5 Surprising Benefits of Hiring a Local Magician for Corporate Events
Last week, I performed at a tech company's quarterly meeting in Boston where the HR director pulled me aside afterward. "We've tried everything," she said. "Team building exercises, motivational speakers, even a karaoke night that we're all still trying to forget. But I've never seen our developers actually talking to sales like they are right now." She was watching two departments that barely acknowledged each other comparing notes about how I'd read their CEO's mind.
After 15 years of Boston corporate entertainment, I've discovered that magic does something unique at company events—it creates shared moments of genuine surprise that cut through the usual office dynamics. Here are five benefits that consistently catch my clients off guard.
1. The Hierarchy Dissolves (At Least Temporarily)
Watch what happens when I perform close-up magic at a New Hampshire corporate gathering. The intern who started last week and the SVP with 20 years at the company? They're both equally baffled when a signed card appears in an impossible location.
I once had a Fortune 500 CEO in Boston literally jump back when I made his watch disappear. His team had never seen him react to anything with such genuine emotion. For weeks afterward, employees told me they felt more comfortable approaching him because they'd seen him be human for three minutes.
This shared experience of wonder levels the playing field in a way that trust falls and escape rooms simply can't match. When everyone's equally amazed, titles temporarily don't matter.
2. Remote Workers Finally Have Their "Water Cooler" Moment
Here's what nobody talks about with hybrid work: those Zoom happy hours aren't cutting it. But when companies bring their remote teams together and include interactive entertainment, something shifts.
Creating Conversation Catalysts
At a recent software company event in Manchester, I deliberately involved three remote employees in an interactive piece. For the rest of the evening, people kept approaching them to ask, "How did you know which card to pick?" and "Did you feel anything when he touched your shoulder?"
These aren't just idle questions—they're natural conversation starters that give remote workers instant social currency. Instead of awkward small talk about the weather, they have a story to share.
3. Your Event Photos Actually Get Used
You know those corporate event photos that end up buried in a shared drive somewhere? When there's a magician making impossible things happen, suddenly everyone wants to capture the moment.
I track this stuff. Posts from events I perform at get 3-4x more engagement than standard corporate party photos. Why? Because a photo of someone's mind being blown is infinitely more interesting than another group shot by the step-and-repeat banner.
