How do you pack your shows?

A good friend recently e-mailed to ask "How do you pack your shows?"

My Lefler table has all the props that I use in more than one show such as The Axtell Magic Drawing Board (it's in four shows and I don't want to buy four of them, though I do have one as a back up that I keep in my office). I also keep brochures and catalogs in the Lefler table and a plate easel that I use to display certain things. The plate easel is in 2 or 3 shows. I keep a sponge cake in the Lefler table, even though it is only used in one show, but the box that I pack that show in won't keep it from getting smushed, so I keep it in the Lefler table instead. I also keep a small electric fan for hot summer months, a small extension cord, a multi-tool screwdriver, a big gob of ticky-tack, and a few other things that I could need at any given show.

In addition, each show has ONE other box or container. Some have two, but I prefer to have it all in one box. Color Your World, I cram everything inside the doghouse igloo that I use as a dragon cave. In Arctic Express, it all fits into a big plastic tub. In The Wild West Reading show, it all fits into my "time machine" (a giant mirror box where the mirror drops flat). So this is a pretty good system, though it does have minor flaws in that I occasionally have to buy two or more of the same prop if it is in different shows.

For example, I use a rabbit wringer in 2 shows, but I don't want to carry around a heavy, breakable rabbit wringer in my Lefler table, so I bought two of them, one for each show. I have dozens of thumbtips in different boxes (if I need one, I pack two just in case, so I have at least double the number that I actually need).

Sorry it was such a long answer to your question but I wanted to give you an idea about how I pack. Normally certain things stay in my truck 24/7 unless we are going on vacation somewhere. My sound system, the Lefler table, the speaker stands, the two side tables, and a custome made box that holds my mic, virtual soundman, wireless mic unit, power strip, extra batteries, minidisk player, etc. These things all stay in my truck almost always. Then all I have to do is take OUT the box that holds the props for the last show, and replace it with the box (or maybe two boxes) that contain what I need for the upcoming show.

New Harry Potter Book

If you haven't heard, the new Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) is set to be released on July 21st.

If you don't already have a wizard themed show, you might want to consider creating one. If you have one, you'd be crazy not to begin working it.

The truth is, that almost any magician can get work late on the Friday night of July 20th as all the raving Harry Potter fans line up for hours on end waiting for the stroke of midnight, when the bookstores can begin legally selling the latest and final installment in the Harry Potter phenomenon.

So why would you care?

If you can't see the value of performing in front of a group of people who are THIS interested in (no, beyond "interested in" into the realm of "fanatic about") wizards, magic, and illusion, then you need to go back and study the fundamentals of marketing.

The most important element in good marketing is having a good "list" of potential buyers for what you offer. Imagine them all coming together in a way where only the most sincere wills stick around. This is exactly what booksellers across the country and around the world will be doing for you this summer. They will be luring out some of the BEST prospects for wizard-themed parties and magical entertainment that you can find.

Now, the fact that they pre-qualify them by making them stay up until midnight is great, but even better is the fact that they group them geographically. Go to the bookstore closest to you and you are going to find the prospects who live closest to you.

As if this were not enough, they will actually PAY YOU to market yourself if you do it right. For an idea about how this might work, visit my web page devoted to this sort of party at http://JulianFranklin.com/wizard.htm