Albany NY Magician | I know how you feel...

Planning your little ones party is a pain, there is so much to remember and consider.  Having a good plan makes the event easier but nothing can prevent the exhaustion that follows.  This past weekend was my daughters birthday and we had three, yes three, parties for her.  There was family dinner on Friday at Friendlys, and the kid party and family party on Saturday.  By 9:00 that evening my wife and I were spent. When we woke on Sunday, we were still tired but our daughter was excited and best of all thankful.  She enjoyed her special day and that made it all worth it.  So whether you are planning a single event or many, keep in mind who its for and make sure they have fun.

Albany NY Magician | Plan Ahead to Avoid Disappointment

Planning a party is tough business. A tight budget can make it impossible. You may be tempted to wait until the last minute to hire entertainment. Waiting may cause you to miss your opportunity to book the best entertainer. A good birthday magician will starting booking weekends months in advanced. During the busy months of October and December large events are booked a year in advance. Unfortunately I have had to turn down dozens of clients over the last several weeks because they waited to long. Booking this Albany NY Magician only requires a small deposit to hold your date, but it comes with piece of mind. Planning a winter or spring birthday party in the Albany NY area? Contact me now to lock in your date.

Albany NY Magician | Should I invite the whole class?

One of the big things that come up when planning a birthday party is whether you should send invitations to the whole class.  Schools have different policies and you should always follow their guidelines.  Personally, I would be more inclined to not invite the whole class and just invite a few key friends.  Do you really want 20 kids running around your house?  A lot of people think, "the more the merrier" but I honestly think it just gets overwhelming for everyone.  It can be especially overwhelming for the birthday child.  Having a smaller more intimate party is more relaxing for everyone.  An old rule to follow for children under 8 is their age plus 1.  If your child is turning 7, plan on having eight kids attend.  This is by no means a hard and fast rule and it definitely depends many factors.  At a minimum you need to consider budget and location.  Twelve is by far the most popular party size.  Over the years as an Albany, NY magician this is the size I see more often than not.
Being prepared and organized is your best bet no matter how many children you invite to your child's birthday party.

Albany NY Magician | Your Kids Party Agenda

The key components of most parties are activities, games, and refreshments. If you don't want kids to run around your house the whole time, you need to have a plan.  A typical two-hour party agenda might look like this: 

• 15-20 minutes - greet arrivals, free play, and unstructured activities 
• 30-45 minutes - organized games and activities or an entertainer 
• 15-20 minutes - refreshments 
• 20-30 minutes - additional organized games and activities or open presents
• 15-20 minutes - cake, free play and unstructured activities 

A three-hour party agenda would allow more time for games & activities, free play, or longer entertainment.

I hope this helps give you an idea of how you can organize your party schedule.

~Magicman

PS- Feel free to shoot me an e-mail or comment on this post and let me know what else you would like to know about parties and planning. 

Albany NY Magician - Great Theme Ideas

One of the best ways to get your child excited about their birthday party, as if they need help, is to let them pick out a theme.  It seems that most people pick a character or movie for the theme but there are lots of other ideas to choose from.  I was going to give you a few examples of great themes, but I found this website that is just chuck full of theme ideas.

http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/party_ideas.html

Each theme has many examples of ideas to incorporate the theme.  Of course, my favorite is the magic theme.  But I might be biased.  Remember, you can incorporate great entertainment into any theme.  Balloon twisting and face painting can be customized for any theme and a magic show fits real nice with lots of the theme suggestions.  Have fun planning you party!

~Magicman
www.magicmanalbany.com

5 Things You Need To Know

5 Things you need to know

(That the other guys won’t tell you.)

1.)   Price Matters – Just not in the way you think.

Many entertainers tout themselves as “The Best” or “The Premier” entertainer in the area.  The reality is that more often than not they are just creating hype.   That hype costs you money.  Advertising, photo shoots, and loads of flashy websites equals money out of your pocket.  The reality is you do not need to spend $300 or more to be sure your child has the best birthday ever, no matter what they say.  Value is what you need! Find an experienced middle ground, an entertainer that has great testimonials and offers the services you need at a price you feel is reasonable. You won’t be giving up quality; you’re just not paying for the ego.

2.)   “Full-Time” vs. “Part Time”

“Full-Time” entertainers will always tell you that they are the best choice.  They claim more experience simply because they do nothing else.  Sometimes this is true, many times it is not.  Your best bet is to choose the entertainer that is going to provide you a great show, be flexible to your needs, and can fit your budget.  A great professional entertainer, “Full Time” or “Part Time”, is going to make your event successful because it is what they love to do.

3.)   Not Everyone “Gets” Kids

Kids are tough.  You know this because you’re a parent.  Working with children is a delicate task.  It requires patience, understanding, flexibility, and versatility.  Performing for kids is no different.  But not all entertainers get this.  They think just because they do kid shows, they are experts.  When looking for a performer, find someone that is going to listen to your needs and work with you.  After all you’re the expert because you’re the parent.  

4.)   You Need an Entertainer NOT a Magician (or clown)

Don’t get me wrong, I love magic but when it comes to your event, you need something more.  A magician shows tricks, an entertainer uses the magic to entertain an audience.  Fact is, some people don’t like magic and kids are no different.   However, everybody likes to have a good time and a skilled entertainer can make that happen.

5.)   You Deserve Choices

McDonalds did not become a multi-billion dollar international company by selling just hamburgers.  Over time they refined and expanded their menu to meet the growing demands of their customers.  You clearly have choices for entertainers in Albany, but do they offer you choices?  A great entertainer will offer many packages to choose from with a variety of services to meet the diverse needs of your audience.  In other words, they offer more than just a show and some give-aways.  You should be able to choose from packages that will suit your needs and your budget.  Don’t see what you want?  A performer that is truly interested in pleasing you will offer custom solutions.

Chris "Magicman" LaBarge

MagicmanEntertainment.webs.com

Throwing a Birthday Party in Albany, NY

It's time to start planning your child's birthday and you don't know what to do. You know you want it to be fun for the kids, easy for you, and not cost a lot of money. Now what do you do? First you need to ask yourself a few questions:

• How much money do I want to spend?
• How many kids should I invite?
• Should I do a party for family and another for their friends?

Let's look at each question and some options to help guide you.

How Much Money to Spend

This is probably the most important and the most personal decision you have to make. How much money you can spend will determine the best answers for the rest of your questions. Generally you can expect to spend anywhere from $50 for chips, pizza, beverages, and cake to over $1000 for catering, hall rental, entertainment, and decorations. Most families can expect to spend around $300-$400 dollars for a nice party at home with food and entertainment. When considering you options remember that quality children's entertainment will run you anywhere from $125 to $300 and up.

How Many Kids to Invite

How much Tylenol do you have? How many kids to invite will depend on two main factors; how much you want to spend and where you are having the party. The average party usually has 8-12 children.

If you decide to have the party at your house you need to consider how big your home is and what activities you have planned. A small home will obviously limit your guest list while a large home allows you to invite more. No matter the size of your home a well structured party will allow you to have more children and they will be easier to manage. Consider having a professional children's entertainer come and entertain the children. A good entertainer can take control of a group of kids and keep them captivated for 45 minutes or more.

Having the party at another location is a good alternative to opening up your home. There are many places in the Albany NY area that have package options for birthdays. Some good ideas to consider would be; bowling centers, laser tag, museums, or play centers. Firehouses and church hall are great places to have parties with big guest lists.

One Party or Two?

This comes back to where you are having the birthday party and how much you have budgeted. A good rule of thumb is to have a combined party up until they reach school age then have a kids party and a small family party after that. If you have a small family, you can continue to to have a combined party.

Congratulations! You should now have a general idea of what your party is going to look like. You can start planning the details and purchasing supplies. Good Luck!

Chris "Magicman" LaBarge

MagicmanEntertainment.webs.com