ABOUT GIGGIO
Hi, I'm Martyn Rowland
I've been a professional entertainer for over 20 years. As well as performing close-up magic at corporate events and private parties, I'm an Inner Magic Circle member, Resident Magician at Wembley Stadium, a magic advisor for TV and film, and co-wrote three series of ITV2's magic show Tricked.
I'm a member of The Magic Circle, so I'm not supposed to give away my secrets - but I'm going to share one with you here.
Up until about 15 years ago, I was REALLY disorganised. I loved performing, but HATED the admin. The busier I became, the worse it got. I'd have invoices piling up, clients waiting for contracts, and my booking details were all over the place
Some bookings were in my diary, some in my email inbox, and others were written on scraps of paper - and I was stressed. When I did finally get around to dealing with my admin (usually in a panic), it took me ages. It was taking all the enjoyment out of what is one of the best jobs you can have
Also, it hadn't happened yet - but I knew that at some point I was going to get the phone call that every entertainer dreads…
"Hi Martyn, you're supposed to be at our event - where are you?"
Missing a job would not only cost me in lost income, but I'd lose the client and any future work from them too. In this industry, reputation is everything - and I didn't want to get filed as 'Unreliable'.
I desperately needed a system that would manage my admin and keep me organised. So I started looking around. Every CRM system I found was really hard to set up. Plus they didn't do all the things I needed them to do. They did tons of things I didn't need, but were missing key features that as an entertainer were essential.
I wanted:
Professionally designed PDF contracts and invoices
The option for clients to agree bookings online
Track deposits and hold dates
Automatic calculation of mileage to gigs
Reminders when paperwork was outstanding
End of year booking reports
Capture enquiries from my website and respond automatically
A web-based solution, accessible from anywhere
All of this to be easy to use
I soon realised that what I really needed was a system designed for me. Amazingly, within a few days of realising this, I had a chance meeting with a brilliant programmer who could see exactly what I wanted to achieve - and even had an interest in the entertainment industry. A perfect fit.
In 2011, I showed it to some top professional entertainers and they loved it. They road-tested it and suggested more features. Since then it's grown into a full-featured piece of software that does everything an entertainer, event supplier or agent needs. Thousands of hours of design and coding time, and hundreds of conversations with entertainers like you have gone into this software. That's why it gets so many rave reviews from our users.
It was deliberately designed to be web-based, so it could be used from anywhere - even your phone. All your bookings are safe and automatically backed up. Even if your computer was stolen or the hard drive failed, you'd still have access to everything.
As well as running and developing Giggio, I use it every day for my own bookings. This means I'm always adding new features and I genuinely welcome suggestions from users. If someone suggests something that will save them time or make the system better, we'll put it in place. It helps all of us.
Giggio has made me really organised and my admin is no longer a chore. My bookings are all in one place, my paperwork takes no time at all, and I'm back in control. With Giggio, you can benefit the same. Not only will it make your admin easy - Giggio also has features that will help you get more gigs.
It's easy to use, so even if you're not techie, you'll be up and running in no time. We've also got bite-size training videos, and you can get in touch with us any time if you need help. If you're fed up with your admin and want to spend more time doing what you love - start a trial now.
All the best,
Martyn Rowland
Founder, Giggio Limited