Britain's brightest independent magic magazine

iss.20 cover.jpg (524937 bytes)

Issue 20 - May 08

UK Delivery -

Europe Delivery -

Worldwide Delivery -

Review

Magi
Contact and Booking Management Software
 

Available from: www.matsystemsltd.co.uk/magi.html
Price: £99.00

Now here's something different. It's not a trick, it's not a DVD , it's not even a book! This is in fact a specially written piece of computer software which has been custom designed to enable children's entertainers to manage their acts and their contacts. The mere mention of the word 'computer' has no doubt instantly switched off some entertainers who still feel it's fine to scribble their act down on the back of a fag packet and who feel that the only contact database they will ever need is a Post It Note sheet stuck on the wall next to the 'phone, but for those of you who are not computer-phobes, read on because this just might be your next big thing.

Perceived wisdom is that it is easier to sell yourself to the same people more than once than it is to sell to a never ending list of new people. Of course, the reason is that once you have been booked, and assuming you did a good show, you are a known quantity and therefore re-books are easier to sell. But how many of us actually have a system in place to remind us to contact a previous client when the anniversary of the previous show is coming round? How many of us keep a record of older/younger brothers/sisters and their birthdays in order to trawl the lucrative potential for entertaining at their parties too? How many of us have an easily searchable record of what we actually performed in previous shows in order to avoid repetition in the future for the same children?

Well, if you hanker after the means to get yourself really well organised, this new software will enable you to do it all. You'll be able to keep track of what you did, when you did it, who you did it for, and when you might be able to do it again! If you go to the weblink shown above you can get full details of what this software is offering and if you want, you can download a full working copy of it, completely free. Your evaluation copy will work for 30 days after which, if you wish to continue to use it, you will have to pay up, but at least with a full month to trial it, you will be able to work out whether it is for you.

The size of the programme is 95MB, so it's not huge. It downloads fast and takes just a few minutes to install on your hard drive. It comes with a pdf instruction manual which clearly takes you through all the processes which the software enables you to use, but it's not very hard to work out, especially if you are au fait with other pieces of Windows software. As with any piece of software, it is only as good as the data that you enter into it, so to get the biggest benefit from it you need to be methodical in the way that you complete the records contained in the databases. But provided you do that, the longer you keep the software running and up to date, the more useful it will become as its potential is unlocked.

I think this is a really good idea. As someone who is forever devising office 'systems' to deal with paperwork, this appeals to me enormously, and I am sure that many busy children's entertainers will jump at the chance to increase their productivity and re-book hit rate. And the price is reasonable too. One decent show and it's paid for, because the license that you purchase from Matsystems is a one-time payment and not renewable annually, which makes it increasingly good value the longer you use it. You do not have to be a computer wizkid to use this software either - just give it the time and attention it deserves and soon you will have incorporated it into your everyday booking ritual. ML

What's Hot: custom made software for children's entertainers
What's Not: those not computer savvy might worry about coping with it
Star Rating: ****  


Magicseen Product Reviews List

To find a specific review, just click on the relevant letter for the product name

0-9  |  A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M  |  N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z


RETURN to the magicseen homepage