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TomBoleware Inner circle Hattiesburg, Ms 3163 Posts |
Excellent thought Martin.
Experience comes from having made mistakes; wisdom comes from dealing with them. Learning to correct your mistakes before you make them is a shortcut to business success. A lesson on failure is well worth studying. Tom
The Daycare Magician Book
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/amazekids/the-daycare-magician/ My Blog - https://boleware.blogspot.com/ |
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Dan Paulus Veteran user Utah is isolated from the real world by 343 Posts |
Alan,
Consider this not only a lesson learned, for which you get paid for, but also as an audition (For which you get paid for!)to 80 adults PLUS the venue that books such parties! Make sure every adult and child leave with something that has your name and number on it, and ask the restaurant to recommend you, pass out your fliers, etc.... See if one of the managers can watch your show too. Maybe this could even turn into a steady restaurant gig, if you're interested in such things, which of course can lead to more family parties...For Which You Get Paid For...
There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. - Aristotle
Aristotle www.danscomedymagic.com |
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Decomposed Eternal Order High Desert 12059 Posts |
Family shows over children's shows is a great seller. I normally pass on children's shows but when asked to do the family shows, my act usually is not changed much at all. I will defintely express this to the client before the booking.
I have showed up to do a regular adult show and there were a ton of children there as well. I have mentalism I can tailor to meet any group from K and up.
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Nala Nosmoht Special user Surrey,B.C. Canada, 641 Posts |
Thanks again , great advice. I now have a list of client questions by my phone. But as I stated before. I never have complaints re' my show. But I sort of suck selling it. With some clients the 1st question is "how much? Which can be an indicator of , importance / they probably can't afford you. Is it inappropriate to ask " "what is most important to you" , also I find some want to know what you do , exactly. Magic being visual , is pretty abstact to try to describe to someone. As much as I'd prefer not being involved with agents. It sure eliminates the hassles of the business end of it. Alan
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impossible man Elite user 403 Posts |
Alan,
Are you sure there's a mistake at all? Is it possible that the adults are going to herd the kids to one end of the room during your performance? I often do shows for 10-20 kids with plenty of adults around. They keep back a little, and talk to each other. I just make sure the kids can hear me. The adults will help keeps the kids settled if necessary, but they don't all watch the show. I do make sure that my act is great for adults also. Very little silliness, although there is a lot of laughter. I've never thought that I should charge for everyone, because the adults can see a lot of very visual magic, but since I wasn't paid to bring my big PA and crush all conversation, the adults don't get the full effect. |
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MagicalArtist Veteran user Hobart, Indiana 378 Posts |
For birthday shows, I never price according to how many adults are going to be there. Sometimes the adults watch the show, sometimes they don't. I consider a birthday show to be primarily for the birthday child and the other children present. I price according to distance and which birthday package they want.
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Tim Hannig Inner circle Chicago area 1147 Posts |
Do your best show for the audience that will be there.
Next time, you'll remember to ask more follow up questions, and then you can charge accordingly. (I do agree that you could ask more in this type of scenario, as the client needs someone good, or she will look really bad in front of a lot of people.) Always be tweaking your phone script, which will come from experience. I would definitely recommend going in with a positive attitude. With so many adults, if you entertain them all, you will be sure to get more work.
Author of PERFORM, the 2020 Magic Cafe Book of the Year
"I loved this book!" Ken Weber "4 out of 4 stars!" Nick Lewin "This will be a classic of magic!" Mark Pocan performbettershows.com |
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Nala Nosmoht Special user Surrey,B.C. Canada, 641 Posts |
Once again , lots of good feed-back and ideas. Actually my fault for not asking the right questions. I don't price by the number of adults , but do price by the number total of the group. I did the show. And it went very well! Lots of good laughs , and I do throw in a little silliness which the adults seem to enjoy as much as the children.(visual sight gags) When I booked this I priced it $50.00 higher for the restaurant than their home. The client was surprised , wondered why. If you do many in restaurants you'll know why. Alan
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toomuchmagic Special user 534 Posts |
Oh man...this happened to me a couple of months ago.
They told me 15-20 kids. There were 4 kids. And about 75-100 adults. In a huge hall. Usually in similar circumstance the adults do their own thing while I perform for the kids (maybe a couple parents will watch) Not this time. As soon as I started all eyes were on me. My show is good for families for sure...families meaning kids with their parents. Not 4 kids and a mess load of adults. I did the best I could, but I was definitely not prepared. |
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montymagi Special user Slidell La 752 Posts |
The up side is this. If you can pull it off well and do a great job for both, each adult may be a parent who will want you for their childs party. Now when you show up for a party and it turns out like it did for toomuchmagic all you can do is the best that you can.
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Nala Nosmoht Special user Surrey,B.C. Canada, 641 Posts |
Walt , Martin .. Thank you , your input was very helpful. After doing this 25 years I still run into the unexpected , (and bizarre situations , but won't mention that here)but you learn. eg: Corporate Christmas show at a nice hotel Fri.night. (from P.& H). I called the client ahead , 33 adults attending. "I asked do you have a private room?" "yes". So took my stock corp.show , and small sound system , only to find that their party was being held in the dining room of the hotel restaurant. One long table in the middle of the dining room , surrounded by other tables and booths open to the public. I set up , difficult , waiters and other patrons coming and going. Also it was adjacent to the lounge. My show started at 8:00 and so did the band and singer in the lounge. I couldn't use my music or a mic , had to almost shout to be heard. The show went pretty well. It would gone over much better if I had been aware of the environment. Lesson learned , from now on add several other effects into the van that can be quickly substituted and used in that situation. I just hate learning the hard way. I am making a list ... and checking it twice , believe me. Thanks , Alan
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corpmagi Special user New York 725 Posts |
The smart thing to do is to verify details directly with the venue to see what the situation will be. Most hotels and restaurants have websites and many also have virtual tours so you can have a look around without leaving the privacy of your home/office.
Find out from your client who your contact at the venue will be and make it a point to contact them directly before your show. That way the venue will know what to expect from you and you can do the best show for your client.
A Modern Trade Show Handbook
www.trafficstoppers.com/handbook |
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Nala Nosmoht Special user Surrey,B.C. Canada, 641 Posts |
Yes , corpmagi I ususlly do.Or go and physically check it out. But when the client told me they had a "private room" , I expected a "conference room" , not the middle of a dining room in an open public restaurant. (next to a very noisy lounge) I forgot one of the rules of performing..... always expect the unexpected! Lesson learned. I'll in future toss a couple of extra routines in the van. Thanks , Alan
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corpmagi Special user New York 725 Posts |
Can't imagine what they were thinking when they told you that...
A Modern Trade Show Handbook
www.trafficstoppers.com/handbook |
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