Close-up, mentalism or digital magic: which formula for your event?
"A magician" is not one single service — it is a craft with very different disciplines, which do not produce the same effect on your guests. I have practiced the three main ones for 25 years; here is how to tell them apart and choose the one that fits your event.
Close-up: magic in your guests' hands
Close-up magic happens inches from the eyes, with cards, coins, borrowed objects. The magician moves from group to group during a cocktail or from table to table during a dinner.
Its strength: the impossible happens in the spectators' own hands — the emotional impact is maximal, and the entertainment creates connections between guests. Ideal for: wedding cocktail receptions, corporate cocktails, birthday parties, dinners. It is the absolute safe bet: if you hesitate, start here.
Mentalism: magic of the mind
Mentalism does not manipulate objects but thoughts: mind reading, predictions, influence, impossible coincidences. It works in small groups or as a seated show for a whole room.
Its strength: intensity. Where close-up brings laughter and wide eyes, mentalism leaves a silence… then an explosion. It reaches spectators whom classic magic sometimes leaves unmoved — especially the most rational ones. Ideal for: an evening highlight (wedding or corporate), a gala dinner, a personalized act around the couple or a guest of honor.
Digital magic: the magic of your era
Digital magic blends iPads, smartphones and connected objects with illusion: images that leave the screen, objects that enter it, impossible effects between the virtual and the real.
Its strength: modernity and customization. It is the only discipline that naturally integrates a logo, a product or a message — which makes it the favorite tool of corporate events, product launches and client evenings. Ideal for: corporate events, trade shows, evenings where an image of innovation matters.
The summary table
- Cocktail reception, aperitif → strolling close-up.
- Seated dinner → table magic (close-up), punctuated by a mentalism moment.
- Highlight in front of the whole room → mentalism as a show.
- Brand event, launch, trade show → customized digital magic.
- An emotional moment around one person (the couple, a guest of honor) → a custom mentalism act.
And above all: the three combine
In reality, my finest performances mix the disciplines throughout the evening: close-up at the cocktail to break the ice, digital magic to surprise at dessert, and a mentalism finale that brings the whole room together. So the right question is not "which discipline?" but "which moment of your event deserves which kind of magic?".
The simplest way: tell me about your event — date, venue, guests, schedule — and I will suggest the best-suited combination, with a precise quote within 24 hours.