Three ways I work a corporate room up here
The whole company party
Up here the December party is not one team, it is a whole company: several departments, a few hundred people who work in the same building without really knowing each other, and a ballroom sized to match. The Hanover Marriott's grand ballroom alone seats nine hundred for dinner. Strolling magic covers a room like that in pieces rather than asking all of it to face the same direction at once. I work group to group through the cocktail hour, and by the time you need everyone sitting down the room has already warmed up. Best for company holiday parties, anniversary evenings and summer outings.
The regulated room
Novartis, Bayer, Barclays, Cigna and the big consulting firms all employ thousands of people in this corridor, and entertainment for those audiences has to clear a bar that has nothing to do with whether it is any good. Nothing off color, nobody singled out, and nothing that needs a shared cultural reference to land, because a good part of the room may have joined the company from somewhere else entirely. Magic and mind reading travel better than comedy does for exactly that reason. Best for client evenings, department dinners and leadership meetings.
The after dinner spot
Thirty to fifty minutes once the awards are handed out. I have comfortably worked audiences up to four hundred, which covers most of the ballrooms up here. 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 association dinners.
See Mike in action
About
Ninety minutes is a schedule, not an excuse
I am not local to Morris County and I am not going to pretend otherwise. I am about ninety minutes away, which I treat as part of the booking rather than as your problem. For anything up here I leave early enough to absorb a bad afternoon on the turnpike, and I would rather sit in your parking lot for an hour than arrive at the time I said I would. There is no flight to miss and nothing to set up when I get there.
There is an argument for hiring someone who is not on the local circuit. In a corridor this dense the same few acts work the same few venues, and the people at your party in December are often the same people who were at a supplier's event in October. Nobody has seen my act at another company's party this year.
Most of these evenings are booked by someone whose actual job is something else: an executive assistant, an office manager, the person on the social committee who did not say no quickly enough. So I try to be the easy part of that job. One contact, a straight answer about what fits your room, a contract that does not need a lawyer, and no questions left over on the day.
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, and nobody gets made into the punchline. Standard dress is a dark suit.
The paperwork is handled, which matters more with large employers than with anyone else. Performer liability insurance, a certificate naming your venue at whatever limits your procurement team asks for, vendor onboarding forms and a W-9 back the same week, 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. Morristown, Florham Park, Parsippany, Whippany, Madison, Basking Ridge and Short Hills are all standard for me, along with Philadelphia, the rest of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC.
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.