So you are considering booking a trade show magician. You may have got a few quotes (which will probably be vastly different) and are wondering which magician to go with. Here are 5 essential questions you should ask before deciding which magician to book for your exhibition stand.

1) Is The Magician Blagging It?

There are LOADS of magicians who are great at performing at wedding and parties, only a small percentage of these are experienced trade show magicians. Those who are not trade show magicians will still say that they do shows because they want more work, they may even think it is the same as doing a party gig when in fact it requires a completely different approach and mentality.

2) Are They Asking The Right Questions?

This is a great way of spotting if a magician is blagging it or not. When you chat to the magician they should not be focused on how great the magic is, they should instead be business orientated. Chatting to a professional trade show magician should be like chatting to a marketing consultant, they should be asking questions like:
- What is the size of your stand?
- Who is your target customer?
- What are your KPIs/goals for the event?
- What are you doing on the stand to achieve your goals?
- How can magic be used to help achieve your goals?
- What one question can be used to qualify potential leads?
The magician should be focused on you getting a great ROI from the show, if they focus on the entertainment aspect it can be a warning sign.

3) What Is Their Experience?

Before you book a magician it is perfectly reasonable to ask should ask for a list of all the shows they have previously worked at and reviews from previous clients. These should be reviews from clients for trade shows rather than other magic work (as I previously mentioned, exhibitions are very different to other magic gigs).

4) Will They Meet You?

I always jump at the opportunity to meet a potential new client face to face. It is a great opportunity to get to know the client, ask them the questions about the show (see 2) and show them some free magic. You don't want a magician turning up to your stand dressed in a rainbow suit and pulling rabbits out of a hat, meeting them before you place the booking is a good way to check they are suitable.

5) Have You Weighed Potential Return?

Trade show magicians are not the cheapest thing, but in the context of the show they are a low investment for the potential return. Think how much money you spend on the floor space, stand design, hotels, petrol, electricity etc. These are all overheads that simply get you to the show, they do not necessarily make more people stop at your stand in order to generate leads. A good trade show magician can increase the amount of leads you chat to by 20%-50% (provided there is decent footfall). Getting those leads is the reason for doing the show and spending all the money in the first place, so weighing this potential return can help when deciding which magician to use.

If you have not yet found the right magician for your stand, I would love the opportunity to meet with you at look at ways we can work together. To request a quote please click here.