Since trade shows were brought up, I thought this might be a good time to ask about how you approach the corporate end.

More specifically, where do you draw the line between your job of attracting attention to the area/booth and promoting the product?

Let me try to clarify: A good example I have coming up is a few manufactures conventions. How much do you try to incorporate the product of your client into your magic (like for these I have effects using fasteners and other metal objects that feasibly could be made by them) vs. just going through more standard effects?

My background in advertising and copywriting has always made incorporating magic into a presentation for a product or service a challenging and rewarding thing.

My feeling is that the trade show magician of the new century must customize their presentations specifically for the product or service they've been hired to represent. The old school approach was to have a boilerplate script that just needed the company's name inserted in key spots. Thus, the performer would do the same magic for a multitude of different clients and just change the name. Eddie Tullock is a good example of this philosophy. It worked very well for him - in his time - but I think that the marketplace has become very sophisticated.

Thus, the modern trade show worker should spend a lot more time doing research then he would ever spend doing tricks. Naturally, this subject is deserving of much more information than I can possibly provide here but, without sounding too self-serving, I would direct your attention to the new issue of The Magic Menu (which just went to press this week) which is completely on trade show work. Robert Bengel, Paul Green, Thin Air Productions (Mark Phillips and Karen Beriss) and others all spell out the realities of the trade show market and what you'll need to do to get a foothold.

Jim, I am not currently a MM subscriber but this issue of the MM has definite interest to me. How can I subscribe & be sure to recieve this issue.
Thanks, Tom Boehnlein

Tom - the new issue (Issue 62 - Trade Shows) just went to press this week so, if you subscribe in the next week or so, I'll make sure your subscription begins with that issue. Details are at http://www.magicmenu.net. Thanks for your interest!

Jim thanks, just subscribed through your site. Looking forward to receiving it.

Glad to have you on board, Tom, and I'll look forward to any input you have.