Your team has survived enough presentations. Let the impossible happen without a slide deck.
If you’re planning corporate event entertainment in Charlotte, consider something guests can gather around, react to, and discuss afterward: comedy magic, con-game demonstrations, bar bets, and dice magic.
I’m Timothy Starnes, a Charlotte magician, necromancer, and comedy conjurer. I bring a little honest dishonesty to company parties, client gatherings, and adult celebrations where the conversation could use something beyond the next quarter.
Finally, some corporate deception you can put on the entertainment budget.
What is con-game magic?
Con-game magic combines the atmosphere of the hustler’s art with an interactive performance. Guests follow fast hands, listen to smooth talk, and make judgments about what they think is happening.
That last part is where people tend to become interesting.
Someone makes a confident prediction. A colleague disagrees. Other guests gather to see who has understood the situation. The demonstration gives them a shared puzzle, and the comedy comes partly from the distance between certainty and what happens next.
You’re booking entertainment. The appeal is the performance, participation, and surprise. It gives colleagues and clients something to enjoy together without requiring them to turn the evening into another work assignment.
Bar bets, dice magic, and a table full of opinions
Bar bets and dice magic offer other ways to play with expectations. They can sit alongside con-game swindles, cards, props, and comedy in a broader close-up magic booking.
A group doesn’t need prior knowledge of magic to follow along. Tell me about the audience and what sort of humor and participation suit the occasion. We’ll discuss the material before the event.
The point is to give people a reason to watch together, compare reactions, and enjoy a little uncertainty. Your most confident guest may provide additional material simply by explaining that nothing gets past them.
I appreciate initiative.
Give the entertainment a place in the room
I work from a dedicated performance station. Guests can see a small group enjoying the action, finish their own conversation, and join when they’re ready.
That makes the station a gathering point at the event. Colleagues from different teams or clients who don’t know one another have something shared to react to. The entertainment offers a reason to start a conversation.
Placement matters. We’ll discuss a spot with a clear view of the action and room for people to gather without blocking the bar, food service, or a doorway. My article on why I prefer a magic station explains the approach.
Tell me the total guest count and how the room will be used. A client dinner and a larger reception call for different planning, even when both include close-up magic.
Agree on the tone before the event
Corporate events need a conversation about the audience. Tell me whether this is a staff celebration, a client gathering, a leadership dinner, or a party with partners and guests.
Share the atmosphere you want, the appetite for dark humor, and any subjects or approaches you want left out. We’ll agree on a performance format and tone before booking.
Participation should fit the group. Some guests enjoy testing every claim. Others prefer watching a colleague confidently volunteer an incorrect explanation. Both can enjoy the same performance.
My shows are for adults ages 18 and up. Let me know the audience and the schedule so we can confirm the right arrangement.
Keep the practical setup straightforward
My working requirements are 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.
Describe the venue, background music, food service, and any nearby activity. We’ll coordinate the performance area and confirm arrival and setup timing before the event. Share any venue procedures or vendor requirements that need reviewing.
I usually spend one to two hours working a client party, with adjustable performance lengths. Parties outside the Charlotte, NC area have a two-hour minimum. The pricing guide explains my $500 hourly rate and the details needed for a booking total.
Choose the kind of trouble that fits your company
Con-game entertainment can be the focus, or we can combine it with comedy close-up magic, cards, props, bar bets, and dice magic.
I’m best known for my touring comedy séance, Timothy Starnes & His Many Night Visitors, and I’m also a trained comedy and bar magician. A séance is optional. If you want to consider it, we’ll discuss the two-hour theatrical format and whether it suits your group. It is entertainment, not a mediumship reading.
My corporate client list includes Chick-fil-A, LavaCon, Adobe, Stiles Property Management, and Evergreen Linen Solutions. You can see the client section and booking details on my Charlotte corporate event magic page.
Give me the room, the people, and the plan
Send your date, venue, guest count, preferred length, and the tone you want. Include the timing of dinner, speeches, or other activities that the entertainment needs to fit around.
If you’re organizing an end-of-year celebration, the company holiday party guide covers scheduling in more detail.
Text Tim about your corporate event. We’ll plan the magic. Your team can spend the evening investigating something more entertaining than the expense policy.