Help needed

SarahS2013

Hi folks,

I am helping to organise a charity ball in aid of Cystic Fibrosis this November...(Can't post links but it's 'The Snowflake Ball 2015' on Facebook - currently at 725 likes).

Being a charity ball, we haven't got a huge budget for entertainment and many of our contributors are friends or acquaintances who have very kindly offered their services free of charge so that we can raise as much as we can for CF.

One type of entertainer we don't know however, is a magician! We would love to have someone come in to 'work the crowd' just during the drinks reception while people are arriving, however after receiving a quote of €800 ex VAT, not only did I nearly fall off my chair, but sort of lost hope!

So....here I am, asking a lot I know, but wondering if there are any aspiring magicians out there or someone who may only be starting out in their career who would be glad of the exposure, and wouldn't be looking for anything near €800 ex VAT?!

If this is something that might float anyone's boat, please do get in touch

Cheers,

Sarah

horgan_p

I'm sorry Sarah , I wasn't going to reply but this really ticks me off.
Would you ask your dentist to work for free ? Would you want to go to a dentist that would work for free ? Didn't think so.
Contrary to popular belief a magician isn't a guy who " plays with cards" there's a considerable investment of time and effort to hone a skill.
I'm not saying a magician should charge the same as say a brain surgeon, but to be honest depending on how long you want the magician to entertain your guests €800 wouldn't be out of line, and in fact the fact that they charge vat would lead me to believe that he or she is a professional , offering a professional service to a professional standard.

SarahS2013

Hi Horgan,

I'm very sorry if my post offended you or anybody else, that was never my intention.

All the best,

Sarah

Gloomtastic!

horgan_p wrote: »

I'm sorry Sarah , I wasn't going to reply but this really ticks me off.
Would you ask your dentist to work for free ? Would you want to go to a dentist that would work for free ? Didn't think so.
Contrary to popular belief a magician isn't a guy who " plays with cards" there's a considerable investment of time and effort to hone a skill.
I'm not saying a magician should charge the same as say a brain surgeon, but to be honest depending on how long you want the magician to entertain your guests €800 wouldn't be out of line, and in fact the fact that they charge vat would lead me to believe that he or she is a professional , offering a professional service to a professional standard.

There are some people in this world, through no fault of their own, have been dealt a bum deal in life.

Some others, through hard work, perseverance and damned good luck, get to do something in life they really, really enjoy.

I'm a professional children's magician/entertainer and I get asked quite a few times each year if I'll perform for various childrens charities. If they're local to me here in Dublin then I give my services for nothing, if they're a bit further away then I charge a nominal fee and give them a good bit extra than I would for a normal paying job.

It's called giving back. It's very rewarding and you very rarely regret it.

You should try it sometime........

joollyparo

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

There are some people in this world, through no fault of their own, have been dealt a bum deal in life.

Some others, through hard work, perseverance and damned good luck, get to do something in life they really, really enjoy.

I'm a professional children's magician/entertainer and I get asked quite a few times each year if I'll perform for various childrens charities. If they're local to me here in Dublin then I give my services for nothing, if they're a bit further away then I charge a nominal fee and give them a good bit extra than I would for a normal paying job.

It's called giving back. It's very rewarding and you very rarely regret it.

You should try it sometime........

That is so sweet, actually the keyword here is "charity" followed by "kids". It really nice when you give back.