Close Up Magic: A Guide To Booking Strolling Entertainment
08/28/24 – Written by Andrew Scott
Welcome to the close up magic guide. If you are looking to hire a close up magician, Illinois event planners trust you are in the right place! I get constantly asked questions about what close up magic is as well as how it can fit in or even enhance an event. I’ve tried to sum up all the questions I’ve been asked into this article and these are the top five points that answer almost every question about what to consider when booking a close up magician.
We all have been that guest at a dull party who is plotting an early departure. So as a good host or event planner, you have a challenge: to be sure your guests are happy they decided to come. One way is to give them a special experience they will remember. Then you will be the host who gets thank you cards and texts saying what a wonderful occasion it was. Close up magic is a fantastic way to help you do exactly that.
However, if you have never booked a close up magician before there are a few things that you should consider. Making sure you do this will ensure that the entertainment you have at your event (whether it be a private event, a corporate event, or even a wedding) will be remembered for all of the right reasons. So let’s looks at the top five points to consider when booking a close up magician:
1. WHAT IS CLOSE UP MAGIC?
Close up magic is small-scale interactive magic that is performed for small groups, usually between three and six guests at a time. Each group’s close up magic interaction lasts about 5-7 minutes. It is a great way to really bring the WOW factor to any event. You can have a close up magician mix and mingle as guests arrive doing meet and greet style magic. You could have a close up magician perform table magic moving from table to table entertaining guests while they eat (a personal mini magic show). You can even have a magician mingle with your guests after the meal, which is a great way to bring groups of people together. It makes a great conversation starter or ice breaker.
2. MAKE SURE THE MAGICIAN IS EXPERIENCED AT PERFORMING.
Really this goes without saying; after all you wouldn’t hire a mechanic to work on your vehicle without making sure they know what they are doing. The problem with the magic community is that there are a lot of amateur magicians who think they can make a few extra bucks by printing off some cheap business cards and then start calling themselves a professional. If you have ever heard the horror stories of performers not turning up to events or doing a really bad job when they are there, then it’s normally someone who is not a professional.
An extreme example are children’s entertainers. A lot of children’s entertainers bill themselves as close up magicians as well. Generally this is to mark up their prices and is not something they specialize in. If you go onto a magicians website and they have a page dedicated to children’s magic, is that really the type of person you want at your corporate event?
If you are trying to find a close up magician for a wedding for example, you will find you will contact numerous “wedding performers” and they will suggest having part of the performance time dedicated to entertaining the children separately. Really if you just want your guests to experience top quality close up magic you need a magician that just focuses on close up magic. If there are children at the wedding they will enjoy it as much as the adults.
3. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CLOSE UP MAGIC?
The main advantages of close up magic are that it can also work flexibly around what else you have planned. This could be a drinks reception or at tables between courses. In a drinks or dinner scenario, it is a great topic of conversation for your guests who have just met. Magic is designed to be shared with others, and what better way to have a collective experience, than with an intimate magic show.
Some people have never experienced a magic show in person, the closest they get are watching some videos on Youtube. Having a close up magician deployed at your event will guarantee your guests get a one of a kind experience that will last a lifetime. There’s a hidden advantage to all this memory making too. Magic creates an atmosphere of amazement which lends itself perfectly to amazing photo opportunities. Just think of all smiles on everyones faces, looking back and seeing how much fun everyone had.
4. IS CLOSE UP MAGIC THE RIGHT STYLE OF MAGIC FOR YOUR EVENT?
In two hours your average close up magicians can comfortably perform for around 100 to 150 people. However there are many events that have a lot more guests than that in attendance. Weddings frequently have 150+ for an evening reception and corporate events can have literally thousands. Sometimes close up magic is not the best fit, but that is where a stage magician comes into play.
There are only a handful of magicians that are equally qualified to perform both close up and stage magic (Andrew Scott is one of them), so consider hiring one that can do both. This allows for much more flexibility in entertainment for your event. You can have a magician deployed entertaining your guests performing close up magic during the cocktail hour and then later in the evening, you have a stage magic show to ensure every guest in attendance gets to be a part of the magic.
5. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME FOR CLOSE UP MAGIC?
Close up magic is best early in the event to help kick things off. It should be wrapped up by the time a band or DJ kicks off. If there is any alcohol being served, it is best to have a magician perform earlier in the night, as magic is better experienced before any guests have had a chance to enjoy themselves a bit too much. The same is true if you plan on having any musical entertainment that may be distracting, or hard to talk over. Having close up magic early on in the night is the best way to start your event off with a huge bang.
In Short
There are so many things to consider when hiring a close up magician, and these five points are only the tip of the iceberg. You can read more about the benefits of hiring a magician and why you need one at your next event here: Why You NEED A Magician
If you would like to learn more about how Andrew Scott can be of benefit to you at your next event, or are currently in need of entertainment, feel free to reach out to Andrew here: Contact Andrew
Read more about my services as a professional Mentalist and Magician at Andrewscottsmind.com