talkmagic.co.uk

i think if you approached the universities and similar, you'd be able to charge a little more - and have guests that are interested in what you are performing...

not the students, but the heads/tutors etc...

could you not sell it as corporate nights etc? aim high and all that

I don't feel I'm experienced enough to charge for my performances yet. Nor would I have the budget to reasonably pay as a spectator. However I would love to be a part of this. So if you need someone to serve drinks or clean up, help setting things up and packing things away after or any other menial chores. I would offer my help for free in exchange for experience. Depending on your budget and mine I may need reimbursement for travel, but if it's possible I would do it completely free.

With a fair bit of restaurant cooking experience, I can assure you that people will be prepared to pay almost ANYHTING if you manage to give them an unforgettable evening for that!

If they have enjoyed the evening they'll recommend you... but if you go for a moderate price and they will immediately sense that compromises to keep that low price have been made. Don't be average - get an excellent cook (sorry, I don't live in the UK ) and keep a strict guest limit - I'd say no more than 15 people. You don't necessarily need a kitchen, if your cook is a skilled one he'll know how to his prep off-site and do only the final arrangements at the dinner location.

Small but exclusive - and it'll be a self-runner. Exclusive doesn't mean that it has to be ridiculously expensive, but calculate realistic prices (about 100 - 130 British pounds sounds about right). Invite press people for a free demo dinner, place advertisements including a raffle where people can win a ticket by answering a magic-related question (that way you'll get addresses of potential customers for later advertisements).

Rehearse the evening with all the magicians and serving staff like a theater play, cause that's what it is going to be. Let your guests know when the next magic act in the row is coming (e.g. with quiet music or changing lighting), dont' rip them out of their conversations unexpectedly.

Make it a monthly (quarterly, yearly, ...) event and give it a name. Try to get someone famous as one of your first guests.

German star cook Eckard Witzigmann is doing something similar in a circus-like setting, and he's charging WAY MORE than what we've been discussing on the forum so far.

I'd so much like to be part of that (mostly keen for the cooking part) - wanna fly me in from Scandinavia?

-Magnus

Realistically I think you'd have to accept that an event like this is never going to make big money on it's first outing, but it's a really lovely idea, and one I'd be keen to get involved with somehow.

With three acts I think you'd have to look carefully at who was doing what in their sets. There's no use one person giving a display of suggestion and NLP techniques in one part only to have the next magician come on and perform the same effect under the mantle of psychic abilities.

Essentially this project is a piece of theatre, like Magnus says, and so would need to be treated as such. Get the press in for a sort of "dress reheasal" some time in advance, it'll give you a chance to iron out any kinks and will generate a lot of press (even if the tickets are selling, there's nothing that says a show is good more than a review telling you it's *already* sold out).

Well I have a meeting on the 25th about everything, so will let you all know how things work out. This could be a "goer", but there are just a few hurdles to get over. Fingers crossed...

This sounds rather similar to Siimon Drake's House of Magic, no? Definatley proof that this sort of things works, so sounds like a great idea.

So we have a venue and a date! The venue is Middleton Hall which is near Drayton Manor Park in the Midlands - quite close to Birmingham. It's a wonderful renovated country house. I do have a website for it, but can't find it a the mo. Will have more time tomorrow to sort all that out - I remember though that the website doesn't do the location justice.

The date is Saturday 11th April with a max of 56 guests. The theme is a 1920's decadent golden age of magic type thing. Guests will be encouraged to "dress for dinner" though this won't be compulsory.

Ticket price will be no more than £95 for silver service meal (starter, main, and coffee I believe), 4 magi (including me! ), and a wonderful setting. I'll know final price by next week latest - but certainly £95 is the max.

The evening will run 7pm til midnight. Ample free parking etc. Bar (not free sadly).

I'll post up more details over next few days with regard to performers, but if you want to pre-book tickets please feel free to PM me.

http://www.middleton-hall.org.uk/ shows some of the detail.

Mandrake wrote:http://www.middleton-hall.org.uk/ shows some of the detail.

Yes, not the most professional of websites, and it really fails to capture the real beauty of the place. The grand hall where the meal will be served is a wonderful location with a sweeping staircase and a huge open fireplace. It will be lit by candles, giving a spectacular atmosphere. the location is often used for weddings.

The hall itself was once home to Francis Willoughby and John ray, the founding fathers of the Royal Society. The Royal Society has/had strong links to Freemasonry and the Knights Templar, and the hall at one time was used as a training base for Knights Templar before they travelled to the holy land.

But they could do with a better website!

£60 to £100 and count me in...although I shall be in Shanghai that day...

Middleton Hall? Now why does that name really ring a bell, it wasn't on Most Haunted recently was it?

I didn't even know Most Haunted was still on!

I may well be up for a ticket too...

count me in also! Should be a good laugh!

When do you need the ticket money?