... or (insert your city here) Because that's really the question everyone's asking when they're looking to hire a corporate magician - what's the cost? How much do they charge? If you've already started doing research, you'll probably have found a wide range of prices. I'll explain the difference:
You pretty much have THREE categories of magicians:
Celebrity magicians.
These are the big names, with big residency shows in fancy theaters, tons of media appearances, maybe even their own TV shows. Celebrity magicians can often go for tens of thousands of dollars, but you're paying for more than the magic... you're getting the "celebrity" status.
Professional magicians.
These aren't household names, but their show is fantastic and polished. You might be lucky and find a few of them locally, but they're also flying all over the country for shows. Professional corporate magicians would likely fall between that $800-$8,000 range. That's a big range, but it depends on the type of act you're hiring. You're paying for experience, ability to engage an audience, and their job is to make your event a success. As a rule of thumb...keep in mind that if they are good enough to do this for a living, they are going to charge enough to make a living.
Part time magicians / hobbyists.
These magicians are not performing full-time, but you can usually find several of them locally. Their show might still be absolutely fantastic, but you want to make sure to do research regarding their experience and quality of the show. Because this isn't their full-time income, they are less likely to have invested as heavily into the production value of their act as a full-time pro. However, you can usually get a part-time performer for a couple hundred dollars.
Final thoughts:
When it comes to where you fall within those price ranges, usually there are several factors to consider specific to your event. That's why magicians will often ask questions before providing a quote.
For instance, when you inquire about my rates (which you can do here), I always ask to know city, date, performance length, and audience size.
Regardless of your budget, look at some of the other blog posts on this site to learn more about what things to look for when choosing to hire a magician.
