NigelFrancis

Stuart Swan 07757028912 is a very honest and reasonably priced plumber based in Sheffield. He has done work for me and several of my friends. Highly recommended and will give you a free quote without obligation.

Stuart Swan 07757028912 is a very honest and reasonably priced plumber based in Sheffield. He has done work for me and several of my friends. Highly recommended and will give you a free quote without obligation.

Stuart Swan 07757028912 is a very honest and reasonably priced plumber based in Sheffield. He has done work for me and several of my friends. Highly recommended and will give you a free quote without obligation.

I think a lot of performers and other wedding service providers in this part of the UK are cutting their prices to rediculously low levels at the moment in response to the current financial situation. If we are discussing "The Going Rate" who is to say what that really is at the moment. As a performer myself I find when I quote my standard fee to the general public for weddings (regardless of the amount I actually quote them incidentally) they say "How Much" (Because they expect a fee comparable with that of a children's entertainer) If I quote the exact same fee to a corporate client they say "Is that All" Two entirely different expectations. (I have in fact lost a lot of corporate bookings because I charge far too little) Like myself, Alexandra is not just marketing herself to the general public via the wedding industry, but also to the corporate scene as well. By the way the comment you made saying she deserved the hassle she got from the media. Assuming she is in fact guilty (I believe the jury is still out on that one). May I ask what you expected her to do? She started her solo musical career busking on the streets of Doncaster. I think the majority of solo (busking) musicians play along to pre recorded backing tacks anyway. Dont hear anyone moaning about that. She is hardly going to pull a live band / orchestra out of her handbag when she can use an MP3 player. It is just not practical or financially viable.

I cant comment on the musical grading system (I stopped rating people by the badge they wear a long time ago) but she usually gets more bookings at a wedding fayre than the rest of the exhibitors put together. As to her fee I dont think it is excessive. Its all about supply and demand and she is definately in demand. I did a wedding fayre a couple of years ago (long before she hit the headlines) and she got 23 bookings in one day.

For an electric violinist you cant do much better than Alexandra Parker. She is the girl from Doncaster who went on Britian's Got Talent. Its a bit difficult to get hold of her at present, as her website is down following all that hassle she got from the media a few weeks ago. Like me, she exhibits at just about all of the good wedding fayres in the region. If you want to get her number I suggest you call Mike Drury (The "Executiv Events" wedding fayre organiser) on 01302 773294. It may interest you to know that Mike is organising an (EVENING) wedding fayre coming up at the new Copthorne Hotel (next to Sheffield United Football Ground) 5pm to 9pm on Thursday 22nd September. Also a new (DAYTIME) one for Don Valley Stadium on Sunday 23rd October. I will be exhibiting myself at both of these events, if you would like to see a demonstration of close-up magic. I strongley suspect Alexandra will have an exhibition stand at both these events as well.

Not sure about a Meningitis group but they certainly had an annual event for the Osteoporosis Trust. I was their close-up magician in both 2008 and 2009. They host fundraising events for several charities including Weston Park and Cavendish Hospice. I also do work for these groups occasionally, but I am sure many others charities have their events at Baldwins too. Bye for now! Nigel Francis Close-Up Magical Entertainer http://www.nigelfrancismagic.com

My name is Nigel Francis I am a Professional Close-Up Magician. I perform at wedding receptions and corporate events all over the place. I have worked in most of the hotels and function suites over the years. I remember working in the Piccasso Bar for a "Spice Club" event. That was a few years ago when it was part of the Bristol Hotel. It is now a Park Inn. (They change ownership and brandnames so frequently its hard to keep track). I dont know if it is still hirable in its original form, but it certainly used to be. If it is, it may be worth considering. It is certainly big enough and centrally located very close to the parkway roundabout. As I recall it was located high up in the building. It had a great view of the city and at that time it had very cool decor inside. Also the suggestion of the Tulip Lounge (Formerly the Sola Bar) is a good one. I have worked their a few times as well. One other suggestion is Novotel. Although it is does not exactly make for a condusive wedding atmosphere in my opinion. I found it a bit "Legoland" like. It is worth note however that the walls are all adjustable, so they can move them to make a larger or smaller areas as required. Anyway hope that helps. If you are after a close-up magician please do give me a call. Bye for now! Nigel Francis Close-Up Magical Entertainer http://www.nigelfrancismagic.com

My name is Nigel Francis. I am a professional close-up magician. Although I cant comment on the parking situation, one of the best wedding receptions I performed at was a "Goth" Wedding in Buxton. The venue was the Old Hall Hotel. They have an area called the Orchestra Pit which is like a cellar type restaurant. I understand this venue is very popular with bikers.http://www.oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk Bye! Nigel Francis Close-up Magical Entertainer http://www.nigelfrancismagic.com

I am a professional close-up magician and have worked many times at Baldwin's Omega, although surprisingly, never yet for at a wedding reception. I do a lot of the corporate events there such as banquets, balls and charity fund raisers. Baldwins Omega is one of my favourite venues. Quite simply it is obvious the staff like working there and they perform very well as a team. In fact they are so efficient the food arrives in front of customers almost simultaniously. Most other venues deliver food to the tables starting at one end of the room and ending at the other. This results in the first customers finishing their starters before the last customers get their food. Not so at Baldwins. In fact it is so efficient that as a close-up magician working the tables I physically have to "down tools" because everyone is in "gob insert mode" at exactly the same time. That just does not happen anywhere else. Also service with a smile goes a long way too, a welcome change from all that silly hirarchy ranking system nonsense I see in many other venues. In fact you often see Mr Baldwin himself mucking in with the troops. Thats what I call dedication. The food is very good too. Non of this Nuvelle Cuisine stuff where you need a magnifying glass to find your second lettuce leaf. Proper portions, so your guests wont need to find a kebab shop later on. By the way. If you have need of a close-up magician please do let me know. Bye! Nigel Francis http://www.nigelfrancismagic.com

Another recent example would be Ellie Goulding. I was shocked when I saw one of her recent videos. It sounded like a 10 year old girl singing badly into a hairbrush. Next minute she plastered all over the media. I dont know what all the fuss is about. She must be well connected! Its the same story in my line of work. I am of the opinion that most good magicians are not in fact in the media spotlight, but a lot of poor ones are. It all comes down to having a good marketing team behind you. Unfortunately apart from personal recommendations (word of mouth) getting well known in my line of work has sadly very little to do with actual ability. I am therefore still waiting for my big break. In fairness I have had a few near misses. I got myself on episode 7 of "Restaurant in our Living Room" in 2009. Unfortunately after filming some really strong magic and audience reactions, the producers, come the day of the broadcast, binned all this great footage in favour of showing me getting stabbed in the bottom with a fork, which they kindly repeated a second time after the commercial break. (So much for my TV debut). I have been asked several times now to go on "Come Dine With Me" but have decided to avoid all forms of "Trash TV" since this experience. I was booked to do a high profile celebrity wedding in Udiapur (India) last month (Thats the same place where Katy Perry and Russell Brand got hitched), but the agent messed up the visas so the whole thing fell through at the last minute. I also performed at one of the After Parties at the "Brit Awards" last year. That was great fun. Unfortunately despite performing for several major celebrites I was forbidden to take any photos at the event.

You certainly have a point about the marketing industry in general. It is very easy to take poor quality product or service and with the correct marketing make it appear fashionable and therefore acceptable to the masses. The general public are like sheep. If you know what buttons to press you can make a fortune out of what is effectively rubbish. It shocks me for example that kids are so obsessed with MacDonalds and KFC. (I only use the places for their toilet facilities). Nuvelle Cuisine in reality is just an example of how to deliver a microscopic portion of food and get away with charging a huge price for it, just by making it appear fashionable. Thankfully Baldwin's do not seem to have chosen this path. What may appear to some people as dated appears to others as consistant quality and value for money. Sadly the "marketing machine" can, does and will continue to make a huge difference to the perceived value of a product or service in the minds of the general public.

I would like to recommend Professor Shell Professional Children's Entertainer and Balloon Modeller 0114 2378169 or 07951 466504 http://www.professorshell.com

Stuart Swan 07757 028912 He is a plumber and heating engineer based in Sheffield He also fits kitchens and bathrooms. He is a one man band with few overheads consequently his prices are very reasonable with free quotes and no call out charges.

Stuart Swan Plumber 07757 028912 one man band so no overheads consequently very competaive rates and no call out fees. Highly recommended.

I regularly perform at Baldwins as a close-up magician. I do a lot of corporate events/charity fund raisers. I have to say Baldwin's is one of my favourite venues. This is particularly due to the total absence of the heirarchy thing, which is annoyingly common with some of the other hotels where staff can clearly be observed talking down to their lower ranks and brown-nosing their superiors. (A bit like the MacDonalds badge ranking system where I have got 5 stars and you only have 3) None of that nonsense at Baldwins. They all work as a team and its service with a smile. You can see the staff actually enjoy working there. Even Mr Baldwin himself can regularly be seen mucking in with the troops. Fair play to him. Oh and the food is very good quality. Happy to say I have not seen any of that so called fashionable "Nuvelle Cuisine" rubbish where you have to bring a magnifying glass to find your other lettuce leaf. Its proper portion sizes at Baldwins so you wont be needing a kebab afterwards.