Magician & mentalist Oliver Henke
Magic that stays with your guests
Close-up magic at your tables, mentalism on stage, or a live show over video call. Twenty years of full-time performing, roughly 2,500 events, 4.94 out of 5.
What he does
Magic that happens in your guests' own hands
Not a spectacle at a distance. Something impossible, six inches away, in the hands of the person it happens to.
The idea
Oliver Henke steps into a group of five or six people, performs for three to five minutes and moves on. No microphone, no lighting cue, no moment where the room has to fall silent. Your run of show stays exactly as you planned it.
The practical effect matters as much as the astonishment: after a piece, people talk to each other. Guests who had only nodded across the room start a conversation about what they just watched. For a reception where the point is that people meet, that is a more reliable tool than any seating chart.
He has been doing this full time for over twenty years, at roughly 2,500 events — from trade-show receptions and company anniversaries to weddings and galas. Clients include BMW, Siemens, KPMG, L'Oréal, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Chanel and GANT.
Three formats
What carries your evening
Which programme fits is decided by the run of your evening, not by the budget.
Close-up magic
Magic in the hands of your guests, group by group. No stage, no sound, no programme slot — the evening runs on undisturbed.
All about close-up magicStage show & mentalism
The shared highlight when everyone is seated: 30 to 50 minutes with volunteers from your audience in the leading roles.
All about the stage showVirtual magic show
Interactive magic over video call. Your people hold their own cards — the only format that reaches distributed teams at the same moment.
All about the virtual showWhy it works
Knowing that engineers scrutinise magic more closely than most, you managed within minutes to make us doubt our own grasp of physics.
Dr. J. StinnesbeckE.ON Engineering, Rotterdam
Compared
What works when
This table takes most of the decision out of your hands.
| Criterion | Close-up magic | Stage show | Virtual show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest numbers | no upper limit | from roughly 60 | any, also distributed |
| Duration | 2 to 3 hours | 30 to 50 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Technology | none | microphone, small area | Zoom, Teams or Meet |
| Everyone seated | not required | required | not required |
| Best moment | reception and dinner | early evening | start or close of a meeting |
| Late at night | keeps working | difficult after 10 pm | not applicable |
| Echoing room | unaffected | difficult | not applicable |
| Tailored to your company | limited | yes | yes |
We were thoroughly impressed by the professionalism and the sheer level of the performance. What struck us most was the closeness he built with the audience.
Event management
Romaco Group
Our guests and we were left speechless more than once. The audience was picked up perfectly and left astonished. Our expectations were exceeded by a distance.
Event management
Hexagon
He works in a smart, modern way that genuinely enchants people. Absolutely recommended.
Philipp Sauer
GEDORE
Where he performs
Booked across Europe, travelling further
Oliver Henke is based in Essen, Germany, and works internationally. Cities with a confirmed engagement are listed first.
Before you ask
What hosts ask most
Where is Oliver Henke based?
In Essen, Germany. He works across the German-speaking countries and travels internationally — his circuit covers more than ten European capitals including Vienna, Paris, Stockholm, Monaco, Milan and Rome, and he has performed twice in Los Angeles and for E.ON Engineering in Rotterdam.
Is the show performed in English?
Yes. The whole evening runs in English on request, and a large part of the repertoire needs no language at all — your guests shuffle, choose and hold the objects themselves. That is why it works for audiences with several first languages in the room.
Which format suits our event?
That depends on your run of show, not your budget. If your guests are standing and mingling, close-up magic carries the evening. If they are seated and you want one shared moment, a stage show does. Five minutes on the phone is usually enough to settle it.
What does he need on site?
For close-up magic, nothing: no power, no microphone, no stage, no table. A stage set additionally needs a wireless microphone and a clear area of roughly ten by seven feet.
What does it cost?
It depends on duration, guest numbers, format and travel. No price list is published, because a flat figure would mislead you. You receive a written fixed-price quote for your actual run of show, usually within 24 hours, travel included and itemised.
How quickly do you reply?
Within 24 hours, usually the same day. If your date is already taken you will know immediately rather than in a week.
Tell me about your event.
Occasion, date and rough guest count are enough to start. From that it is easy to say which format carries your evening — and where in the run of show it belongs.