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Excited to share the new promo video for CONJURING WONDER - Magic: Up-Close & Personal.
Join us monthly at The Claremont Club & Spa in Berkeley for The Bay Area’s Premiere Close-Up Magic Experience.
Tickets available at www.conjuring.live.
Oakland, CA - Dennis Kyriakos sells out the premiere performance of CONJURING WONDER at The Claremont Club & Spa, in Berkeley, CA.
Imagine making your way through the stunning lobby of the Claremont Club & Spa and unwinding with a glass of wine while mingling with other guests.
Take your seat around the table as a dapper gentleman is introduced and the mysteries unfold.
Suddenly, objects vanish and reappear before your eyes. Uncanny coincidences unfold. Secret thoughts are revealed.
You are left charmed, bewildered, and amazed.
CONJURING WONDER will be presented monthly at The Claremont Club & Spa. Stay informed when future tickets go on sale here.
Yes, we still continue to face challenges but I firmly believe that it’s important to occasionally look at where you’ve come from and acknowledge your success — and failure. Do this often enough and with the right spirit and a clear path emerges in the direction you’re heading.
Despite the uncertainty of 2021, I was fortunate to present Virtual Deceptions at 44 online events and make appearances at 20 in-person corporate, private, and fundraising events this past year.
Here’s a taste of some of the most memorable moments…
The Return of In-Person Events
My first in-person event happened in May 2021. A team-building dinner for my new friends at Saltmine.
The event took place at Taplin Cellars, one of the oldest family-owned vineyard in Napa and Sylvia Taplin is the consummate host. The entire experience felt like being home.
The entertainment portion of the evening was a surprise for the team, so the folks at Taplin put me up in their cottage which doubled as a greenroom. After a fantastic meal prepared by The French Laundry, I was introduced and performed al fresco overlooking the vineyard.
What a joy to be back!
Trade Shows
We saw the trade show industry open up this year with shows — large and small — across the country. One of the last events I did before locking down was the RSA Conference in February 2020 and we had no idea when the industry would be back.
Nice to see trade shows coming back and organizers adjusting the circumstance.
In-Person Conferences
This year brought the opportunity to help a new client entertain conference attendees in Las Vegas and New Orleans.
Each reception included about 50 - 60 VIP conference attendees from across the country. And I designed a couple of customize presentations to get the client’s message across.
Speaking of Magic
As I mentioned at the top of this blog post, it’s important to look back and acknowledge success and failure. One of the things that kept me sane these past two years was finding a way to take the challenge we’re facing and do something positive with it.
Making Zoom Magic
The more Zoom meetings I had with clients the more I realized I had something to offer.
MAKING ZOOM MAGIC is a peek-behind-the-curtain to share the process of pivoting from performing at in-person events to crafting a highly-interactive and successful virtual magic performance for corporate events. I presented the talk to a handful of groups — virtually, of course! — and walked attendees through the nuts and bolts to making their next Zoom meetings amazing.
If you’d like to discuss bringing MAKING ZOOM MAGIC or another customize presentation to your group please drop me a note here.
The Speaker Spring Board Podcast
Alfred Poor invited me to be part of The Speaker Springboard Podcast. We talked about the business of doing magic, and what managers and leaders can learn from it.
Yeah, we jammed a lot into 10-minutes but Alfred it really good at what he does and apparently I have a lot to say on the subject.
And that’s no lie.
Virtual Conferences and Meetings
As challenging as it has been, there have also been some exciting opportunities to emcee and entertain at sales and kick-off meetings and opening receptions at virtual conferences for clients like Guidewire, SingleStore, Clarizen, DocuSign, SNUG World, Side reUnite, the Society for Technical Communication, and more!
The Battery
Thrilled to be back at my residency at The Battery this year. It was great to see the membership and staff again!
I’ve been the Resident Magician at The Battery since 2015, entertaining casually in The Musto Bar.
In November, I presented Psychic Illusions for approximately 80 club members. The performance ran 90 minutes in length and featured an act rarely seen today. What a treat to be back at the club!
Thank you
Wanted to share some exciting news...
Last night, after 15 months of virtual performances, I had my FIRST IN-PERSON EVENT! An intimate company team building dinner at Taplin Cellars, the oldest family owned vineyard in Napa.
The entertainment portion of the evening was a surprise for the team, so the folks at Taplin put me up in their cottage which doubled as a greenroom. After a fantastic meal prepared by The French Laundry, I was introduced and performed al fresco overlooking the vineyard.
What a joy to be back!
Is this the end of virtual performances?
Well, only time will tell. But calls are coming in fast-and-furious for in-person events and it's looking good.
That's all for now. Be well.
Ghabrana Nahi is a web show hosted by Rafea Moshin of Evenement, an Event Management and Solutions Company based in Pakistan.
Honored to be featured on their 20th episode as their first international guest!
Discover what sparked my interest in magic, the challenges faced and surmounted when moving west, and how I’m currently making adjustments to meet this moment.
And of course, there’s a bit of magic as well.
We had a fantastic time and hope you’ll have a look!
History
After arriving in the Bay Area in 2012, I challenged myself to make as many connections as I could to rebuild my business. Sometime in 2013, I connected with The Elios Society, A Company of Friends for Hellenic Heritage. I joined one of their meetings and performed after their meal. It was great to connect with that many Greeks under one roof. It felt like home!
As we sheltered-in-place and my business pivoted to performing virtual shows, I began reaching out again to past clients and The Elios Society was on my list.
Planning
I approached with the idea of putting together a virtual magic show where members can connect over cocktails and an evening of entertainment.
But it was on the very first call with the Executive Director when the idea began to expand.
The owners of The Argentum Project, and Elios Society members, would put together a fabulous menu that included mezedes (that’s Greek for appetizers!) dinner, glyko (Greek sweets!), and a bottle of wine to everyone who RSVP’d for the event.
Execution
A total of 108 meals were delivered to 40 households across the Bay Area and a handful were even overnighted to the east coast arriving just in time for the show.
On Saturday, August 8th, attendees simply heated and enjoyed their meals with family in the comfort of their own homes. And at 7:30 PM everyone logged onto Zoom for the show.
Each meal also came with a deck of playing cards, generously provided by the Eldorado Reno. Yet another member of The Elios Society stepping up to make the evening a success!
Why did each member need a deck of playing cards?
Well, VIRTUAL DECEPTIONS, is a highly-interactive experience with guests participating directly in the show!
It was a fantastic time and we had a blast!
Are you looking for a virtual magic show to create a truly unique experience for your association, organization, or group? Let’s find a creative solution that will suit your needs.