Hey guys and gals,
I just returned from a pretty big birthday party gig in which the client wanted a 45 minute magic show and a half hour of balloon animals afterwards.
40 children ranging from age 7-11, two teens, a grandma, 3 mothers, and the father of the birthday girl
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Fire Department room
I always learn something at each and every gig and try to share that with you.
Lesson Today: Be prepared to rearrange an entire room of tables and chairs prior to your show! This is another reason why I ALWAYS show up a minimum of a half hour prior to showtime.
I showed up excited to use my new Ries / McKinney Ultimate gig case (which is unreal by the way). When I heard the size of the crowd, I assumed it would be in a large room and that I would have plenty of space between myself, props, and the audience. WRONG!
The way the tables were set with chairs all the way up to the front of the room (wall to wall) killed my angles for about 1/4 of my effects. There was zero room to set up my side tables and equipment. Ugh...panic time. Also my growing head illusion needs a minimum of 15 feet away or the spiral illusion doesn't work.
I nicely "asked" the client if it would be a problem to move some of the tables and chairs for the best possible view of the show. Keep in mind they all had plastic covers already on them, sprinkled with glitter and other decorations. I felt horrible but it had to be done.
With the help of two parents we moved everything back and out of the way so I could set up my show. Thank goodness and only 15 minute til show time. This is where my new Ultimate Gig Case paid off and was well worth what I paid.
I quickly set up and was ready to roll. Show began....I killed them. Gave them a 1 hour show it was going so well and then finished with balloon animals. I handed business cards to the client to give to all of the parents as they arrived to pick up their children. She then handed me a 10 dollar tip on top of the $150.00. Nice...then she put 3 big pieces of cake on a plate and handed them to me. GIVE THEM MORE than what they paid for. I cannot reiterate this enough. I've told Reality One and Luis Vega numerous times. It pays off.
I packed up my gear into my explorer and had so many parents complimenting me I will be shocked if I don't land two or more gigs from this gig.
Always clean up your mess as well. I always pick up all of my popped balloons, or any item that needed moved gets put back where it was.
The client will be sending me pics this weekend to put on my website but I'll probably post a few here for you guys to enjoy. All in all...great night of magic and made a ton of people happy.
My new gig case can be found here:
http://www.flipdisc.com/UltGigCase/ultimate_gig_case.htm
I just returned from a pretty big birthday party gig in which the client wanted a 45 minute magic show and a half hour of balloon animals afterwards.
40 children ranging from age 7-11, two teens, a grandma, 3 mothers, and the father of the birthday girl
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Fire Department room
I always learn something at each and every gig and try to share that with you.
Lesson Today: Be prepared to rearrange an entire room of tables and chairs prior to your show! This is another reason why I ALWAYS show up a minimum of a half hour prior to showtime.
I showed up excited to use my new Ries / McKinney Ultimate gig case (which is unreal by the way). When I heard the size of the crowd, I assumed it would be in a large room and that I would have plenty of space between myself, props, and the audience. WRONG!
The way the tables were set with chairs all the way up to the front of the room (wall to wall) killed my angles for about 1/4 of my effects. There was zero room to set up my side tables and equipment. Ugh...panic time. Also my growing head illusion needs a minimum of 15 feet away or the spiral illusion doesn't work.
I nicely "asked" the client if it would be a problem to move some of the tables and chairs for the best possible view of the show. Keep in mind they all had plastic covers already on them, sprinkled with glitter and other decorations. I felt horrible but it had to be done.
With the help of two parents we moved everything back and out of the way so I could set up my show. Thank goodness and only 15 minute til show time. This is where my new Ultimate Gig Case paid off and was well worth what I paid.
I quickly set up and was ready to roll. Show began....I killed them. Gave them a 1 hour show it was going so well and then finished with balloon animals. I handed business cards to the client to give to all of the parents as they arrived to pick up their children. She then handed me a 10 dollar tip on top of the $150.00. Nice...then she put 3 big pieces of cake on a plate and handed them to me. GIVE THEM MORE than what they paid for. I cannot reiterate this enough. I've told Reality One and Luis Vega numerous times. It pays off.
I packed up my gear into my explorer and had so many parents complimenting me I will be shocked if I don't land two or more gigs from this gig.
Always clean up your mess as well. I always pick up all of my popped balloons, or any item that needed moved gets put back where it was.
The client will be sending me pics this weekend to put on my website but I'll probably post a few here for you guys to enjoy. All in all...great night of magic and made a ton of people happy.
My new gig case can be found here:
http://www.flipdisc.com/UltGigCase/ultimate_gig_case.htm
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