Three formats that fit these rooms
The holiday party
The company holiday party is the one night a year everyone in the building is in the same room, and it is usually the same room as last year with the same people in it. Strolling magic works here because it never asks anyone to sit down and pay attention. I move through the cocktail hour a few people at a time, so the ones who came to talk to their colleagues keep talking, and the ones who want something to happen get something to happen. Best for holiday parties, summer outings and anniversary evenings.
The client evening
Smaller room, higher stakes. Fifteen people your company has spent a year trying to keep. Mind reading suits these better than magic does, because it is personal: what gets revealed belongs to the guest rather than to me, and people remember what happened to them. If you want the evening to carry a message, I can build your product, your theme or a number into it beforehand. Best for client appreciation dinners, advisory boards and hosted private dining.
The after dinner spot
Thirty to fifty minutes once the plates are gone and the awards are handed out. Valley Forge Casino Resort alone runs from a 125 seat room up to an event center holding three thousand, so the format has to match the room rather than the other way round. I have comfortably worked audiences up to four hundred. Magic and mind reading both, written for adults. I bring a microphone and speaker where the room needs it, I work to whatever slot the run of show gives me, and I finish on time. Best for sales kickoffs, awards nights and annual meetings.
See Mike in action
About
The same people as last year
The King of Prussia holiday party is largely the same people who were there last year, and the year before that. That is the problem with the room. A band is fine and a DJ is fine, and everyone has seen both. Magic and mind reading work differently on a group that already knows each other, because the best moment in the room is never me. It is the quiet one from finance naming a card her manager only thought of, and the whole table turning to look at her.
I am about half an hour away and I drive. No flight to miss, no connection to lose. I arrive forty five minutes early and I am set up before your first guest walks in, largely because there is nothing to set up. I bring everything and I need nothing from the venue beyond the room itself.
I spent more than twenty years inside corporate America, which matters more than it sounds. I read a run of show without needing it explained. I do not perform over the speeches. I know the schedule slipping is normal and not a crisis. Nothing in the act will embarrass your company, the material is clean and appropriate for a mixed audience, and nobody gets made into the punchline. Standard dress is a dark suit.
These events come in three shapes around here. The hotel ballroom on the 202 corridor, the event space at Valley Forge Casino Resort, and your own office when the party stays on site and the furniture gets pushed back against the walls. All three work. The office is often the best of them, because people relax faster in a room they already know.
The paperwork is handled. Performer liability insurance, a certificate naming your venue on request, a real contract, and an invoice your accounting team will accept without a conversation.
Magic and mind reading both. Some rooms want one, some want the other, most want some of each, and I will tell you which I think yours is once I know the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, Norristown, Audubon and the rest of the 202 corridor are standard for me, along with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, New York and Connecticut.
Proof
Real rooms, real reactions
"We brought Mike in as a nice complement to a cocktail reception, but instead, he became the main event. The whole room followed him around, chasing the next trick, because once people saw one they wanted more. Mike is genuinely talented, has great energy, and is a crowd-pleaser in a room that's not easy to win over; we'll definitely be bringing him back."
Christine R. Felice, SVP, Mitchell & Ness Commerce
"Mike is magic! We hired Mike for my 40th at a winery and all I can remember is random screams of amazement among the crowd. He is flawless in his execution and left us all in awe. My family and friends talked about his performance for weeks!"
Ankur Patel, 40th birthday celebration
"Michael was absolutely incredible! We had him at our end-of-summer carnival party, and he completely captivated the entire crowd. With a big party, it's not easy to hold everyone's attention, but he had people gathered around, laughing, amazed, and genuinely trying to figure out how he was doing what he was doing! Our guests were talking about him all night and even afterwards."
Kejal Bhatt, end of summer party
Below, photographs from real events, taken on the night, with real guests reacting in real time. Ballrooms, cocktail receptions, hotel function rooms and convention stages across the East Coast.
Volunteers from the room
Two guests who walked in as strangers, now standing next to me in front of a full house. Nobody is planted and nobody is the punchline.
A full room
Cocktail hour at a black tie gala, guests closing in on both sides. No stage and no microphone, just a room full of people who came over to see what everyone was looking at.
Black tie season
Arriving for an annual charity gala. One case, no setup, ready before the doors open.
Partial client list
Vanguard · Insight Partners · Alimera Sciences
New American Funding · Fox Chase Cancer Center
Mitchell & Ness · Marriott · Wyndham · AtlantiCare
Mohonk Mountain House · Borgata · Harrah's
Ocean Casino Resort · Live! Casino · SugarHouse Casino
Disney Cruise Line
Questions I get asked
How long do you perform?
Once I know a bit more about your event, I will come back with a recommendation on the length and the format that fits it best.
What do you need from the venue?
Strolling needs no stage, no sound and no setup. I simply start. For a seated show I need somewhere the whole room can see me, and a small riser helps past about 80 guests. I bring my own microphone and speaker if the venue has none.
Where do you travel?
Philadelphia and the surrounding region are standard: NJ, DE, MD, DC, NY and CT. Further afield is possible, just ask.
Is it right for a mixed audience?
Yes. Nothing in the show is off color, nothing embarrasses a volunteer, and nothing needs explaining to the client's boss afterwards.
Insurance and dress?
I carry performer liability insurance and can send your venue a certificate on request. Standard dress is a dark suit. Black tie or a costume brief is no problem if your evening calls for it.
Contact
Tell me about your event
Send the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. You'll hear back the same day with what I'd do and what it costs.