Three formats that fit a Princeton agenda
The conference reception
Princeton runs on agendas rather than parties. The Forrestal and Carnegie Center hotels hold conferences that go two and three days, and the entertainment slot is usually a reception wedged between the last session and dinner, with people arriving in ones and twos as their breakouts finish. Strolling magic does not need them seated or quiet. I start with whoever is in the room and keep going while it fills. Best for conference receptions, sales meetings and multi day team offsites.
The team dinner
Twenty or thirty people from the same group, which is a harder room than a big one because everybody already knows each other. Mind reading suits it better than magic does, because what gets revealed belongs to the guest rather than to me, and people remember what happened to them. If the evening carries a message, a product, a number or a theme, I can build it in beforehand. Best for department dinners, advisory boards and client hospitality.
The after dinner spot
Thirty to fifty minutes once the awards are handed out. 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, which matters more here than most places, because the agenda usually has something after me. Best for annual meetings, awards nights and association dinners.
See Mike in action
About
An audience that looks for the method
A Princeton ballroom is not a normal ballroom. The room is full of people who design experiments for a living: clinical and regulatory staff from the pharma campuses on Route 1, statisticians, researchers, testing and university people. Their first instinct in front of a demonstration is not wonder, it is to work out how it was done, and a fair number of them are good at it.
That changes what the material has to do. It has to survive being replayed afterwards by someone who is trying to break it, which is a different technical problem from entertaining a sales floor. Nobody is planted, nothing depends on a stooge, and nothing in the evening asks the room to believe anything about me. It is a skill, performed openly, and that is usually what this audience enjoys most about it.
Princeton bookings tend to come through a meeting planner rather than a party committee, so here is the practical part. I work to the agenda you have, not the one I would like. I arrive forty five minutes early and I am set up before the 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.
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. Princeton, Plainsboro, West Windsor and the Route 1 corridor are standard for me, along with Philadelphia, the rest of 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.