Magicians in Leicester

John Constantine is an experienced magician offering excellent high-quality, professional entertainment for adult celebration events eg. weddings, adult birthdays and corporate/business clients. He offers some really detailed advice here on how to get the best service when looking to book a magician for your event.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

To provide a quote I need the event date, an explanation of the type of event you are hosting, the estimated number of guests, and the venue. Please note if you are a client for a charity that I already donate my time to chosen charities, therefore I can only accept requests from charities with a budget.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Check how well thought out and customised the provider's first message to you has been. How professional does it seem, how well suited and experienced are they? To decide on the most suitable magician for you because 'magic' is such a visual entertainment it is vital to check out if the magician you are being quoted by has any VIDEOS. If not ask yourself why not! If they do have a video is it a cheap mobile video clip or is it professional? If it is professionally made and note if you can HEAR the magician as well as see them? If you can only see them but their VOICE is edited out - how can you judge what they are really like and if they would interact well with your guests? It is best to be able to see and hear the magician at work on a video for it to give you a really good idea of who is the best magician for you.
Finally, please note the old adage of 'you get what you pay for!' There are many part-time, 'weekend', and inexperienced magicians around. If you are looking for quality be a little careful about being tempted by these. Entertainment can be one of the most memorable things about an event - it is worth spending as much as you can on it. But do your research and check up on them - as stated above, watch their videos in particular and just get a sense of whether they are the type of person you feel would interact well with your guests as well as entertain them.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I have had a life-long interest in magic, sparked by watching a magician on TV. I was given a very good book when I was 11 or 12 and took it from there. Graduating to better and more sophisticated books as I went into my teens and early 20's. Then a chance encounter with a magician led to a recommendation to audition to the Magic Circle (which I passed 20 years ago!)
'Magic' is one of the oldest performing arts and it is a passion as well as a career for me. At first, I began performing professionally just at weekends and fitted it in as best I could but was soon so busy I felt I had to either cut my magic back to have more time with my family or to take the plunge and end my other career. I had a good, professional position at a leading University so this was not a decision I took lightly. But it is another indication of dedication I think. It has never been about earning additional money as my first career was very well remunerated (and secure)! but entertaining people and bringing them joy, wonder and amazement was always something I have found irresistible.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I am actually quite new to Add to Event so I think I only have one review so far but you can see very many reviews on my website and via Google reviews as I have been performing magic for a long time! I think Add to Event is a very attractive and convenient platform for the public to source event suppliers. If I were in the position of organising an event, I would be using it too! From my point of view it definitely provides a superior service to its suppliers than a rival platform I could mention(!) A quality platform attracts quality suppliers and tends to attract quality clients.
I have had many memorable bookings, including for Sir Terry Wogan (pictures on my website), a wedding proposal (yes, a proposal, not 'just' a wedding - of which I have had very many). Amazing and amusing my guests in equal measure is always what is memorable for me and my source of satisfaction for what I do. It's great to do what you love, and a privilege as so few people are able to say the same.