Types of shows
Which format carries your event?
Close-up magic, stage show or virtual show — what works is decided by the run of your evening, not by the budget. Here is what fits when.
The programmes
Three formats, three jobs
If you would rather think from the occasion than from the format, the pages for each programme go into more detail.
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 showCompared
What works when
Most mistakes are not made choosing the show but choosing the moment.
| 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 |
Why 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
Most booked
Close-up first, stage later
The combination that comes up most often on longer evenings — and why it works.
A typical evening
- Reception
Close-up magic
Guests arrive over an hour, half of them are strangers. Magic in small groups mixes the room before the seating plan does.
- Dinner
Between the courses
Table by table in the pauses that exist anyway. No announcement, no changeover, the kitchen is never held up.
- Early evening
The stage set
30 to 50 minutes when everyone is seated and the room can still be brought to attention. After 10 pm this becomes difficult.
- Late
Back to the floor
Once the seating dissolves, a final pass through the remaining groups holds the evening together.
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
Before you ask
What organisers ask most
How do we choose between the three?
By your run of show. Standing guests who are meeting for the first time: close-up magic. Everyone seated and you want one shared moment: the stage show. People in different locations: the virtual show. Most long evenings end up combining the first two.
Can close-up magic and a stage show be combined?
That is the most requested arrangement: close-up during the reception and at dinner, the stage set later in the evening. It keeps a long evening in motion instead of concentrating everything into one act.
From how many guests does a stage show make sense?
From roughly 60 seated guests. Below that a stage feels artificial, and close-up magic reaches the same people more personally.
Is there an upper limit for close-up magic?
No. In two to three hours he reaches 80 to 150 guests in small groups. Beyond that, the time is extended or the effort is concentrated on the areas where people gather.
Do all three formats work in English?
Yes. And a large part of the material needs no language at all, because the guests handle the props themselves.
What does it cost?
It depends on duration, guest numbers, format and travel. You receive a written fixed-price quote for your actual run of show, usually within 24 hours, travel included and itemised.
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.