How a Magician Can Benefit Your Event

Why Magic Can Benefit Your Event

When you are organising an event, there are usually plenty of things to think about. There is the venue, the food, the drinks, the music, the decorations and, depending on the occasion, a seemingly endless list of people who need to be organised.

But there is another question worth asking.

What are your guests actually going to do while all of this is happening?

A magician can be a surprisingly effective answer.

Good close-up magic is not simply a collection of card tricks performed in front of people. Used properly, it can help bring guests together, create conversation between people who have never met, fill awkward gaps in an event, give people something memorable to talk about and add a genuine sense of occasion.

That is particularly useful at weddings, parties, corporate events, dinners and private celebrations, where people are often moving between different parts of the day.

A magician can walk into a room where nobody knows what to say to each other and, within a few seconds, give them something to talk about.

A borrowed ring can disappear.

A signed playing card can appear somewhere it absolutely should not be.

A coin can vanish from one person's hand and appear in another.

Someone can make a decision that they are convinced was entirely their own, only to discover that the magician somehow knew what they were going to choose.

And suddenly, complete strangers are talking to each other.

That is one of the biggest benefits of hiring a magician.

The magic is important, but what it does to the room can be even more important.

A magician gives your guests something to talk about

One of the easiest ways to see the benefit of a magician is to think about what happens at an event when there is no entertainment taking place.

People arrive.

They find their seats.

They get a drink.

They talk to the people they already know.

And then they wait.

That is perfectly normal. It happens at almost every event.

But if you have ever organised a wedding, party or corporate function, you will know that getting people to mix can sometimes be surprisingly difficult.

A magician has an advantage because the entertainment does not require everyone to sit down and watch a show.

Instead, the magician can move between groups.

A small group might be enjoying a drink when the magician approaches.

There might be six people standing together who have never met before.

The magician performs something that takes a couple of minutes.

Everyone reacts.

Someone immediately asks, "How did you do that?"

Another person starts talking about a trick they saw years ago.

Someone else wants to know whether the magician can do something with their wedding ring.

The conversation has started.

That is valuable because the magician is not simply entertaining the guests.

The magician is helping the guests entertain each other.

Magic breaks the ice

This is particularly useful when an event brings together different groups of people.

At a wedding, for example, you may have the bride's family, the groom's family, friends from school, colleagues from work and people who have travelled from different parts of the country.

Some people will know everybody.

Others may know hardly anyone.

A magician can move naturally between those groups without demanding their attention for half an hour.

That makes close-up magic very different from traditional stage entertainment.

You do not have to gather everyone into one room or stop the conversation.

You do not have to announce that the entertainment is beginning.

The entertainment simply happens.

If you want to understand more about why close-up magic works particularly well in this sort of environment, my guide to close-up magic explained goes into much more detail about the style and how it differs from other forms of magic.

It fills the gaps in your event

Almost every event has gaps.

The photographer needs ten minutes to organise the group photographs.

The kitchen is preparing the next course.

Perhaps evening reception has started but the DJ is not quite ready to begin.

The bride and groom are having photographs taken while their guests are enjoying drinks.

A corporate dinner has finished but people are not quite ready for the next presentation.

These moments are completely normal, but they can sometimes feel longer to guests than they do to the organiser.

This is where a magician can be extremely useful.

Instead of guests simply waiting around, the magician can be working the room.

One group receives a few minutes of entertainment.

The magician moves on.

Another group gets involved.

Then another.

There is no obvious beginning and end to the entertainment, which means it can fit around the event rather than forcing the event to fit around the entertainment.

That flexibility is one of the reasons I particularly like performing close-up magic at weddings and parties.

A magician can help bring a room to life

There is a big difference between a room that is full of people and a room that feels full of energy.

You can have hundreds of guests sitting around a venue and still have a strangely quiet atmosphere.

Then something happens.

People laugh.

Someone reacts loudly.

A group gathers around.

Someone calls another person over and says, "You've got to see this."

That little moment can spread.

This is where showmanship matters.

The actual mechanics of a trick are only part of the experience. The magician needs to know how to approach people, how to read a group, when to perform, when to stop and how to make the people involved feel like part of the experience.

I have written more about this in How to Be a Great Showman in Magic, because good magic is about considerably more than knowing how to manipulate a deck of cards.

Your guests become part of the magic

One of the great advantages of close-up magic is that people are not simply watching.

They are involved.

Someone might hold the cards.

Someone might sign one.

Or choose a card.

Someone might hold a coin or shuffle the deck.

That involvement changes the experience.

It becomes something that happened to them, rather than something they simply watched somebody else do.

This is especially powerful at private events.

Imagine a guest at your wedding telling someone the following morning:

"I shuffled the cards myself."

Or:

"I signed the card and then it appeared inside the box."

Or:

"He gave me the coin to hold. There was absolutely no way he could have done it."

That is a much stronger memory than simply saying, "There was some entertainment."

The magic becomes part of the story of the event

People remember moments.

They remember speeches and the embarrassing dancing.

They remember who cried during the wedding ceremony.

Perhaps they also remember the best man saying something he probably should not have said.

And they remember impossible things happening in their own hands.

That is why a magician can have a much bigger impact than the amount of time they actually spend with each individual guest might suggest.

A magician might only perform for a particular group for five minutes.

But that five minutes can become one of the stories they tell about the event for years afterwards.

This is particularly true when the magic involves something personal.

A borrowed object or a signed card.

A decision made by the spectator.

Something that cannot simply be explained away as "a trick."

My article How Magicians Create Impossible Moments at Weddings looks more closely at how those moments can be constructed specifically for weddings.

A magician works particularly well at weddings

Weddings are probably the obvious example because they contain so many natural opportunities for close-up magic.

There is usually a period after the ceremony when guests are having drinks.

There may be photographs taking place.

Usually there is a gap before the wedding breakfast.

There are often moments when guests are moving around the venue.

A magician can work through those groups without disrupting what is happening elsewhere.

For a wedding magician, timing is therefore important.

You do not necessarily want someone performing constantly from the moment guests arrive until the evening ends.

The entertainment needs to complement the wedding.

That is why I wrote The Best Time for a Wedding Magician to Perform, which looks at the different parts of a wedding day and where magic can fit naturally.

Magic gives the photographer some great opportunities too

There is another small benefit that is sometimes overlooked.

Close-up magic can create spontaneous photographs.

A group of guests laughing around a magician.

Someone staring at their own hand in disbelief.

A couple reacting to something impossible.

A guest showing another person the card they have just signed.

These are natural moments rather than staged photographs.

Of course, the photographer should always take priority when formal photographs are taking place.

A good magician understands that.

The magician's job is to work around the event, not compete with it.

A magician can entertain people while photographs are taking place

This is one of the classic wedding problems.

The newly married couple disappear with the photographer.

The wedding party disappears and the guests are left behind.

Nobody has done anything wrong. The photographs simply need to happen.

But twenty or thirty minutes can feel like a long time when you are standing around with a drink wondering what happens next.

A close-up magician can work through the guests during that period.

This means the photographer can concentrate on the couple without the guests feeling as though they have been forgotten.

It is a small practical detail, but it can make a noticeable difference to the atmosphere.

Corporate events benefit from magic for a different reason

Magic can work at corporate events too, but the reason for hiring a magician is not necessarily the same as it is for a wedding.

At a corporate event, people may be meeting colleagues they have never spoken to before.

There may be clients, suppliers, senior managers, employees and guests from different companies.

People may have spent the entire day listening to presentations.

A magician can provide a complete change of pace.

There is no PowerPoint presentation or a microphone.

There is no need to take notes.

Someone simply makes a card disappear.

It can be a refreshing change.

Magic can also give people something neutral to talk about.

Instead of immediately returning to work, sales figures or the weather, people can discuss what they have just seen.

That can help create a more relaxed environment during networking.

It can help networking happen naturally

Networking is often encouraged at corporate events.

"Please take this opportunity to network."

And then everyone stands around holding a drink wondering how exactly they are supposed to begin.

A magician can provide the opening.

A group of people watching the same trick already has something in common.

They have just experienced the same impossible moment.

That gives them an easy conversation starter.

It is much easier to say:

"Did you see where that card went?"

than:

"So, what do you do?"

Sometimes the first conversation is the hardest one.

Magic can provide it.

The magician does not have to dominate the event

This is an important distinction.

There are occasions where a stage magician or full theatre-style show is exactly what an event needs.

But close-up magic is different.

The magician can be part of the atmosphere without becoming the centre of it.

People can continue talking.

Food can continue being served.

Photographs can continue.

The DJ can continue setting up.

The magic simply moves through it.

If you are unsure which style of magician would suit your occasion, What Type of Magician Should I Hire? explains the differences between the various types of magic and the situations they can suit.

What actually happens when a close-up magician performs?

A close-up magician normally moves between small groups rather than standing on a stage.

The magician might approach a table, introduce themselves and perform a short piece of magic.

It could involve cards or coins.

It could involve an everyday object borrowed from somebody in the group.

The group reacts.

Then the magician moves on.

There is no complicated setup.

There is no large equipment requirement.

There is no stage to construct.

That makes close-up magic particularly adaptable.

If you have ten people standing near the bar, the magician can entertain those ten people.

If there are six guests outside, the magician can go outside. Or if another group has just arrived, the magician can work with them.

The entertainment follows the guests.

Sleight of hand creates a different kind of experience

A lot of people associate magic with elaborate props.

But some of the strongest close-up magic uses remarkably little.

A deck of cards.

Money.

A borrowed object.

The magician's hands.

That is where sleight of hand comes into its own.

Sleight of Hand Explained looks at what sleight of hand actually involves and why it is such an important part of close-up magic.

The advantage of this type of magic at an event is obvious.

There is very little between the spectator and the impossible moment.

They are standing right next to the magician.

They can hold the props and watch very closely.

And that makes the experience extremely personal.

Misdirection is not what most people think

Another important part of close-up magic is misdirection.

People sometimes imagine that misdirection simply means distracting somebody while the magician secretly does something else.

There is considerably more to it than that.

Misdirection can involve attention, timing, expectation, language and psychology.

The spectator may be looking directly at the magician's hands and still completely miss what matters.

That is part of what makes close-up magic so fascinating.

I explore this in more detail in Misdirection in Magic.

 

Psychology plays a huge role

Magic is ultimately experienced inside the spectator's mind.

Two people can watch exactly the same trick and remember it differently.

One person may be fascinated by the method.

Another may be convinced they saw everything.

Another may remember the reaction of the person standing next to them more than the trick itself.

This is why psychology is such an important part of performing magic for real people.

Psychology in Magic explores some of the thinking behind these experiences.

And that thinking matters when performing at an event because the magician is dealing with real people, not an audience sitting silently in rows.

The magician has to read the room

A good event magician needs to understand people.

If a group is deep in conversation, barging in and demanding everyone's attention is unlikely to improve the evening.

If a group is clearly looking for entertainment, that is different.

If somebody is holding a sleeping baby, that is probably not the ideal moment to ask them to choose a card.

If the bride and groom are about to walk through the room, you move out of the way.

These things sound obvious.

They are not always obvious to inexperienced performers.

Event magic is partly about knowing when not to perform.

That is one of the reasons experience matters.

Experience is about more than knowing lots of tricks

Knowing 500 tricks does not automatically make someone a good event magician.

You need to know which trick to perform.

You need to know when to approach and when to leave.

Understand different types of people and having great social skills.

You need to be comfortable performing for complete strangers.

And you need to be able to recover when something unexpected happens.

That is showmanship.

Magic happens in real life, not inside a controlled laboratory.

Someone will interrupt or drop something.

Someone will have had a few drinks.

Someone will want to examine everything.

Someone will say, "I've seen this before."

You do not necessarily need an enormous illusion to create a memorable moment.

Sometimes a simple card trick can produce an enormous reaction.

Or a borrowed coin disappearing from someone's hand can be more memorable than an elaborate routine.

Sometimes a spectator simply needs to feel that something impossible has happened directly to them.

That is why classic pieces of close-up magic continue to work.

The Cups and Balls is a great example.

It is one of the oldest and most respected pieces of magic, yet it remains entertaining because the basic experience is so simple.

Something disappears.

Something appears.

The spectator believes they have followed everything.

And then something completely unexpected happens.

Classic magic can be incredibly entertaining

The same applies to Three Card Monte.

The premise is simple.

Follow the card.

It sounds easy.

It isn't.

Three Card Monte Explained looks at this classic routine and the psychology behind it.

Classic magic survives because the underlying ideas are strong.

The audience does not need to know when a trick was invented.

They simply need to experience something that makes them wonder how it happened.

Magic can work for different ages and personalities

Another advantage of close-up magic is that it does not depend entirely on a particular type of guest.

At a wedding, you may have teenagers, parents, grandparents and everyone in between.

Another great event is a birthday party, you might have groups of friends who have known each other for decades.

At a corporate event, you could have people from completely different backgrounds.

The magician can adjust the presentation.

Some people want to be heavily involved.

Others prefer to watch.

Some are naturally sceptical.

Curiosity makes some people want to work out the method.

Some just want to laugh.

The performer has to adapt.

The sceptics can be the most entertaining guests

There is often somebody at an event who says:

"I don't believe in magic."

That is fine.

Neither do I.

Magic is not supernatural.

It is entertainment built around creating impossible experiences.

In fact, sceptical spectators can be great fun because they tend to pay extremely close attention.

They watch the hands and ask questions.

They try to catch you.

And when something happens that they genuinely cannot explain, the reaction can be brilliant.

The important thing is that the magician should never make the spectator feel stupid.

The audience is supposed to have fun. Magicians are not there to prove that they are cleverer than everyone else.

A magician can provide entertainment without taking over

This is perhaps one of the biggest practical benefits.

You might not want a two-hour show.

You might not want everybody sitting down.

You might not want a microphone.

You might not want the entertainment to become the main event.

You might simply want something that adds another layer to the occasion.

That is exactly where close-up magic fits.

It can be there when people want it.

It can disappear into the background when something else needs attention.

And it can return later.

What about parties?

Parties are another natural environment for close-up magic.

At a private party, people are often moving around rather than sitting in one place.

That makes a roaming magician particularly useful.

One group might be in the lounge.

Another might be near the bar.

Another might be outside.

The magician can move between them.

The entertainment does not have to be confined to a single room.

For larger celebrations, that can be particularly useful because not everybody arrives at the same time.

The magician can simply pick up new groups as they appear.

What about birthdays and anniversaries?

Milestone birthdays and anniversaries are often full of people who have known each other for years.

That can make the atmosphere relaxed, but it can also mean that guests naturally split into their existing friendship groups.

Magic gives them a reason to come together.

It can also provide a memorable personal experience for the person whose event it is.

Imagine having the birthday guest sign a playing card and then having that card appear somewhere impossible.

That becomes their story.

Magic can work particularly well between courses or before dinner.

It can also work during a drinks reception before guests sit down.

The timing needs to be carefully considered.

You do not want the magician interrupting people while they are eating.

You do not want to perform directly beside a photographer who is trying to capture an important moment.

And you certainly do not want to interrupt a speech.

A professional magician understands that the event comes first.

The entertainment should support it.

A magician can help make a venue feel more personal

The same room can feel completely different depending on what happens inside it.

A hotel function room can sometimes feel like just another function room.

A magician walking around performing directly for guests can make it feel much more personal.

That is particularly useful for corporate events and weddings where the venue itself may be relatively formal.

The magic introduces interaction.

Instead of simply sitting in a beautiful room, guests are actively doing something.

 

This applies to events across Bristol and beyond

I perform for events in a wide range of venues and locations, and Bristol is a particularly natural example of how varied these events can be.

There are weddings, private parties, corporate functions, dinners and celebrations taking place throughout the city and surrounding area.

If your event is in the city or nearby, you can find more information about my magician services in Bristol.

Bristol is also a good example of why a magician needs to be adaptable.

An intimate private party requires a different approach from a large corporate event.

A wedding at a country-house venue is different from a drinks reception in a city-centre hotel.

The magic may be different too.

The underlying principle remains the same: make the guests part of the experience.

Magic can work in Gloucester too

Gloucester has its own mixture of weddings, private celebrations, corporate events and parties.

If you are organising an event in the area, you can find more information on magician services in Gloucester.

The important thing is not simply where the event takes place.

It is what the guests need.

Cheltenham has plenty of opportunities for close-up magic

Cheltenham is another area where I have performed at a range of venues.

If you are planning an event there, my Cheltenham magician page has more information.

I have also written about venues in Cheltenham where I have performed magic, which gives you a better idea of the types of occasions and venues where close-up magic can work.

Swindon, Oxford and Bath

The same principle applies to events in other areas.

If your event is in Swindon, you can find more information about magician services in Swindon.

For events in Oxford and Oxfordshire, there is also my Oxford magician page.

And for weddings, parties and events in Bath and Somerset, you can find more information about magician services in Bath.

These pages give more detail about performing in each area rather than trying to squeeze every location into one general article.

Worcester events

I also perform for events in Worcester, where close-up magic can be used for weddings, parties, corporate functions and other celebrations.

You can find more information about magician services in Worcester.

Again, the principle is the same.

The magic needs to fit the event.

Why choose close-up magic rather than another form of entertainment?

There is no single type of entertainment that is right for every event.

A band might be perfect for one occasion.

Perhaps a DJ might be exactly what another event needs.

Or a comedian might suit another.

A stage show could be the right choice when you want everyone watching at the same time.

Close-up magic offers something different.

It is interactive.

It is portable.

It can move around the room.

It does not require a stage.

It does not need to dominate the schedule.

And it can be performed for relatively small groups at a time.

That combination makes it particularly useful for social events.

The difference between watching magic and experiencing it

This is perhaps the most important point.

There is a difference between watching a magician perform and experiencing magic yourself.

When you watch a television magician, you are an observer.

At an event, a close-up magician can make you the participant.

You choose the card.

You hold the coin.

You shuffle the deck.

You sign the object.

You make the decision.

You are there when the impossible happens.

That is why people can remember a five-minute interaction long after the event itself has finished.

What should you look for when hiring a magician?

Start with the type of event you are organising.

A wedding magician needs to understand weddings.

A corporate magician needs to understand corporate events.

A private party magician needs to be comfortable approaching groups of strangers.

Then look at experience.

Look at videos.

Look at reviews.

Look at photographs.

Most importantly, look at the magician actually performing for real people.

You want to see how they interact with spectators, not just a collection of flashy tricks edited together in a video.

You can also read About Andy Field if you want to know more about my background, experience and approach to performing.

Don't just hire someone because they can do difficult tricks

This is worth repeating.

The most technically difficult magic is not automatically the best entertainment.

A magician can perform an incredibly complicated sleight and leave the audience completely cold.

Another magician can perform a relatively simple routine and have an entire group laughing, gasping and arguing about what they just witnessed.

The difference is often presentation.

That is why showmanship in magic is so important.

The magician has to make you care about what is happening.

The magician is part entertainer, part host

At an event, the magician is not simply performing tricks.

They are also interacting with guests.

That means manners matter.

Timing matters.

Conversation matters.

Appearance matters.

Reading the room matters.

Knowing when to leave matters.

You are inviting someone into an important occasion.

The magician therefore needs to understand that they are representing you as the host.

They are not there to show off at your expense.

A good magician makes the guests look good

This is another subtle part of good event magic.

The spectator should feel clever.

They should feel involved.

They should feel like they made the impossible happen.

The magician can be the person who creates the moment, but the spectator should be at the centre of it.

That is particularly important at weddings.

The guests are there to celebrate the couple.

The magician is there to contribute to that celebration.

Not become the reason everybody forgets why they are there.

Magic gives people a shared experience

Perhaps the greatest benefit of all is simple.

People experience something together.

A group sees the same impossible event.

They react together.

They laugh together.

They try to work it out together.

They tell other guests about it.

That shared experience is what can turn entertainment into a genuine part of the event.

So, how can a magician benefit your event?

A magician can:

• break the ice between guests who do not know each other
• give people something to talk about
• entertain guests during natural gaps
• help create a relaxed atmosphere
• provide entertainment without requiring a stage
• work around photographs and other parts of the schedule
• give guests a personal experience rather than simply something to watch
• create memorable moments that people talk about afterwards
• help networking happen naturally at corporate events
• entertain several different groups throughout an event
• add something unusual to a wedding, party or celebration
• adapt the entertainment to the people and atmosphere in the room

But ultimately, the biggest benefit is not any one of those things.

It is the reaction.

Someone looks at their own hand.

They open their mouth.

They laugh.

They turn to the person next to them and say:

"Did you see that?"

That is the moment you are paying for.

A magician should add to your event, not take it over

When I perform at an event, the aim is not to make everything revolve around me.

The wedding is about the couple.

The birthday party is about the person celebrating.

The corporate event is about the people attending.

The magician is there to add another layer to the occasion.

The best close-up magic can feel almost as though it has appeared naturally.

You are talking to someone.

Then something impossible happens.

You laugh.

You try to work it out.

The magician moves on.

A few minutes later, you are still talking about it.

That is exactly what good event entertainment should do.

It should leave something behind.

A memory.

A story.

Or a  conversation.

Perhaps even a little argument about how on earth it was done.

And if, several years later, somebody at the event says:

"Do you remember when that magician made that card appear inside...?"

then the magic has done its job.

Hiring a magician for your event

If you are considering a magician for a wedding, party, corporate event, dinner or private celebration, the most important thing is to find someone whose style fits the occasion.

Think about your guests.

Think about the atmosphere you want.

Think about when entertainment would be most useful.

And think about whether you want your guests watching a show or actually becoming part of it.

For many events, close-up magic offers a particularly flexible solution because it can move with the guests rather than asking the guests to stop what they are doing.

That means the magic can fit around the event rather than the other way around.

And that, ultimately, is one of the biggest reasons a magician can benefit your event.

**The magic is only part of it.

The real benefit is what happens between people when something impossible happens right in front of them.**

Andy Field Magician Service Areas

I regularly provide close up magic for weddings, parties, corporate events and special occasions across the South West and surrounding areas. You can find out more about my magic services in the following locations:

• Bristol Magician
• Gloucester Magician
• Cheltenham Magician
• Swindon Magician
• Somerset Magician
• Magician Oxford
• Magician Bath
• Magician Worcester
• Magician Cotswolds

Explore More About Close-Up and Magic

• Close-Up Magic Explained
• Sleight of Hand Explained