Matt Duggan

Archive for the ‘London Magic’ Category

Hiring a magician for your wedding, party or corporate event is a fantastic way of breaking the ice with your guests and have them laughing and chatting in no time. However, there are several things you need to consider when hiring a magician in the UK. I’ll take you through the options and some things to look for to make sure you get the best of the best.

The most important factor to consider when booking a magician in London is to see what previous customers have said about them. If they don’t have testimonials or feedback from clients on display, it’s best not to go any further. The good performers will have a number of satisfied customers who have allowed them to use their letters/e-mails of thanks as proof.

This type of social proof means that you can be sure that the performer is good and has performed at your type of event before.

You may also want to check to see that the performer has performance photos clearly displayed on their site. This enables you to see some of the reactions their performances elicit. The more happy smiling faces you see, the better. If they have video of them performing, even better.

There are a few organisations in the UK that act as a ‘seal of approval’ for magicians. The most well-known and highly respected society is The Magic Circle. Members of ‘The Circle’ have had to pass an audition to become members, where they are ‘vetted’ by a group of their peers. Again, membership of The Magic Circle is another good sign when looking for a London magician.

Another organisation is Equity, the performers’ union. Membership of this union gives the performer up to £10 million of public liability insurance. When hiring a stage magician, this is particularly important, as in the very unlikely event of a problem you are covered.

To find a top London Magician there is a faster way… Simply go to my London Magician site and let me know what sort of event you’re holding. I can tailor my performances to you, ensuring that you guests have a fabulous night, with moments of fun, laughter and amazement to remember long after the event ends.

I look forward to meeting you.

Matt

1230 is the leading, independent networking organisation supporting business women. Known as The Womens’ Company and run by Penny Denby and Jackie Groundsell, I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest at some of their excellent events and thoroughly enjoyed them.

They’re holding a great event at One Canada Square with some wonderful speakers and some beautiful fashion. On top of that, I’ll be performing some of my close-up magic to entertain the guests.

Jenny Agutter (star of film, stage, radio and TV) is the guest speaker and she is also Patron of 1230′s charity, Ovacome. Ovacome supports those affected by ovarian cancer and in previous years they’ve held this event in The Savoy and The Gherkin.

You can find out all the details of the event and how to get tickets by clicking here.

Now of course, magic should be surprising. If it wasn’t it would be science. But last night, a client of mine and I used magic to even more surprising effect.

I was booked to perform in Southall, west London for the surprise birthday party for Kewal (pronounced Kay-warl) who had recently reached the big 5-0, by which I mean his fiftieth birthday, not some senior rank within the police force.

Kewal and indeed most of his family orginally hail from India and having performed at previous events for them, I know how epic their parties can be. In that vein, James – my client – booked me to entertain the guests before the big surprise. We then further surprised Kewal with a cabaret slot from yours truly where I performed some psychological effects and a few bits of magic, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Photos and video to come so watch this space…

Many thanks to James Masih, the whole Masih and Atwal clans and all the guests at Milan Palace, Southall last night.

I’ve just launched a website especially for my potential wedding clients at ProfessionalWeddingMagician.co.uk.

The site – which I designed with the help of the folks at ProSmartDesign – shows how I provide top class magical entertainment for weddings across the country. It includes photos, testimonials and even information and recommendations for brides-to-be on creating their special day.

Check out the site and let me know what you think of it.

Many thanks to Gerard, George and Chrissy from the Business Referral Exchange (BRX) for inviting me to perform at their business networking event last night.

It took place at the lovely One Alfred Place in the Bloomsbury area of London and was very well attended. I was fortunate to meet a host of business people from a variety of backgrounds, all of whom enjoyed the magic I performed (judging from the e-mails I received this morning!).

BRX is a long-standing networking organisation for small to medium size business owners, providing a forum for them to work together and share their experiences and expertise. I’ve attended a couple of their breakfast meetings and have been very impressed by the way in which the members network for each other in order to bring more business to the group. For more information, check out http://www.brxnet.co.uk/.

They also host special evenings where they invite guest speakers. Last night, it was the turn of internet and social media guru, Ian McKendrick. He spoke for about an hour on social media and by the end, everyone in the room had at least one piece of information to gain more connections and possible business from the likes of Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking of Twitter, you can follow Ian at http://twitter.com/ianmckendrick and me at http://twitter.com/MagicMattDuggan.

Having been working at The Union Theatre – in my capacity as an actor – for the past three weeks, I’m now back to resume full magical service!

The play at The Union (entitled Oh Well Never Mind Bye) was the best experience I’ve had as an actor and I was very pleased to be part of a small and talented cast of actors, directors and writer Steven Lally.

You can read the reviews and find out more information on the acting side of what I do on MatthewDuggan.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you’d like to discuss the possibilities of entertaining your guests at your next event, don’t hesitate to get in touch.