New venues.

Being a Magician is a great job because not only to you get to meet a vast amount of people but also you get to travel all over to perform at different venues. This week I performed at two venues that I had never performed at before.

On Thursday evening I was booked to entertain the national sales team of Celotex ( Insulation specialists) the night before their annual sales conference. I had a wonderful drive out to Broadway ( Worcestershire ) to t

he Dormy House Hotel.

The hotel is set in very picturesque grounds and once inside it has a mix old and new perfectly balanced together. I was booked to entertain the guests in the terrace bar whilst they enjoyed a few pre dinner drinks. It was a very enjoyable hour and the entire team seemed to really be thrilled by the surprise. I quite often get booked as a surprise for a sales team or wedding party and I feel it often makes the performance even more memorable and special for the guests.

The other venue I found myself performing at was Eastington Hall near Stonehouse. Once again set in picturesque surroundings it was perfect for the wedding reception I was booked to perform a

t. With a large outside seating area looking over lovely gardens and plenty of space inside made it perfect for mixing and mingling with the crowds.

I have included a couple of links to the websites for both venues .

http://dormyhouse.co.uk/

http://www.eastingtonhall.co.uk/

Feedback.

Its always nice when you get an e-mail from the client after the event. I received an e-mail yesterday from a wedding I performed in May at Eastwood park. I had been hired as a surprise for the bride and groom for the evening reception as the new guests arrived. Here is the testimonial I received :

“We are so glad we hired Darren as an extra surprise for our daughter and son-in-law at their wedding last month. He proved to be the perfect ice-breaker for all the guests arriving for the evening. Darren’s blend of magic and charm enthralled everyone. We kept hearing eruptions of laughter and applause rippling around the room . A month later everyone is still talking about him and wondering how he pulled off such amazing tricks up close. Many of our guests commented on how he came back to their table and remembered everyone’s names as if they were old friends. I’ve never seen anyone put people at ease and make them feel included as effortlessly as Darren does. That’s a special kind of magic on its own! Darren, you are a brilliant magician and a first class entertainer – incredible value for money! We’ll definitely be hiring you again..and again.. for any event we can.”

Karen Lowden.

It was a fantastic gig from my point of you and I am so glad it well received by all the guests.

Weddings and Cabarets.

May proved to be a busy month. Not only have the weddings been plentiful but also I have performed my stand up act at a cabaret in London. Its always nice to be able to work on material that is slightly out of your everyday repertoire. Last Friday I performed at The Shaftesbury Tavern Cabaret in north London and it was a highly entertaining evening. I worked alongside jugglers, acrobats, improvisers, Burlesque and even a ukulele playing compere.

I performed in both halves my first acts consisting mainly of card effects and my second act being more of a street style gambling act with cups and balls. The response from both was fantastic and it is definitely an avenue that I will be exploring more often from now on.

One wedding I was booked to perform at was for a couple who I had met at a wedding fayre and they had booked me for entertainment during the photographs and drinks reception

before the meal. Luckily for me a they also hired a fantastic Photographer who managed to get some great snaps of me working... http://www.astonhuephotography.co.uk/

I will be editing a small video of photos and video taken at Kay and Dans wedding and posting it on the site soon. So stay posted.

This month also saw me complete my second marathon. Me and a close friend travelled up to to Edinburgh and took part in the marathon it was a tiring but fantastic day and I managed to raise a good amount of money for macmillan cancer care.

All for now.

Darren.

Weddings.

Well its been awhile since my last post and I have been busy performing at a number of weddings and private parties. In late April I performed at the Kingscote Barn Tetbury for the evening reception of a wedding. The venue is beautiful set in rolling hills full of Spring lambs running about.

I got booked for a gig in Worcestershire on the day of the Royal wedding it was a walk around gig entertaining both the adults and children as it was a family fun day event. Even though the sun didn't quite make an appearance it was still a fun filled day and both the adults and children enjoyed the magic.

I also travelled to Buckinghamshire with a friend who does fire performance ( poi, devil stick, staff and eating.) We were performing for a 18th birthday party and it was a great

evening. The crowd were really receptive to the magic and screams and cheers filled the air. It was a fun evening even with the drive back to Bristol at the end of the night.

The beginning of May saw me performing at Eastwood park for two weddings one day after another. Another stunning venue and must be perfect for the Photographers as the crowds are gorgeous and the weather was too.

One of the weddings I was booked to perform at the evening reception the other I was booked for the Photographs. I find if they are expecting a large number of guests in the evening clients tend to book me for the evening as the guests arrive onwards.

This week I will be performing at a wedding fayre on Thursday evening in Cheltenham at the Queens Hotel and then a wedding on Friday evening in Lympsham. After that I'm off to Edinburgh to run a Marathon on Sunday.

www.justgiving.com/darrencampbell

Private Parties, Weddings and Corporate events.

So the last few weeks have been filled with some really fun and enjoyable performances. I have been at Dumbleton Hall for a beautiful and sunny wedding. A 50th anniversary party in Monmouth entertaining everyone from 8 years old to 80 years old.

Then there was the 'Casablanca' themed party at Byzantium in Bristol working as a pickpocket and magician for the evening. A very enjoyable evening with a great crowd all dressed up like characters from the iconic film.

Last night I was at the very grand 'Passenger Shed' in Bristol which is a stunning venue. The event was Las Vegas themed and for a large wine import company. I was working alongside a fantastic Juggler whose details can be found at http://www.lightfantastic.org.uk/.

There was around 300 people at this event and I was performing for 2 hours mixing and mingling whilst the guests enjoyed a drink or two.

All these events are very different to perform at however all the organisers wanted someone to amaze, amuse and entertain their guests and this is what I really pride myself on. Not just amazing magic but a great rapport with the guests.

Oh and I'm at a wedding fayre next Sunday at Westonbirt House, I'll be there all day so if you know anyone who's engaged send them along for some free entertainment.

Wedding fayres.

So I have exhibited at a few wedding fayres recently venues include Tortworth Court, Future Inns Cabot Circus and Byzantium. Exhibiting at these events really gives the brides and grooms a chance to see what I do and understand how well it fits in to a wedding day. I have a stand like everyone else but I tend to stand in front of it and really just entertain people and then talk about my services.

In the future I will post exactly which fayres I will be at etc....

At the Cabot circus fayre I had a few photos take by Sam of White Villa films http://www.whitevillafilms.co.uk/ they really know how to shoot videos at weddings and I would recommend them in an instant. He also took a video of the entire event that had been edited and can be found here http://www.loveactuallyweddings.co.uk/.

Thats all for now.

Trade show magic.

Well its been a little while since I lasted posted on the Blog so what have I been up to recently. Well February turned out to a better month than I was expected. First gig was up in Birmingham at The Belfry for a small Trade-show dealer day. The client was http://www.cashmarkllc.co.uk/ and the event was for the Olivetti dealer day.

I was hired to create a buzz around the 'cashmarkllc' stand and generally send people in the direction of the company director Shawn Cashmark. I adapted several tricks in my repertoire to contain key company logo's and information which is a great way generating potential leads at the event.

Its something different and really breaks up the standard sales pitches that are often very similar at these events. The client noticed a considerable buzz around his stand for the duration of my performance.

Trade-show work and product promotion really benefit from creative pitches and promotion strategies so please check out www.darrencampbellmagic.co.uk for further ideas for entertainment at any event.