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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Hey all,
I've been putting together my website and basic promo video for the last couple weeks now, and I'm almost ready to go. They are very basic, and I will post them when they are finished completely. Based on the limited amount of promotional material I have I know that I have a lot of work to do based on the posts on this forum. Little bit about me - I have over 20 years of performing experience, the last 6 of those focused solely on mentalism. I have 3 shows, half hour, 45 mins, and an hour. I perform as a part time professional, but book mostly through word of mouth and a few online services like The Bash. Mainly I do private home parties and I did a few corporate Christmas shows last year. My question is this - it may be late, but I'd like to try and book as many holiday shows as I can over the next month or two. What are my best options to do so? Right now, all I have is advertising on social media and doing cold calls / cold mailings to companies in my area for their holiday shows. I realize that I need to do a lot more to build my business, but if anyone could offer some advice to book some holiday shows this late in the season, I'd be very grateful for the advice. As of right now, I am not employed and need to make my living solely off of performing. I only have 2 shows booked for the rest of 2019. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and advice! |
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Dannydoyle![]() Eternal Order 21781 Posts ![]() |
I'd have to see what tools you have to do this with to answer correctly. It may take you 3 weeks to be ready to do and you will shoot past the holiday window.
It is possible you are better off using the time to set up post holiday parties and not throw time and money into really short notice stuff. But again I'd have to see what you are working with to know for certain.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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Gerry Walkowski![]() Inner circle 1450 Posts ![]() |
Personally, I think you already missed the boat for 2019. I start booking my repeat holiday shows around July,and then start filling open dates during Aug-Oct.
Gerry |
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Mindpro![]() Eternal Order 10696 Posts ![]() |
I agree with much of what's been said, but would like more info. Where are you located?
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Gerry Walkowski![]() Inner circle 1450 Posts ![]() |
One last thing. Not saying it's impossible, but a real challenge this being November 13th.
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WitchDocChris![]() Inner circle York, PA 2616 Posts ![]() |
Up front I will say I am not a full time pro, and my corporate experience is limited. Grain of salt freely offered for your convenience.
Personally, any corporate work I have done was booked well in advance. Usually at least a couple months. The companies I have worked with that booked last minute were, generally, disorganized and a pain to work with, or they were trying to wait for a desperate performer who would work for peanuts/nothing. Except one that had a full troupe of entertainers dip out on them a week before the show - they were actually very nice to work with. My primary concern would be that trying to contact companies this late would maybe make you look unprofessional, which could hamper things next year. What I would do, and again this is personal experience and preference, is I would contact local venues and see if they have openings on their calendars for ticketed events or a door split of some sort. Somewhat unusual venues can be a good source of gigs of this sort - there are a couple art galleries in my area that will more or less let me do a show any time there's a spot on the calendar. Might be worthwhile to spend a couple hours Googling to see what is in your area that might have an opening for you. I would also highly recommend personal meetings for any possible venues. Phone calls and emails have never worked well for me - but I've booked several regular clients by going in person and chatting with them face to face.
Christopher
Witch Doctor Psycho Seance book: https://tinyurl.com/y873bbr4 Boffo eBook: https://tinyurl.com/387sxkcd |
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 13, 2019, Dannydoyle wrote: Hi Danny, Thank you for your response. If by tools you mean things like my website and video, I would be more than happy to have you take a look at it. I will have an uploaded video by the end of tonight, and will post that here and send it in a PM to you as well. If you meant other things besides tools, like my performance skill set, etc., please let me know so I can clarify. My website is very basic - and I mean very. It's basically a placeholder just so I can have something up there, as I don't have (or at least don't think I have) too much information/material to put up there. zachallenlive.com is the website. As of right now, I can devote all of my time to pursuing this. At the moment I'm living off my savings with no actual steady job at the moment, so I don't have a lot of money to invest at the moment. I am truly willing to invest money from shows back into my business, as I want to build a business and not just a quick cash grab as my post may have come off as. I realize it is very late to book holiday shows - unfortunately due to personal reasons I wasn't ready to pursue this with all my energy until now, and I'm eager to make up for lost time. But I want to do it right. I have no business background to speak of, and so far anything that I have done is based on my own research. |
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 13, 2019, Gerry Walkowski wrote: Hi Gerry, Thank you for your input. This is kind of what I expected. I appreciate you sharing that information with me. |
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 13, 2019, Mindpro wrote: Hi Mindpro, Thanks for your response. I am based out of Plymouth, MA, about an hour south of Boston. I'm willing to travel anywhere in the area and do pretty much just about anything. Like I've said in a few above posts, I'm starting out at the bottom level here, with very minimal photos and video and marketing/advertising materials. I'm good at what I do performance wise, but I have no business background and not too much of an idea where to start aside from cold calling, mailings, stopping in offices, etc. I also realize that the corporate market is a different beast and one that I don't have too much experience booking. Most of my shows over the past year have been private home parties, but it's been hard for me to figure out how to try to get into that market besides word of mouth. Let me know what other information I could provide you. I appreciate your help. |
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Mindpro![]() Eternal Order 10696 Posts ![]() |
Unfortunately, your website says nothing, lol. I spent 30 seconds there and learned nothing. My first two thoughts are 1.) get rid of the Dates page. Unless you have a very active and full schedule of public bookings, it does more damage than possible good and projects more negative perceptions working against you. It's far better not to have it.
Second, where is a phone number? Nothing worse than someone at your website wanting info now, wanting to talk to someone now, and can't. You are missing some very basic info in the event someone should find your site. Also get rid of the word shareholders. I still don't knwo where you are located and what market(s) you service. |
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 13, 2019, WitchDocChris wrote: Hi Chris, Thank you for your reply. I do realize now that most corporate work is booked many months in advance, which is why I'm starting to think that perhaps I should be more focused on home and private shows rather than corporate parties. I also didn't think that it might seem unprofessional to book this late in the year, so thank you for that food for thought. Your idea of local venues is great, I had a couple in mind already but wasn't thinking of more unusual venues like you suggested. I will look into that and see what is around my area. Personal meetings is another great tip - I'm good on the phone but I'm much better in person. One of my strategies that I started doing yesterday is going through all of my personal contacts and asking them if they need any holiday entertainment. Not sure if that will bear any fruit but I'm willing to try anyone and anything right now. Thank you Chris, I appreciate you taking the time to write that out for me. |
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
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On Nov 13, 2019, Mindpro wrote: No problem, I warned you it was very basic. I will make the changes you suggested regarding the dates and putting my phone number up there, along with my location as well. Shareholders will go out immediately also. As far as what markets I serve, right now I'm basically in the home party market, as that has been the bulk of my shows with a few corporate holiday parties last year. Is it possible for me to target both of those with my website, or should I only focus on one at a time? |
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Mindpro![]() Eternal Order 10696 Posts ![]() |
Since you are unemployed, Gigmasters/The Bash could be your best bet right now for last-minute bookings. Good idea of woking your personal contacts.
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Mindpro![]() Eternal Order 10696 Posts ![]() |
I was referring to your geographical market(s) and how far out you'll go.
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RichOrvec![]() Regular user 138 Posts ![]() |
Thank you Mindpro. I appreciate your input.
As far as geographical market, would something along the lines of saying I will travel anywhere in the New England area work? Or should I be more specific with mileage? I would honestly be willing to travel anywhere in the States but I think that would be far too wide of a net to cast for now. |
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Mindpro![]() Eternal Order 10696 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 13, 2019, RichOrvec wrote: RichOrvec, I've been wanting to respond to you here but it's been one of those weeks with 7 shows in 3 days in 6 different cities/flights, so I can now finally address this with you. First, I applaud you for coming here and seeking insight and assistance. As you can see, when we don't have disruptions here, many are willing to chime in and help. Thanks for the information you've provided. While I think as several here have said it is a bit late in the season to start targeting holiday events, but not impossible. So let's start with the essentials. As you stated in your post above first and foremost you really need to get some entertainment business education and knowledge. This is a great example of the difference between general "Google" business information, and entertainment business-specifc knowledge. It is evident by some of the questions you're asking and the approach you've stated that there is much to learn on the business side. Next, a few clarifications. You said "I did a few corporate Christmas Shows last year" and that you are hoping to pick up some more for this year. Just to clarify, you did some company holiday parties, not corporate events. This is an important distinction to understand because they are two different things, and because if you were to contact a corporate buyer/planner statung you were a corporate entertainer, they would be thinking of something you are not. You are an entertainer that has done company holiday events. For the most part these are not considered corporate events. The more education you get on the corporate market the more this will become evident. Now please do not be offended, as this is a common misperception with newer or uneducated performers, so you are definitely not alone. Next, with rare exceptions, home parties are not a market. Not in the true industry or business sense. I mention these two things because if these are what you are focusing on with the approach you've mentioned you will continually be fighting an uphill battle, and as WitchDocChris said, the only things you may find yourself picking up are difficult, problematic gigs, from some less than desirable prospects. As I said, Gigmasters/The Bash is in its peak time of the year right now. The fact that you are unemployed gives a great edge over others as if you can respond to these leads as soon as they come in and be the first or second performer that they hear form AND IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY PRESENT YOURSELF AND SERVICES THROUGH THEIR SYSTEM, you should be able to still pick up some bookings. Remember, these days holiday parties go well into January as well. Again, it depends on what promotional materials you have and are using, and your ability to professionally and effectively present your services to serve their interests and needs, while working the GM system to your advantage. As far as the cold-calling method, it is up to you. It's not the most effective method, and there can be some connotations to a performers cold-calling, especially this late in the game, but it can be done, just don't expect any amazing results. As for going in in-person, I too think this has some poor connotations as well. It is also a magicians-thinking type of approach. Most other types of performers would never do this, only magicians think this way, along with "and I'll do some magic for them" thinking that it will sell them on you. Not what I would suggest. There are some other factors that must be addressed as they can affect any potential results and that would be the pricing you are asking, and how you are positioning yourself? For example, if you are charging a higher price in your market, yet are seen as a door to door entertainer trying to sell your services, this could create a lot of negative or unfavorable perspectives. I am a huge believer in entertainment business of eliminating or removing any negatives or possibly unfavorable perceptions that could be received by the prospects. I also want to ask, why the home and company parties? Is there a specific reason for just these and that you are ruling out other possibilities? I think you may have some better chances with some other performance market area on such short notice. One of the biggest things I see performers miss completely is this - Are you truly market-ready? Do you have the tools (and knowledge) to properly be marketing yourself? And most of all do you have the type of performance to be able to deliver to the market if you were to generate any business? Are you being seen as a professional (important for even part-timers) or an amateur by your tools and approach? So many performers mistakenly think "well my show is now ready and in place, so all that left to do is market/advertise to get some bookings." As I have stated before, this is a recipe for failure. If not immediate, eventually, simply because there are so many elements missing you will soon experience this and the repercussions for it. You are in a common situation I see literally day in and day out, and that is someone who has been performing for decades, 20 years or more as you've said, yet are still struggling because they never learned the aspects of entertainment business operations. It is much more than just marketing. The success as a performer, regardless of what level, is created in the business behind our performance, regardless if you are part-time or full. Interested to hear your thoughts. I may have a suggestion or two for you based on your responses. |
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Yekrats![]() Loyal user Dayton, Indiana 209 Posts ![]() |
[I'm following, because the advice MindPro gives here is oddly similar to the amazing advice he gave me.]
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Corporate or event magic & mentalism: http://WizardoftheWabash.com |
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Alyx![]() New user 87 Posts ![]() |
Mindpro, I am incredibly intrigued by all of the advice you are delivering to RichOrvec. Can you make a recommendation for where one can learn more about entertainment business operations? I feel like you've described many of the business setbacks that I'm also experiencing and desperately wanting to overcome.
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Yekrats![]() Loyal user Dayton, Indiana 209 Posts ![]() |
Can someone (maybe Mindpro) explain the difference between "some company holiday parties, not corporate events". I'm in the same boat. I have definitely done some company parties.
Is the difference in expected price? Or is there something more?
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Corporate or event magic & mentalism: http://WizardoftheWabash.com |
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Dannydoyle![]() Eternal Order 21781 Posts ![]() |
Quote:
On Nov 15, 2019, Yekrats wrote: Here is the difference. It is one of expectation as well as price yes. It is one most on here miss. I see them jumbled together all the time. A holiday Christmas party, even if put on by a corporation, is not a "company party". It is a holiday party that is generally for the families of employees. There is nothing wrong with this type of event. But this type of event in no way makes one a "corporate entertainer". It is not much different from a holiday party at a private residence. A corporate event is another animal. It is entirely different and has different expectations. (Because of this it will generally pays much higher.) A corporate event is designed by the company to further the interest of the company. It can take many shapes and forms. It can be an awards banquet. It can be a quarterly meeting. It can be a trade show. It can be afternoon meetings to break the long day. It can be a company retreat. This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it is not for the families generally. It is designed to further the interest of the company in some way. The type of show needed to blend into this sort of environment is very specific. Having a show that can work while strolling at a holiday party, or one that works as the type of thing for the families of a company is what most folks have. The show that is needed to be able to contend with the riggers of doing actual corporate events is a horse of a different color. It has far less to do with the tricks and more to do with the person doing them. The difference when booking these and why there is often so much more money is where the budget for this type of thing comes from. Generally the marketing/advertising budget is used to pay for the corporate events. A large enough company has a specific budget for the event itself. A holiday party event is generally a far lower budget. There is some more to it, quite a bit more actually, but this is the general description. And don't believe those who just think every event they do is a corporate event. It simply is not true.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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