The company holiday party has a difficult assignment: thank people, feed people, recognize people, and avoid feeling like a meeting that has acquired centerpieces.
A little magic can help give the evening its own character.
For Charlotte company holiday party entertainment, I offer comedy close-up magic, con-game swindles, bar bets, and dice magic for adults. Guests have somewhere interesting to gather and something to discuss besides the calendar they’re relieved to be finishing.
I’m Timothy Starnes, a Charlotte magician, necromancer, and comedy conjurer. Here’s how to plan the performance around the rest of your event.
Start with the evening’s fixed moments
Before choosing a performance time, list the parts of the party that already have a schedule: guest arrival, dinner service, welcome remarks, speeches, awards, and any planned departure time.
Send me that outline before booking. It helps us choose a performance window that gives the magic room to work without competing with the people you’re honoring.
A useful planning question is: when do you want guests free to gather and enjoy something together? That may be during a reception or after the formal portion of the evening. We’ll discuss the options with your venue and audience in mind.
The award winner deserves everyone’s attention. The magician can survive a little patience. It builds character, allegedly.
Consider a station during the reception
A dedicated performance station can give arriving guests a place to gather while the evening gets underway. People can finish greeting colleagues, get a drink, and come over when they’re ready.
Comedy, cards, dice magic, and con-game demonstrations offer a shared point of interest. A small group watching the action can give others a reason to join, including guests who don’t already know many people in the room.
We’ll discuss where the station should go. It needs to be visible and comfortable to approach, with room around it that doesn’t interfere with the bar, buffet, or main walkway.
My article on station-based magic at events explains why I prefer giving guests that choice.
Or give the entertainment a place after dinner and awards
If dinner and recognition are the center of the early evening, consider a performance period afterward. Guests can enjoy the meal, listen to the speeches, and then turn their attention to something with fewer business objectives.
Tell me whether everyone will stay in one room, whether tables will be cleared, and whether music or dancing will begin immediately after the formal program. Those details help us identify a suitable area and time.
I usually spend one to two hours working a client party, with performance lengths adjusted to the event. If your agenda includes breaks or several distinct activities, we’ll agree on the timing and booking details in advance.
“Somewhere between the speeches” is a starting point. A planned window is considerably easier to perform in.
Match the arrangement to the guest count
Send the total audience size, including partners, clients, or other invited guests. Explain whether people will be seated together or moving among different areas.
At a larger reception, the station gives groups a place to gather over the agreed performance period. At a smaller company dinner, a more intimate arrangement may make sense. We’ll plan how people can see and take part with the actual room in mind.
My shows are for adults ages 18 and up. Tell me about the audience and the atmosphere you want, whether you call the event a holiday party, a company Christmas party, or the annual attempt to make the group photograph work.
Know what the magician needs from the venue
My usual setup is three chairs and a table, or a coffee table with ample audience seating in front and to the sides. I don’t use a sound system for my performance.
That still makes the room’s sound important. Tell me about background music, a DJ, a band, or nearby speeches so we can choose a performance area and timing that let guests hear comfortably.
Share the venue contact and any relevant access, parking, setup, or vendor procedures. We’ll confirm arrival and setup timing before the event. The goal is for the performance to belong in the plan, rather than become one more mystery for the organizer to solve.
Set the tone while everyone is still planning
Explain the company culture, the audience, and any subjects you want left out. We’ll agree on the format and humor before booking.
Con-game magic for corporate events brings fast hands, smooth talk, and playful challenges. Traditional comedy close-up magic is another option, and the two can be combined.
Finally, some corporate deception you can put on the entertainment budget.
I’m best known for my East Coast touring comedy séance, Timothy Starnes & His Many Night Visitors, and I’m also a trained comedy and bar magician. The séance is optional. If your group wants that experience, it requires two hours and a suitable intimate arrangement; it is theatrical entertainment, not mediumship.
Get the booking details settled
My rate is $500 per hour. Parties outside the Charlotte, NC area have a two-hour minimum. Send the venue and schedule so we can discuss availability, travel if relevant, and the booking total.
A signed agreement and booking retainer reserve your date, with the payment schedule and event terms set out in the agreement.
Visit the corporate magic and con-game booking page, then text Tim your holiday party date, venue, and guest count. Include the planned dinner, speeches, and awards so we can place the performance properly.
Your team has earned an evening with something unexpected in it. Give the slide deck the night off.