huge difference between someone performing a few simple card tricks that the spectators are mildly interested in to a full time professional that will create an amazing and unique experience that people will remember for a long time. There are literally only a handful of full time professional magicians in the UK that have no other job and live, work and breath their magic. Many of the magicians advertising themselves as professional are in fact semi professional, which means that they perform part time and usually have day jobs. Now we're not saying that all semi professionals are no good, but most of them will be under par, simply because they are not out there performing full time.
Does the magician have testimonials available from happy clients?
With the many websites on the net, it is very easy for anyone to write some words that says how fabulous they are and what their clients say, but are they real? Any established professional magician should be able to provide you with written testimonials from their happy clients. Ask your magician if they have written testimonials that you can see and verify, Sean has a portfolio of written testimonials from his clients that he is always more than happy to show off! :-)
Are they happy to meet?
Any professional magician should be happy to meet with you for free and with no obligation to buy, and be happy to provide a free demonstration of what they are capable of doing. Sean always likes to meet with new clients wherever possible which allows you to see exactly what you are getting both with his magic skills and as a person too.
Does the magician offer a 100% money back guarantee?
If someone is so sure that they are that good then surely they would have no hesitation in offering a money back guarantee. Sean lives and breathes what he does and strives to ensure that his clients are not just happy, but delighted with the service he has given them, that is why Sean offers a 100% money back guarantee if you are not 100% happy with what he has done. Again any established professional should be happy to offer you this.
Have you spoken to your magician on the telephone or in person?
It's not just about how skillful a magician is. Can they communicate well with people? Don't be afraid to give them a call, you will soon be able to tell whether they are experienced at what they do.
Can the magician provide photos and videos?
With todays technology it should be easy for any magician to provide photos and videos of themselves performing. Just because they have a picture of themselves posing for the camera doesn't make them an experienced performer. Look out for photos and videos of performing at real live events.
Can they entertain?
It's not just about being a wiz with cards and doing fancy shuffles saying "look how good I am!". It's about being able to connect with the audience; taking the spectators on an amazing journey, leaving them wanting more and leaving them thoroughly entertained. Make sure that they can hold their spectators attention and entertain them. You should be able to tell this from videos and photos along with a demonstration if you decide to meet with them.
How much should a magician cost?
You may have noticed a big difference in how much one magician costs compared to another if you have already been in contact with other performers. The old saying of "you get what you pay for" couldn't be more true. The full time professional magicians will usually charge around the same sort of fee with the part time guys tending to be at the cheaper end of the scale. Many factors come into play when quoting such as where the event is, how long is required, what kind of show is required, how many guests there are, etc, etc. Sean is able to offer an accurate quotation once all the information is provided.
Is a magician only good if they are a member of the Magic Circle?
No. Many members of the circle are in fact part time and non performers. (There are of course professionals too) Someone can be thoroughly knowledgeable in the art of magic but have limited performing ability which of course does not make them a great performer.
Are they a full time professional?
Unfortunately magic is the only art form where people can learn a couple of simple party tricks and think they can call themselves a magician. There is a huge difference between someone performing a few simple card tricks that the spectators are mildly interested in to a full time professional that will create an amazing and unique experience that people will remember for a long time. There are literally only a handful of full time professional magicians in the UK that have no other job and live, work and breath their magic. Many of the magicians advertising themselves as professional are in fact semi professional, which means that they perform part time and usually have day jobs. Now we're not saying that all semi professionals are no good, but most of them will be under par, simply because they are not out there performing full time.
Does the magician have testimonials available from happy clients?
With the many websites on the net, it is very easy for anyone to write some words that says how fabulous they are and what their clients say, but are they real? Any established professional magician should be able to provide you with written testimonials from their happy clients. Ask your magician if they have written testimonials that you can see and verify, Sean has a portfolio of written testimonials from his clients that he is always more than happy to show off! :-)
Are they happy to meet?
Any professional magician should be happy to meet with you for free and with no obligation to buy, and be happy to provide a free demonstration of what they are capable of doing. Sean always likes to meet with new clients wherever possible which allows you to see exactly what you are getting both with his magic skills and as a person too.
Does the magician offer a 100% money back guarantee?
If someone is so sure that they are that good then surely they would have no hesitation in offering a money back guarantee. Sean lives and breathes what he does and strives to ensure that his clients are not just happy, but delighted with the service he has given them, that is why Sean offers a 100% money back guarantee if you are not 100% happy with what he has done. Again any established professional should be happy to offer you this.
Have you spoken to your magician on the telephone or in person?
It's not just about how skillful a magician is. Can they communicate well with people? Don't be afraid to give them a call, you will soon be able to tell whether they are experienced at what they do.
Can the magician provide photos and videos?
With todays technology it should be easy for any magician to provide photos and videos of themselves performing. Just because they have a picture of themselves posing for the camera doesn't make them an experienced performer. Look out for photos and videos of performing at real live events.
Can they entertain?
It's not just about being a wiz with cards and doing fancy shuffles saying "look how good I am!". It's about being able to connect with the audience; taking the spectators on an amazing journey, leaving them wanting more and leaving them thoroughly entertained. Make sure that they can hold their spectators attention and entertain them. You should be able to tell this from videos and photos along with a demonstration if you decide to meet with them.
How much should a magician cost?
You may have noticed a big difference in how much one magician costs compared to another if you have already been in contact with other performers. The old saying of "you get what you pay for" couldn't be more true. The full time professional magicians will usually charge around the same sort of fee with the part time guys tending to be at the cheaper end of the scale. Many factors come into play when quoting such as where the event is, how long is required, what kind of show is required, how many guests there are, etc, etc. Sean is able to offer an accurate quotation once all the information is provided.
Is a magician only good if they are a member of the Magic Circle?
No. Many members of the circle are in fact part time and non performers. (There are of course professionals too) Someone can be thoroughly knowledgeable in the art of magic but have limited performing ability which of course does not make them a great performer.