A Few Quick Thoughts...

Just got back from Des Moines, Iowa, where I worked over the weekend at the Youth Strike for Christ conference. I performed a customized version of my one man theatre show for a group of about 600 teens. What a rush! A big thanks to Margo Fuller and Jim Oberbroekling with the Youth Strike group for inviting me and for being such gracious hosts. They put on a very impressive event.

I'm working on my latest email newsletter which should go out in the next couple of days sometime. If you're not on my list, and would like to be, send me an email and mention that you'd like to receive the newsletter. It's full of my thoughts, what I've been up to, and fun tidbits such as vegetarian recipes and a magic "Trick of the Month" that you can learn to do.

If you're in the Peoria area, have you been out to see me at my Wednesday night spot at Tyroni's Italian Cafe in Bartonville? If not, come on out, you'll love it! Here's the scoop.

Finally, a Happy Valentine's Day this weekend. Hope you find time to spend with those you love. Stay in touch!

More Web Resources

Here are a couple more useful resources I wanted to share.

Just came across this helpful article on using web based event planning applications. They can be a great way to manage, organize and plan events online. The article gives several references of such applications, on which you can create events, schedules, track attendees, sell tickets, and lots more. Some of the services even allow you to set up a free website for your event.

Also, for those of you interested in business networking, I've mentioned LinkedIn before, which is a business social networking site. (You can view my LinkedIn profile HERE.) I've also just discovered and joined another similar site called Naymz. Here's my profile on Naymz.

These types of sites are a terrific way to build business connections, and to increase your web traffic if you market through a website.

New Way to Find Corporate Sponsors for Your Events

I just came across a terrific resource for event planners, and wanted to share it right away...

In my writing on event planning, I've often mentioned the value of getting corporate sponsors to help offset the costs of your event. If you can find the right match, this can be a great "win-win" way to have a great event and allow your corporate sponsor to get it's message to it's target market. This is especially true for fundraising events, where you want to maximize your profits, but it's great for any event where you just want to keep your costs down and get the most from your budget.

Well, I've just discovered a free web based resource that helps you find sponsors for your events. It's called CrossPartner.com, and it allows you to post notices and find good corporate sponsors for your events. Also, here's a Press Release with additional information on their services.

I plan to try their services out myself to see about getting sponsors for some of my events, so if I have good results, I'll try to make another post here to update you on how it went. (If you try them out, I'd love to hear about how it worked for you too!)

Magic in the New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

to all my friends, clients, and anyone else stumbling upon these pages...

I hope the holidays were joyous and filled with wonder for you and yours. My season was filled with shows for both new and repeat clients, and I had fun with all of them.

Next week I'm doing a series of shows at Washington Intermediate School in Pekin and am putting together a special program to go along with their "RESPECT" code. I'm looking forward to it, as I think the importance of mutual respect is often overlooked in education. Kudos to the folks at Washington Intermediate for putting together such a valuable program!

HERE is something a friend sent me recently that I thought you might enjoy. It's a "magical" animation based on a new technology. It may take a few moments to load, but once it does, a playing card will appear. Scroll down to the slider bar below it, and move the slider gradually to the right and stop and watch what takes place, then move it a little more to the right and stop and another show will take place. Keep doing this until you get to the end.

Enjoy! And stay in touch!

The Real Secret

Recently, books and information on using creative visualization and focussed imagination for success and self improvement have become wildly popular. Books such as The Secret reveal "ancient and timeless wisdom" on using the power of the mind for accomplishment. As true and as valuable as these principles are, many if not most of the information currently presented in pop literature is in my view missing a simple but crucially vital element.

Unfortunately, these potent principles are most often being presented in the context of our modern materialistic, overly-commercialized society, whose ideals are to "get everything I want". The goal is to get all the money and wealth and material abundance that you can possibly accumulate for yourself. However, the "magic" of these timeless, creative principles also carries great responsibility, and if not used wisely, the power inherent in these techniques can rebound upon the user with dire consequences.

In our society we have sacrificed our true creative Self-expression, and therefore our true fulfillment in life, for the illusion of selfish materialism. Real aspiration has been replaced with "I want", and we worship at the feet of the god of "More". The inevitable result of this focus is being realized in the current financial meltdown. In a world that is ever more interconnected and interdependent, the folly of "I, me, my, MINE!" leads us unerringly to disaster.

The timeless principles of "you become what you think about", and "as a man thinketh, so is he" are based on our inherent interconnectedness. They are totally impersonal and potent, and can be used for purely personal gain, and it will often work for a time, but it's much like using live, bare, high power electrical wires to manually burn off the weeds growing up in your sidewalk. It will indeed work, but watch out!, because you're bound to get electrocuted eventually!

This is why I always recommend that our actions be consistently inspired from our intuition, from that "still small voice within". The guidance we receive there, when acted upon, is always for the highest and greatest good of all concerned. And when all else fails, the question to ask is always "how may I serve?" If you're looking mainly to be of service to your fellow human beings, you can never go too far wrong. The secret is, that even your own individual needs are best served in this way. What you give always comes back.

I truly believe that we can solve the major problems of the world, through vision and collaboration. But it won't come from an exclusive focus on "mine"; regardless of whether it's exclusively "my possessions", "my family", or "my country". We must learn to be broader and more all-inclusive in our perspective. We need to understand that we truly are "all in this together". The magic of the human spirit is that it is One Human Family, and that we all share in it. Sharing is really the keyword. There is enormous and untold magic in cooperation.

Food for thought.

Event Planner's Guide on Catering

Here's a quick event planning reference I wanted to share. Yesterday I was talking about how companies are trying to save money on their holiday event planning. Well this morning I just came across a book on how to save money on catering costs for meetings and events. It's called A Meeting Planner's Guide to Catered Events.

Here's a quote from the book description:

Food and beverage is the largest portion of a meeting budget, but most meeting and event planners have no formal background in purchasing and managing this expense. This guide helps event, meeting, and convention planners save money, negotiate contracts, deal with catering managers, and successfully manage the food and beverage aspect of their event. Covering everything from styles of service to on-premise and off-premise considerations to food and beverage contract negotiation, this book is a comprehensive and accessible reference for event planners and students.

And here's the link to the book on Amazon.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to contact me if you have entertainment questions for your holiday party planning!

The Ho, Ho, Holidays Approach!

My holiday season is about to launch. I'm performing at my first holiday party this weekend. Seems like some of the people are planning things late this year though, and waiting 'til the last minute in many cases. Have you made your plans for company or private events yet?

I've been seeing lots of information on creative ways to save on planning costs this year. With the economic worries, many companies are cutting back. But many event facilities and other service providers are also offering special pricing and other incentives, to make up for the lag in business.

My own season is looking pretty decent, though I do still have a few open dates left. Normally I always recommend booking early, since the best dates generally fill well ahead of time. But if you've been waiting to see where you are financially, you can sometimes find bargains as dates get closer. As we move into December, I generally will offer any remaining dates that people inquire about at my regular pricing, rather than the normal "holiday" pricing, just so I can fill the dates without having to devote any extra time and energy to it during my busiest time of year.

Even if you're not planning on using my services this year, if you'd like to get a free consultation and discuss ideas on how to save money and still have a great party, feel free to give me a call; 309-647-3692.

Hey, a special thanks to Lee Maki, Ronna and Jerry James, and the First English Lutheran Church in Peoria. Lee purchased my Deluxe Entertainment Package on this year's "On-air Auction" on WTVP, and I performed for the church this past weekend. I had a great time, and enjoyed meeting everyone there.

Cooperative Passion

I'm putting the final touches today on a corporate speaking engagement I'm doing tomorrow. It got me thinking about the current financial situation.

The company I'm presenting for has had a certain amount of uncertainty amongst it's employees, so they're giving them a fun day out, and have hired me to entertain and inspire them with a sense of vision and teamwork.

I struck me that that's what we all are needing right now. In the current climate of economic uncertainty, we need to know that we're all in this together, and that with a little imagination, some vision, and some teamwork, we can solve the problems at hand. There are plenty of good ideas out there. We just need to work together to make them a reality.

Greed and cutthroat competition have led to our current problems. It's time to try a different approach. It's time to leave behind the climate of fear. It's time to try cooperation.

There's true magic in working with others for a common vision. I realize some would say that it's competition that drives us to excel. But I disagree. I think people confuse competition with passion. It's really not competition that drives high achievers, it's their passion for what they do. And passion is much more powerful when it's shared, rather than being used to "divide and conquer". Shared passion becomes contagious and spreads to those working for that common vision, and returns again and again to each individual sharing it.

I suggest that we would be well served to spend some time considering the power of shared, cooperative passion, for a common, inspiring vision. That's magic indeed!

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One quick announcement before I sign off: I'm going to be appearing on the Morning Show on WEEK-TV (25) on Thursday, October 23, probably sometime around 6 AM. If you're in the Peoria area and tend to get up early enough, tune in and check it out!

Welcome!

Hello to all my customers, friends, and anyone else who has found their way here.

This is my new blog, The Magic Word, where I'll be sharing thoughts on magic, business, marketing, event planning, and anything else that happens to pop into my mind.

Make sure you check back often to keep updated on my activities, thoughts, and where I've been.