Close-up Magicians, Strolling Magicians

Close-up Magician / Strolling Magician:

Are you thinking about hiring a Close-up Magician / Strolling Magician for your trade shows, corporate dinner events or wedding?

Close-up magic is a type of magic that doesn’t require a lot of equipment. A close-up magician or strolling magician usually brings all of his or her magic tricks in their pockets: like a deck of cards, coins, sponge balls, pens, etc. 

I’ve put together several pointers to help you when making a decision about hiring a Close-Up – Strolling Magician for your event.

What types of events are good for hiring a Close-up magic show / Close-up magician - Strolling Magician?

Some events work perfectly for a close-up magic show and hiring a strolling magician to walk around doing magic tricks: cocktails parties, corporate dinner events, trade shows, weddings, quinceneras, Sweet 16 parties, restaurants, dinner events or fundraisers, etc.

The close-up magician walks around showing magic tricks to the guests, spending about two to five minutes with each cluster or group of people. Other events – such as corporate trade shows, expos, trade fairs, are great, too. They require that the close-up magician performs at one specific spot, like a booth – using magic tricks to interact with attendees, pulling them over to the booth or table as they walk by.

Why is hiring a Close-up magic show: Strolling / close-up Magician a good idea for my event?

Hire close-up or strolling magicians are great for events where you want to keep your guests entertained and also help break the ice, leaving your guests comfortable and having fun during lapses of time between activities.

This waiting time is critical for guests and the event. Imagine you are preparing the most important day of your life or hosting an event, and you invite friends, family and /or customers, and you don’t have the time at the event to be with them, all at the same time. All of the guests don’t know each other and you want to provide some entertainment to loosen things up. 

A close-up /strolling magician creates a buzz and environment of fun and laughter, moving from table to table, for instance at a wedding during lapses of time between the ceremony and dinner – perhaps when guests are waiting for the bridal party during the taking of pictures, or waiting for dinner to be served.
Close-up magic show is also great when guests are spread out over a large area or their attention is divided. Strolling or close-up magicians move seamlessly between clusters of people at cocktail parties – livening up conversations and drawing people together.

At corporate trade-shows or trade fairs, a close-up magician works wonderfully to pull people to your booth and make your product or service stand out from all the others. Also, close-up magic show is another way to market your product: a close-up magician can perform tricks that promote your product – including putting your logo on a deck of cards or handkerchiefs, or doing tricks with your product.

What types of events do not work well for close-up magic? 

It is not recommendable to hire a close-up magician if you’re having an event with a large, seated audience (anywhere from 20 to 500 people), where all the guests’ attention is focused at the same time, it is better to hire stage magic show, illusions – or a full Comedy Magic Show. This is the case whether this is on an actual stage or in front of seated family and guests at your home, country club, office party or dinner party. Kids’ parties also work best with a Magic Show, not a close-up magic show.

What qualities should I look for in to hire a close-up magician or strolling magician? 

A strolling close-up or magician needs to do more than perform amazing card tricks. Spectacular magic is a must, of course. But the close-up magician or strolling magician also has to have the ability to interact well with guests and know how to time each encounter – usually around two to five minutes – so that all the guests are provided entertainment. Because the interactions are so up-close, the magician has to have a great sense of humor, knowing how to spontaneously respond to any situation, including when guests decline a magic demonstration. 

The close-up magician needs to have experience in order to quickly read the audience and make fast decisions to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and has fun. The magician should be a charismatic person, funny, outgoing and – importantly – professional.

What are the professional characteristics of a reputable close-up magician / strolling magician for my event? 

Now that you have decided that you would like a close-up magician / strolling magician for your event, here are some more professional characteristics to consider:

Magic Tricks:
a. Amazing tricks and style. The presentations of the tricks are like jokes: they can be the same jokes, but comedians deliver them differently. Same with magicians and tricks. Check his or her style to be sure it’s what you like. 
b. Right equipment: Check what types of elements the close-up magician uses: it could be cards, coins, handkerchiefs, sponge balls or more, but it should all look amazing!

1. Attire:
   The way a magician dresses is very important. Some strolling magicians on TV do close-up magic in jeans, shorts and sandals to differentiate themselves from the classic magician. Street magicians performing close-up magic can be dressed to look very sporty, however for a formal event; a magician needs to appear classy and very presentable – preferably in a tie if the event is very elegant. Other times, you can request that the magician dress in character. For instance, once a customer asked me to dress like a modern hipster – and it was fun!:-) 
2. Professional & Legal Company:
   Ideally, a professional magician is going to have his or her own company, and it will be registered with the state. The more time that the magician has had an established company, the better – it reflects stability and a serious commitment to the career. Here are some other elements a professional magician will offer through his or her company:
   a. Contract: A professional magician should be able to respond quickly in writing with a form of contract or invoice that outlines the services to be provided and other details, such as payments, deposit requirements, policy on cancellations, etc. Avoid headaches and people who take too long to send invoices, contracts or information. It could be a sign of unreliability.
   b. Paperwork – Insurance: An experienced entertainer and professional magician knows what is required by many clients and should be able to quickly send upon request copies of insurance, background checks, fingerprints, and worker’s compensation waivers. 
   
3. Punctuality: This is crucial! A professional magician always always always has to be on time! Preferably, the magician arrives even earlier than what the customer is expecting. But the magician should have a policy stated on the invoice or contract about arriving ahead of the show start time in order to set up and be prepared. For close-up magic, that could be at least 15 – 20 minutes before the estimated performance start time. 
4. Flexibility: You want a magician who understands that the event is not about the magician, it is about the audience. PICK A MAGICIAN FOR YOUR EVENT WHO IS CAPABLE TO HANDLE UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS.
   a. Delays at the event: In some cases, the events can be delayed and other unexpected situations may arise that may delay his or her start time for hours. You need a magician who is professional and flexible, someone who responds calmly in a stressful situation – who is part of the solution, not the problem.
   b. Long hours of work: In some cases the magician needs to work for 2-3 hours non stop. The magician needs to understand to be prepared for those long hours.
   c. Set-up: In some cases the set-up is not as the customer described. For example, the magician was told there would be dinner tables for 5 people each and indoors. But at the event there actually are long tables of 15 people each, and the event is outdoors. The magician needs to be prepared to change gears quickly without complaint and drama, and still perform a great show. 
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT: Experience: It is very important when choosing a strolling magician for your event to ask about experience. Just because a magician does stage shows does not mean that he or she has experience doing close-up magic. Also, check on the type of close-up magic the magician has done. It is not the same to do close-up magic at a casual dinner fundraiser event than a wedding or trade show or a carnival or cruise. The different is enormous and the magician needs to have the right experience and offer the specific show for the specific event.
   

Finally: Now how do I find a close-up magician / strolling magician? 

1. Visit the magician’s website to know more about him or her. Carefully read the background information as well as references and feedback from past customers. Watch videos if available to check out the magician’s style. Look for lots of pictures of the magician performing close-up magic in the type of event that you’re planning. 
2. Be in direct contact with the magician by email or phone. 
3. Ask questions about how to make your event even better. This is a good way to see if the magician has experience and his or her level of professionalism. Based on experience, the magician should have his or her own suggestions. 
4. Try to hire the magician directly. Know exactly who and what you’re hiring and paying for. 
5. If still you are not sure what magician is good for your event, seek advice and feedback from family, friends or colleagues by sharing with them the websites of the potential magicians you have in mind.

Knowing that there is a lot of information out there about entertainers, I hope this blog can be helpful when you are deciding about hiring a magician for your event. 

The tips and information I present through this blog are based on more than 20 years of experience as a professional magician, understanding that each event is special and unique – and that every client and their guests deserve the best. 

I believe that with a little preparation and forethought, you will find that hiring the right Professional Close-Up Magician / Strolling Magician for your event can help transform it into an unforgettable occasion.

Hire Close-up Magicians / Strolling Magicians