Here is the scenario – your team met and decided that it’s time to plan a fun event to reward your employees. After discussing options like online karaoke (too embarrassing), online standup comedy (too possibly offensive), and online murder mystery (too complicated), the team landed on the perfect event that every employee can enjoy – a virtual magic show! Now, it’s your responsibility to make that happen and you have no idea where to start.
Well, you are reading this blog on Magicorp’s website, so you are already starting in the right place. Magicorp is the best place to book the world’s best magic shows – not only does Magicorp have a wide variety of entertainers, but their staff will ensure that booking your virtual magic show is effortless. But, first, here are the questions that you need to ask yourself when booking your virtual magic show:
1. What kind of magician is right for my event?
Believe it or not, not every magician is the same! Some magicians specialize in mystifying card tricks, others in more comedy-based magic, and still others do mind-reading. Some magicians are unknown gems, others are stars of television shows, most are men, but female magicians and husband-wife duo’s also exist!
So, what kind of magician is right for your group? If your group consists of individuals that really want to ‘crack the code’ and figure out how a magic trick works – a magician specializing in card tricks might be a great fit for you. Or even better, consider Ben Seidman’s “Camera Tricks” virtual magic show where he challenges the audience to figure out which one of his tricks is, in fact, a camera trick.
Do you plan to invite the whole family to your event? Then consider Michael Carbonaro, the star of truTV’s “The Carbonaro Effect”. While his playful and hilarious show is not aimed solely for kids, the kids will 100% absolutely love Michael’s antics, tricks, and jokes.
Considering something a little outside the realm of traditional magic? Then the mentalist duo, “The Evasons”, would be perfect as they inexplicably read the minds of their volunteers.
Best yet, Magicorp offers “America’s Got Magic” which combines several magicians and mentalists into one show so that you get the best of everything!
2. What platform is best for my event?
Okay, we found your magician, now you need to decide which platform is going to be the ‘stage’ for the event. Zoom is often the go-to as we all know it very well by this point! Plus, it allows for the entire audience to interact and see each other. Guess what? Zoom magic shows are a ton of fun! The magicians might have a producer, or they might push the buttons themselves, but they know exactly how to spotlight, play music, and make the Zoom meeting feel like a real show!
However, for those that are tired of the plague of Zoom, there are other options! Magicorp offers an enhanced production package where the show will take place in a virtual broadcast studio and then streamed to your destination of choice (YouTube, Vimeo, etc…). This allows you to significantly elevate your production quality with co-branded company graphics, pre-recorded videos, side-by-side on-screen interaction, and more. Think of a visually-appealing TV show rather than a meeting. The package includes a dedicated producer to direct your virtual event remotely and handle all pre-production needs.
3. How should I incorporate the magic show into my event?
Is the interactive virtual magic show you are planning going to be part of a larger event, such as a conference? Or is it a stand alone show purely for your employee’s entertainment? Either way, you’ll need to think about and ask if a representative from your company would like to speak before and/or after the magician’s performance! Not only is this a great opportunity to deliver a message to your team, but it makes the show feel that much more specialized for your employees and not feel like a pre-recorded video.
4. Is the magic show going to be pre-recorded or streamed live? Can we keep a copy?
Speaking of pre-record, that is another great question to ask. Would you like to pre-record the show and then air it at a specific time or would you like it taped and streamed live? The more live the better in a virtual world, especially with professional magicians who know how to enliven the crowd and avoid any tech hiccups. However, there are reasons that a pre-recorded show works better for clients. In that case, it’s best to make it feel as ‘live’ as possible. The magicians will always request to have between 6 and 10 people from your company at the pre-recorded session in order to interact, help with the magic, and be amazed!
A common question is often if it is possible to keep a recording of the performance. Due to copyright laws and the code of magic where magicians don’t want all their tricks always available to the public, then usually the answer is no. However, if that is something that is important to you – then definitely ask about when booking the virtual show!
5. What kind of pre-production and planning do I need to do?
Once you book the virtual show, the magician will typically take the lead on anything that needs to be done before the show. Sometimes that is as simple as asking you to pass along the message to audience members, i.e. please have a deck of cards available for the show. Sometimes they will ask you to create the Zoom link. Other times, especially if you are opting for Enhanced Production, the magician’s producer will request a few assets, such as logo, backdrop, landing image, etc…
However, the goal of these virtual magic shows is to entertain your team and not make more work for you! So, the pre-production is typically light for most clients.
6. Finally, what should I do with all the praise and compliments from my co-workers for booking such a fun event?
There are several options – you could print out all the compliments and frame them. Maybe you compile all the compliments into a JPEG that you can use as a virtual background in Zoom so everyone remembers your great work! Maybe you ‘accidentally’ forward them to your supervisor. Or maybe you just sit back, smile, and enjoy the fact that you helped put on an incredible virtual magic show that your team will be talking about for months to come!