"But OUR Event is DIFFERENT..."
I hear this all the time, so you might find it helpful.
"I think you'd be great for our event, but I don't know how... [insert logistical problem]."
Every business suffers from this challenge. People only know what they see, so they believe that the one use-case they see is the only use-case you address.
I was entertaining at The Masters last week, and one of the guests said, "I'd love to have you entertain our guests at [PGA Tour event], but there's no time for you to do a show."
I asked, "Why do you think it would be good to have me there?"
He said, "Well, it's a nice event, but they basically have drinks and dinner and hit their hole-in-one contest ball. There isn't much of a 'story' they can tell about the event later. Having you do magic would make it a better experience and get us better word of mouth."
"Can I tell you what other people typically do in that situation?" I asked.
"Sure"
"Well, typically, they have me work group-to-group through the event tent. I start with maybe four or five guys, and as I do magic, that builds into a crowd of ten or fifteen. I get them laughing, slapping each other on the back, having fun, and then I go do that somewhere else. They stay longer at the event because there's always something new happening, and as you can see, the magic is pretty story-worthy afterward."
As we discussed this, another guest said, "Yes, but our event has 150 people in a hotel ballroom. They could never see your show on that stage."
"Well, can I tell you what our clients typically do in that situation?" I asked.
"Sure."
"Well, usually there's a smaller stage, and I do a 45- or 60-minute version of my Magic with YOUR Mind show—similar performing style to what you saw tonight because I am who I am, but I use somewhat bigger props and a lot more audience participation. It's very interactive, so everyone's engaged and involved in the show, and they're having fun watching their friends and colleagues react and participate as much as they are watching the magic."
As I finished that story, another guest said, "But what if we've got 2000 people?"
"In a ballroom, or more like a theater?"
"Well, ours is a big, old 1920s theater..."
“Can I tell you what we do in that case?
“Sure.”
"A few years ago, I asked to entertain about 2000 people in a similar theater—big frescoed ceiling, giant chandelier—real classic theater. We took the Magic with YOUR Mind show, and with good lighting and access points so people could get on stage, it was a huge hit—standing ovation, in fact."
Here's what I've learned.
When someone tells us they don't think our solution will work, asking them why they think that's true and what they really want to accomplish is worthwhile.
Nobody hires entertainment because they only want to be entertained. Usually, they're trying to accomplish something else: differentiate their event from a competitor's event, engage their business guests, start conversations, attract people to their event, etc.
The goal matters. Everything else is just a method for achieving that goal.
Also, magic is far less visual entertainment than people think. It looks great when the torn-up newspaper comes together in a flash, but the woman's reaction when the orange appears under the cup is far more entertaining.
It's not the magic—it's the people in the audience participating in the show who really create the stories and memories.
So, if you've got an event or objective you want to accomplish and you're open to a conversation, I'm always here to help.
Tell me what you're trying to do, what you've done in the past, how you'll know it's working, and why it's important that you get this result. I'll tell you what other people like you have done in your situation and what kind of result they got.
Give me a call at 561 596 3877, or visit our website at MagicMeansBusiness.com/contact