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Gerry Walkowski Inner circle 1450 Posts |
How far are you willing to travel for a birthday party performance and/or a general type magic show? And by the word "general," I'm mainly referring to things like Halloween, Easter or Christmas shows (not festival work).
For me, I tend to target shows that are under a maximum of 2.0 hours driving time (one way). This is certainly not to say I wouldn't travel greater distances IF THE PRICE WAS RIGHT. Just curious to hear what others have to say on this topic. Thanks, Gerry |
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bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts |
I also normaly stay within a two hour drive one way.
My show price includes a distance of one hour one way. after that the price goes up. Todd |
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Michael Messing Inner circle Knoxville, TN 1817 Posts |
Although I don't actively seek shows outside a 2-hour area, I am most definitely willing to drive much farther away. I have done birthday parties that required a 4-hour drive.
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Magic Patrick Inner circle Minnesota 1591 Posts |
Gerry,
Great question. In Oklahoma it is very spread out so I made a card that I carry around in my pocket. The card has a map with circles around my house in increments of 25 miles. Inside each circle I have my price for that area. When they ask for my price I ask where the show will be and I give them the price based on the circle they are in. If for somw chance they are right on the edge then I bump the price up $10. Some times the price is high for them that live way out there and they don't boolk me but that is okay with me as my time is valuable. Patrick |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
I will drive 50 miles for free and and I will go 100 miles for an additional $50. Traveling more than 100 is a big waste of time for me, and I'm not real thrilled about going 100 miles on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon because it becomes an all day commitment.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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The Mighty Fool Inner circle I feel like a big-top tent having 2140 Posts |
Years ago I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Miami, simply because I was so honored to have been asked to do a show there. Now I'd probably cap it at 100 miles or extra for gas.
Everybody wants to beleive.....we just help them along.
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bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts |
I will drive over 2 hour ride for a corporate
gig.Because there will be a lot more money involved. Todd |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
I've always lived in densely populated areas. So my average travel distance, for magic shows, is about 50 miles. But when it comes to music, the sky's the limit! You want me to perform or record in Paris, or Buenos Aires, or Johannesburg? You pay, I play!
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Mostly, I was the proverbial big fish in the small pond. My work was largely regional. I turned down possibilities for cruise ships, college and comedy club circuits because I had a family and new baby at home. But, I had centered myself by living in Birmingham, Alabama because it was only a few hours from New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville. I could easily get to any of those places and if necessary, be home later the same day.
Beyond that, it boiled down to who had the money and the willingness to pay for the travel expenses and time spent occupied by that job. The farthest I have gone has been Paris, France.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
For Kel and I, we try and keep birthday parties under 1 hour and 30 min drive time one way. I can do over that if I need to. However, I add in a ravel fee to cover that cost and try and raange it so the show is earlier in the day. I would much rather stick to my standard drive time for these types of shows as it allows me a much greater chance to double or triple book shows on the same day maximizing my profit margin.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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MichaelDouglas Special user Portland, Oregon 766 Posts |
I've a prices for local (45 min drive max), +1 hour drive, +2hour drive. Like Kyle, I try to push those 2 hour away gigs early or late in the day. That way I'm open for a 2nd show that day. I've started to reduce the 2 hr away shows, as I'm getting more local bookings so that I don't need them. As others have stated, if it's a corporate gig, then 2 hrs is not an issue due to the higher feeds those gigs typically pay. Buy yeah...if the price is right, the whole world is within reach.
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Julie Carpenter Regular user Watford 139 Posts |
I know that England seems tiny to you Americans but to us 2 hours drive gets you a long way up or across the country.
I keep to jobs within an hour or 30 miles - although I can be bought for any distance at a price. |
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JoshLondonMagic Special user 675 Posts |
I very rarely travel more than 20-30 miles between my home and shows. I'm fortunate like Mr. Stead to live in a dense area and most of my shows are in the same area or within 20 miles of each other. This helps with booking my shows as my available open slots for a Saturday or Sunday is 10am, 1pm, 4pm or 7pm. I found when I put 3 hours between shows I can get virtually anywhere in San Diego, do the show, tear down, reset and get to the next show.
Having these time slots also help me in my marketing. I try to make it very clear that I perform a lot and having specific times available helps that. People call and ask if a 2pm is open and I hem and ha and say no, but I have a 1pm or 4pm. They will usually take the 1. Just works for me This is I interesting though because we (my wife and new baby) will probably be moving to a place that isn't as densely populated as San Diego and 7 hours away so then I'd have to think about how far I'd be willing to travel.
Josh
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MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
My prices includee the first hour (round-trip) of driving. After that I charge so much per hour of drive time, and try to schedule long distances as the first or last show of the day (so that another gig can be fit in). Additional fees may include lodging, meals and a per diem charge for overnight travel. After that, I'm with Arthur, "You pay, I play!"
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Over the weekend of April 5th, I had a 3 hour commute to the Grand Glaize in the Ozarks.
In 2005, I went to the S.A.M. convention to present on the Freedom from Drugs panel. Most typical gigs are from 5 minutes to 63 minutes away from our Enchanted Cottage. Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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Joseph_Then Special user 747 Posts |
I'm glad that I'm in Singapore because it will take no more than 40 minutes to drive from one end of the country to the other end.
But then, the trade-off is that there is a huge competition in our birthday party market. |
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Bazinga Loyal user 277 Posts |
I use the same type of thing as Magic Patrick. Circles on a map.
To the North, West, and South, I'll go 120 miles. To the East, 220. With the terrain I have to deal with, that makes it about 3 1/2 hours and 5 1/4 hours (all numbers are one-way). And I charge accordingly. Bazinga! |
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danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
For birthdays, I usually don't go more than an hour, and if it's more than a half hour drive I start adding a travel fee of $10-$35. Once in a while I'll go up to 2 hours for a birthday, but only with a 3 hour minimum and travel fee (I do more that a show, I can add in several other things). For other events like festivals, etc., I'll go up to 2 hours drive, but only with a 3 hour minimum and travel fee, so I price myself out of many of those requests.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
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Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
45 minutes, or my prices go up a lot.
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stuartmagic Loyal user Derby England (UK) 240 Posts |
With the distances / times some have quoted on here I would need a boat as I am located in the UK which has a more packed population. The answer I would give is as shorter distance as possible.
Going long distances adds to your overall costs and also limits the number of shows you could do in a day. Here in the UK if you are getting the shows via correct publicity techniques ( a whole different subject on its own ) then you shouldn't need to be travelling more than a 1 hour drive each way. It all depends on your location and what your catchment area is and if that catchment group of people fits your requirements. As a childrens entertainer I have no need to travel too far, usually a maximum of a 45min drive as my local area has a very large number of schools, playgroups, etc that I can easily target. Maybe the question shouldn't be "How far are you willing to travel ?" but "How far do you have to travel ? " Correct advertising techniques , getting found on the web , publicity , good self promotion , and a bit of luck too !!! , also being within a good catchment area and not having too much competition from other local entertainers , but overall being different from your competitors !!! will ensure that you don't have to travel too far at all. Stuart.
British Magical Champion
Of Stage Manipulation 2007 Derby Childrens Entertainer https://www.stuartmagic.co.uk Derby Childrens Entertainer https://www.derbymagiccircle.co.uk https://www.derbychildrensentertainer.com www.facebook.com/DerbyChildrensEntertainerStuartBrown |
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