What a Corporate Magician Costs, and What Moves the Price
Lets get right into it. There are a ton of factors that go into a quote sent by a magician. The first and foremost consideration is travel. If a show is local (less than an hour drive) then... horray! Travel costs often won't increase the price since most of us usually pop on a podcast during the drive and time flies by. Anything longer than an hour and that gas dial starts dropping FAST. With the rising cost of gas (and all the cards we go through during a show) travel distance is an important factor to consider when sending out a quote.
The second factor is what TYPE of magic you are looking for. Close up magic generally costs less since most magicians can stuff 3+ hours of material into their suit and be good to go for the entire night. Close up props pack small but play big for most crowd sizes, and everything lives nicely in our 8+ pockets. Close up magic requires far less setup and accommodates almost any condition, and can be performed anywhere from 30 minutes up to 8 hours (or however long the magician can last before losing his voice). It sounds wild, but I have performed for 8 hours straight with no breaks on more than a few occasions. Of course we must consider that the longer performance time, the higher the cost.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have stage shows. These require far more setup time (due to the larger props, materials, sound equipment, etc) and take a lot of preparation just to load up the van. I can't speak for every magician, but in my show I have several gifts/souvenirs that I give away to audience members that often cost a small chunk of change, but make the experience extra special for those few volunteers. An hour long stage show will always cost more than an hour of close up magic, but an hour of close up might only reach 50-100 people, whereas an hour of stage magic can entertain as many people that you can fit in the room!
The third and final factor to consider is experience. An hour of magic from the beginner magician will be much cheaper than the magician who has spent 10+ years honing his craft, mastering the sleights, speaking, holding eye contact, and banter that makes one feel like the event organizer booked a polished professional. I personally have over 13 years and tens of thousands of hours of performance time under my belt, and feel confident that I can genuinely and thoroughly entertain ANY type of audience. In those 13 years I have done some wild shows...from biker gangs to retirement centers, funerals and night clubs, I truly believe there is no crowd that phases me anymore. Magic is a universal language, it just takes experience to know what kind of trick will make that one skeptic jump out of their chair.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope this helps you better understand a magicians thought process when sending out a quote. Whether you choose to book me or someone else less interesting (kidding!) I can confidently say that booking a magician is a guaranteed way to elevate your event and guest experience to the next level.
God bless,
-Caleb