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I have a last minute booking this sunday for a 30th birthday cabaret party with roughly 100 guests with me performing magic at tables.
Due to the financial constraints of the client he was only able to book me for half an hour even though I did warn him I would probably be unable to cover all the guests in this timeframe.
Still keen the bloke booked me anyway.

Anyway my question is one of how much time to spend with each table. Usually I would spend about 10 minutes with each table but with this I would cover only 3 tables.
My other option would be to hit and run each table with maybe two effects (5 minutes) but then feel that maybe this would maybe feel a touch rushed and unimpressive.
hmmm I'm in a quandry

mmm personally I'd spend your usual 10 minutes per table. After all, you've told the person that you wont be able to make it around all the tables in that time and he knows that. Rush and you wont perform to your best, you wont be happy with yourself and people wont see the best of you.

My advice would be to speak to the booker again and ask what he would prefer. Give him a choice of 1 trick per table which should mean you can cover all the tables and possibly do some twice (with a different trick of course) OR your normal 10 minute routines and clearly state you would only therefore be able to do 3 tables. If you go down the 1 trick route just apologise to each table & say that you have a lot of tables to get to and just half an hour to do it. Hit them with your strongest most entertaining effect and they'll be happy.

Also, if you are going to do a lot of table hopping you will find that the average gig is about 10 tables. That's over an hour and a half of continual magic while people are eating rather than between courses. I think 10 minutes per table is too long and that it would be in your interest to design a number of routines lasting around the 5 minute mark.

I would do close to what I would do normally, and make it well known to the organiser that I was doing him a favour and my professionalism wouldn't allow me to skimp on my service.

You may as well, you are there anyway. Goodwill goes a long long way.

Similar to what Totally Mental said, how about sticking around for a while after the allotted time to be seen to want to make his night a success. Allow yourself to be talked into doing "just one more table," and so on.

Kevin Cann has the right idea: try to hit as many tables, as often as possible.

Consider this: How would you feel if you weren't a magician and you were at one of the tables that was skipped. All the logic in the world won't cure the disappointment.

Also, keep the lines of communication open between you and the booker.
He seems reasonable enough.

Caberet style? Then why not cabaret magic? Okay, might not fit the venue, but here's what I see:

Six guests at a table. Let's say 8 guests at a table just to give it a buffer.

Even with your suggestion that you go hit and run and cover 6 tables (five minutes each), that's still only half the tables. No matter what you do, you aren't going to hit evey table, regardless.

Honestly, you have quite a conundrum.

While nowhere near as professional as much of the advice above, I peronally would walk in and do what feels right at the moment.

Mike.

You could try to do slightly larger tricks and do two tables at a time, for instance if you have two poker type tricks go for a competition between tables with jumbo cards ie one each table but with both tables watching. Do a rope trick to end on one table and to start the next.
You could always ask a spec to stand and move so both tables could see the trick. ie do one in hand one in pocket sponge balls, and get both tables involved. "you lot can't count, I'm off over here, cricky you can't count either. Put your heads together...how many....none..looks like I cant count now!!!'
I don't do table hopping. But I have ended up doing a couple of routines to a small number of tables by standind with my back against the wall or to the corner so that all can see and getting the kids that just can't sit down for long to come up and help.

Thanks for the advice guys and gals

I think I am in a bit of a no win situation but I have informed the client of fact that I almost certainly wont be fully covering the whole guest list.

As advised if I am going down well I will put in an extra 15-20 mins just for reputations sake and to get alot of business cards out there.

I'm not sure that doing 1 effect per table sits to comfy with me as it is too anti-climatic. You introduce yourself, bit of patter, end of effect, leave.

Let's hope there are 3 tables of 33.333 people

Tell him to pay you more.

What Mark said. The problem you have is that even though you'd probably be happy to do the whole lot of them for the fee, just cos you're a nice guy and gigs are fun, you don't want to set a precedent. But you know that anyway.

What I'd do is probably just what everyone else has said, make it absolutely clear that you can only do as much as you can in the time but end up spending a bit longer anyway out of goodwill. Try to get in the table with the booker on it and any other 'important' tables I suppose.

any chance they could supply you with a table instead and those interested could come and sit for a little while?

some may just want to watch for a little bit and then go mingle, others might want to stay...

one large table or two smaller ones would give you around 10-15 people and not be angle-y...

but i suppose it depends on overall space...

I think 10 minutes per table is too long and that it would be in your interest to design a number of routines lasting around the 5 minute mark.

I think this is perfect. You could accomodate more tables with a smaller routine but instead of shortening or rushing your 10 minute routine, start now and work on a 5 minute one.

Like said earlier, goodwill goes a longway, im sure you can spend 1/2 hour of your own free time entertaining people, giving out business cards as you go along!

Thanks for all the advice but I've had to cancel it due to my body being ravaged by a stomach bug....on a lighter note however I have become very aquainted with my toilet