Hiring a table magician is a great way to add fun to any event and make it more memorable for your guests. A professional table magician can read the minds of your guests and perform magic in their hands, so it's entertainment that your guests will personally experience rather than just watch. Table magic is also the world's most versatile form of entertainment, as it can be presented in any venue – even if there aren't any tables. A table magician can easily move from one room to another or leave the venue entirety and entertain guests outside in the grounds. If you are thinking of hiring a table magician for your event, here are my top three tips for success.
Hire a professional
Anyone can set up a website nowadays and advertise themselves as a magician, so it's wise to check that you're hiring an experienced professional. Check if the magician has won any national awards (see my previous Blog post on booking an Award Winning Magician) and look out for reviews or quotes from previous clients. If there are performance videos online, look for clips of the magician actually performing a whole trick from beginning to end for a live audience, as many showreels are slickly produced without really showing the magician's personality, or how they interact with an audience. Membership of Equity, shows that a performer is a genuine professional and covered by Equity's comprehensive public liability insurance.
Leave the audience wanting more
No matter how brilliant the acting or cinematography in a movie, the film would lose impact if it went on too long. This is why I recommend hiring a table magician for no longer than they are actually needed. For events with 30 - 120 guests, I find that two hours is the ideal length of time for a table magician to make the maximum impact. I am sometimes booked for up to three hours when there are over 120 guests, but I wouldn't advise booking a table magician for more than three hours unless it's an event, like a trade show, where new guests will be arriving at different times.
Make sure the magician can be heard
Table magic is all about rapport with the audience, so the most important requirement is that the performer can talk to guests and be heard. To ensure that your guests have the best possible experience, it is best to keep background music to a minimum while a table magician is performing. If you have booked a magician and a DJ for the same room, your event will be much more successful if the disco starts after the magician has finished.