What to Ask a Magician Before You Book Them
The questions that separate a professional entertainer from an enthusiastic hobbyist are almost never about magic. They are about insurance, contracts, sound, contingency, and whether the person has thought about your room before you asked them to. A hobbyist can be genuinely skilled and still be a bad risk for an event with four hundred guests and a CEO in the front row.
These are the questions I would ask, and what the answers tell you.
The questions worth asking out loud
"What do you need from the venue?"
Ask this first, because it is the fastest filter. A working professional answers immediately and specifically: this much space, this kind of sound, a table of this size, power here, this much light, and here is what changes if the room is different.
Someone who says "oh, whatever you have is fine" has not thought about it. They will discover the problem on the day, in front of your guests, and it will become your problem because you are the one with the venue contact's phone number.
"Are you insured, and can you send a certificate?"
Many venues require a certificate of insurance naming them as additional insured, and some will not let a vendor load in without one. The correct answer is yes, and here is how quickly I can get it to you.
A blank stare here tells you this person does not work at venues that ask. That is the whole signal.
"What is in your written agreement?"
There should be one, and it should cover the fee, the deposit, the balance due date, the exact performance times, cancellation terms on both sides, and what happens with weather or a venue closure. If the answer is that they usually just work off email, you are the one absorbing every ambiguity.
Read the cancellation clause specifically. Ask what happens if you cancel and what happens if they cannot perform. Both directions should be written down.
"What happens if you are sick?"
This is the question people skip, and it is the most important one on the list. Illness and car trouble are not hypothetical over a career.
A professional has an answer: a network of performers of comparable caliber they would call, and they will tell you honestly that they would call you first rather than send a stranger without asking. Someone who has never considered it will say "that has never happened," which is not a plan.
"How do you handle sound?"
For anything on a stage or in a large room, the answer matters. Do they bring a system, or do they need the venue's? What kind of microphone? Who runs it? Do they need a sound check, and when?
The wrong answer is that they will just speak up. In a banquet room with two hundred people, a bar, and an HVAC system, nobody past the fourth table hears anything unamplified.
"Have you worked this kind of event before, and what usually goes wrong?"
The first half is table stakes. The second half is where you learn something.
Someone with real experience will name the actual failure modes: the program running long, the room not being cleared, guests seated behind a pillar, the entertainment slot landing after the open bar has been going for three hours. Someone without experience will tell you it always goes great.
"What does your fee include, and what is billed separately?"
Travel, lodging, equipment, a second performer, overtime if your schedule slips. Get it in writing before you sign, not in an invoice afterward. A clear quote is itself a professionalism signal.
"Can I see video of you performing for a real audience?"
Not a highlight reel cut to music, though those are fine as an introduction. You want at least some footage of a real audience reacting in real time, in a room like yours. Reactions are hard to fake and easy to recognize. You can see that kind of material on my [portfolio](/portfolio/) page, and what past clients say on the [testimonials](/testimonials/) page.
"What is your material like, and can you work clean?"
Define what clean means for your audience, because it is not universal. A corporate audience, a [church group](/gospel-show/), a [school assembly](/schools-family/), and a private birthday party have genuinely different lines. Ask directly whether there is anything in the show that might land badly with your specific group, and ask whether they can adjust.
A professional will ask you about your audience before you finish asking about their material. That exchange is a good sign in itself.
"Who am I talking to on the day?"
For a solo performer, usually the performer. If there is an agency in the middle, find out who is actually on site, whether you get their phone number, and who answers if there is a problem at 4:00 on the day of the event.
"What do you need from me, and when?"
The answer reveals how organized they are. Expect a request for the run of show, the venue contact, load-in details, parking, and a point of contact. Someone who wants nothing from you until the day is someone who will improvise around whatever they find.
Two answers that should worry you
"I can do anything you want." No performer is equally good at close-up magic, a large-stage show, comedy hosting, and children's entertainment. Somebody claiming all of them is telling you they will do a passable version of each. Ask what they turn down.
A quote with no questions attached. A price given before anyone asked about your room, your schedule, or your guests is not a price. It is a number.
The question to ask yourself
Before any of this: what do you actually want the entertainment to do? Fill an awkward arrival hour, give the room one shared moment, keep a trade show booth busy, or make an awards program less dry? Different answers point to genuinely different bookings.
If you have that answer, the rest of the conversation is short. Bring your date, your venue, and your run of show to the [booking page](/book/) and ask me every question on this list.