Event planning blog / Vancouver Notes from the field.
Event planning, corporate magic and the occasional story from the road.
One Magician or Two? Planning Close-Up Magic for a Big Room
Close-up magic reaches about 50 guests an hour. How to plan it for 200, 300 or 500 guests, and when a second performer or a stage show is the answer.
How to Get Your Boss to Say Yes to Event Entertainment
You found the entertainment. Now someone else has to sign off. What decision-makers worry about, and a short email that gets you a yes.
Do Magicians Charge by the Hour? How Corporate Magic Is Priced
Most planners ask for an hourly rate. Here's why corporate magic is priced by format instead, and what each format costs in Vancouver.
Can You Book Just the Magic Show? Picking the Right Format
Show only, cocktail hour only, or the full evening? What each format does, what it costs, and why December works differently in Vancouver.
Case Study: Beem Wealth at the Delta Hotels, Grand Villa Casino
Beem Wealth booked close-up magic as an icebreaker plus a full-hour stage show at the Delta Grand Villa in Burnaby. What the night looked like.
Sharon and Regan's Wedding at the UBC Boathouse
Wedding magician and MC at the UBC Boathouse in Richmond: hosting, a stage show with volunteers, and a photo gallery from Sharon and Regan's reception.
Case Study: Shiva and Conner's Wedding at The Pipe Shop, Planned by DreamGroup
Wedding magician at The Pipe Shop, North Vancouver: strolling magic through a food-station reception planned by DreamGroup, plus the anniversary card.
Case Study: How BCLC Made Its VIP Guests Feel Like VIPs
BCLC hosted its top guests at Grand Villa Casino and ATLAS Steak + Fish. Dinner ran long, so the magic show was rebuilt around the meal. Here's how.
Case Study: Four Years of Client Appreciation Magic with MLT Aikins
Why MLT Aikins has booked Vancouver corporate magician Kel Modern Magic for four client appreciation events in a row, and why the brief is so simple.
Case Study: How Regency Lexus and Lower Mainland Dealerships Use Magic to Thank Staff and Clients
Regency Lexus booked Kel twice in three weeks, for staff and for clients. How Lower Mainland dealerships use close-up magic to make people feel like VIPs.
If your wedding entertainer cancels, the problem started when you booked them.
What to do when your wedding entertainer pulls out, why booking early does not protect you, and the questions that tell you whether someone will turn up.
Sean and Anna's wedding had a Kahoot quiz instead of a shoe game. It worked better.
Fifty guests, a Kahoot quiz instead of a shoe game, and an afterparty full of Mario Kart. What a small, informal Vancouver wedding needs from its MC.
Wedding Venues in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley: What They're Like to Work
Notes on Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley wedding venues Kel has performed in, what each does to cocktail hour, and what to ask before you book.
Milestone Birthday Party Ideas in Vancouver (30th, 40th, 50th and Up)
A milestone birthday mixes work friends, old friends, family and neighbours in one room. Party ideas for each decade, and the problem they all share.
Corporate Event Venues in Vancouver: Notes From Someone Who Works In Them
Notes on the Vancouver corporate venues Kel has worked in: what each room does to an event, and the logistics nobody mentions until the parkade.
What Is a Mentalist, and Why Corporate Audiences Love One
A mentalist reads minds instead of doing card tricks. What mentalism is, how it differs from magic, and when it's the better booking for a corporate event.
Case Study: When the Magic Show Becomes the School Fundraiser
Most PACs can't fit a magician into the budget. So we made the magic show the fundraiser. How Connaught Heights Elementary made almost $2,500 in one night.
Seven and a Half Hours, One Vendor: Cathy and Eric's Strathcona Wedding
A Strathcona warehouse wedding with no stage and no sightlines, booked as one 2:30pm to 10pm package. Why an industrial venue suits a magician-MC.
Wedding Cocktail Hour Entertainment Ideas in Vancouver
Cocktail hour is the one part of your wedding you'll miss. Ideas to keep guests entertained while you're with the photographer, ranked by what they solve.
Case Study: How Fairmont, Hyatt, and the Westin Celebrate Their Own Staff
Hotel staff run everyone else's party all December. What happened when Fairmont, Hyatt and the Westin threw their own and brought in Kel to run the room.
17 Corporate Holiday Party Entertainment Ideas (Beyond a DJ)
Seventeen holiday party entertainment ideas for Vancouver companies, sorted by the part of the night they fix: arrival, dinner, the program, the last hour.
Magician vs Photo Booth vs DJ: What Your Guests Actually Talk About on Monday
A DJ, a photo booth and a magician do three different jobs at a corporate event. An honest comparison, and how to pick by the problem you need solved.
Entertaining a Conference Is Not the Same Job as Entertaining a Party: CPHR
A main-stage set for several hundred delegates at the CPHR conference in Vancouver, plus trade show close-up. Why conferences need a different approach.
Your centrepieces cost more than your entertainment. That math is backwards.
Wedding entertainment gets budgeted last and cut first, behind flowers nobody remembers by Sunday. What a cocktail hour block costs in Vancouver.
When to Book December Holiday Party Entertainment: A Vancouver Timeline
A month-by-month timeline for booking holiday party entertainment in Vancouver, which December dates go first, and your options if it's already November.
Do You Need an MC for Your Corporate Event? A Vancouver Pro's Honest Take
Not every corporate event needs a professional MC. The honest test for whether yours does, and why asking a senior manager to host is riskier than it looks.
Booked in July, Booked Again in November: What a Rebooking Actually Tells You
A Vancouver investment firm booked close-up magic for a family summer party, then rebooked four months later for a bigger dinner. What that tells you.
How to Fix the Dead Cocktail Hour at Your Corporate Event
The cocktail hour decides how the rest of a corporate event goes, and it's the least planned part. Six things that fix it, and one that never does.
Entertainment That Lifts a Fundraiser (And the Kind That Costs You Donations)
A fundraising gala has one job: the room has to give. Where entertainment helps that, where it gets in the way, and where it belongs on the run sheet.
Why Vancouver MC Mike Oulton is a top choice for Emcee and DJ.
A Vancouver magician on working alongside Mike Oulton of Vancouver MC — the best room-reader I know, and why the thing he does is so hard to put on a flyer.
Why Blooms and Paper is a top choice for event styling
A Vancouver magician's vendor spotlight on Blooms and Paper, the Surrey balloon and event styling team behind some of the best first birthdays I've ever worked.
Booked in 2023, Booked Again in 2025: A Building Supply Company's Christmas Party
Southridge Building Supplies rebooked the same entertainment two years apart for a shared Christmas party in Surrey. What a client who returns tells you.
What a Corporate Happy Hour Looks Like With a Magician in the Room: Thinkific
Thinkific booked close-up magic for a team happy hour in their own office. What 45 minutes of magic does to 20 people who see each other every day.
One Person Hosting, Mingling and Performing: Jennifer and Robert's Wedding at Chef Tony
Eighty guests at Chef Tony in Richmond and one person on MC, close-up magic and the show. Why that suits a Chinese wedding banquet better than three hires.
Should you hire a mentalist for your corporate event? Here's the honest answer.
Should you hire a mentalist for your corporate event? An honest look at why mentalism hits differently than magic, and where it can misfire.
How to book a corporate holiday party magician in Vancouver (before the good dates disappear)
December Fridays and Saturdays are the first holiday party dates to go in Vancouver. Here's how to lock in yours before they're gone.
How Much Does a Corporate Magician Cost in Vancouver?
A straight answer on what a corporate magician costs in Vancouver, from someone who quotes it every single day.
Case Study: Vireo Video's 10 Year Anniversary Party
Close-up magic for Vireo Video's 10 year anniversary party in downtown Vancouver. A referral from a birthday party, a company with strong values, and the video.
I performed close-up magic at Neeraj and Natasha's Indian wedding in Vancouver. After the program, a guest walked over and told me I should've been the MC.
Inside a 500-guest South Asian wedding near Vancouver, where close-up magic at cocktail hour had a guest asking why Kel wasn't the MC.
How Kel and Mike Oulton Ran Endeavour Silver's Christmas Party at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver
How Kel and MC Mike Oulton ran Endeavour Silver's Christmas party at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, so the client never had to manage a single vendor.
Why insurance and financial services companies keep booking Kel for their corporate events
Why insurance and financial services firms like Pacific Blue Cross and HUB International keep booking the same corporate magician for their events.
Why your insurance company's next event needs more than a DJ and a cheese platter
Sun Life's Excellence Cup, run by a Vancouver magician and MC. Why an insurance company's corporate event needs more than a DJ and a cheese platter.
Why Vancouver Law Firms Keep Booking Kel Modern Magic Year After Year
Why McCarthy Tétrault and other Vancouver law firms book the same corporate magician year after year, not just once.
Case Study: How Live Magic Hole Activations Make Golf Tournaments Unforgettable
A case study on NAIOP and Orion Construction's golf tournaments: how a live magic hole activation turned a routine stop into the one people talk about.
Case Study: How McDonald’s Transformed Their Hilton Celebration with Kel Modern Magic & MC Mike Oulton
A case study on how McDonald's Canada turned a standard staff banquet at the Hilton into a night the room is still talking about, with Kel and MC Mike Oulton.
What Professionalism Really Looks Like When Hiring a Magician in Vancouver
What real professionalism looks like when hiring a magician in Vancouver: response time, communication, and respect for the inquiry.
Hiring a Corporate Magician in Vancouver (2026 Buyer’s Guide)
A 2026 buyer's guide to hiring a corporate magician in Vancouver, covering professional control, audience flow and guest experience.
🎤 Spotlight on Excellence: VanHattan Entertainment's Shannon Stumph and Kelly Brock
A spotlight on VanHattan Entertainment's Shannon Stumph and Kelly Brock, two of the most trusted names in Vancouver corporate entertainment.
Niagara Falls Gig: A Nightmare Journey with a Picture-Perfect Ending
A travel nightmare on the way to a Niagara Falls corporate gig, and how the night still ended picture-perfect.
How Much Do Magicians Charge in Vancouver? A Guide to Talent Tiers
What magicians charge in Vancouver, tier by tier, from $100 hobbyists to $20,000 headliners, and which tier fits a corporate event.
The Fall of Legends: Lessons from Mike Tyson for Magicians
What Mike Tyson's return to the ring teaches performers about staying sharp long after the spotlight fades, from a Vancouver magician 25 years in.
Transforming Tech Events: How Magic and Lineup Relief Brought Life to an Introverted Crowd
How close-up magic and lineup relief gave an 800-person Vancouver tech company event something real to talk about between sessions.
Vendor Spotlight: Phonix Photo Booth – Vancouver’s Ultimate Photo Booth Experience
Vendor spotlight: Phonix Photo Booth, a top pick for premium, high-quality photo booth experiences in Vancouver.
Christmas Season is here! Time to book your Holiday entertainment
Vancouver's holiday party season books up fast. Here's why, and how to lock in entertainment before the good dates disappear.
Why Power of Three is a top choice for your wedding or any event
Why Power of Three is a top choice for event planning, from a performer who's worked alongside them for years.
Vendor Spotlight: Dream Party Productions – Vancouver’s Ultimate Source for Costume Characters and Entertainment
Vendor spotlight: Dream Party Productions, Vancouver's go-to source for costume characters and interactive entertainment.
Unleash the Fun at Your Corporate Events with Party Karaoke Box by Party Pros Vancouver
Introducing Party Karaoke Box, Party Pros Vancouver's newest way to bring your corporate event's crowd together.
The Difference Between Amateur and Professional Magicians: Why Hiring a Professional Magician in Vancouver is Essential for Your Event
The real difference between amateur and professional magicians in Vancouver, and why it matters for your event's success.
Hire THE magician in Vancouver BC! - Kel - Modern Magic - Celebrating 24 years!
Hire a Vancouver magician for corporate events, weddings and parties across the Lower Mainland. Close-up magic, stage shows and MC hosting from one performer.
Corporate Magic for Business Events
Corporate magic for business dinners, cocktail receptions and parties, built to elevate guest engagement at your next Vancouver event.
Jeff Newman - In town One Night only! - Hosted by Kel
Mentalist Jeff Newman comes to Vancouver for one night only, hosted by Kel Modern Magic. A rare chance to see mind reading live, up close.
What Does Training look like for a Magician?
A look inside the real, ongoing training behind a working professional magician in Vancouver, and why the practice never stops after 25 years.
Kel Modern Magic’s Recommended Vendors
Kel's recommended Vancouver wedding and event vendors: the photographers, planners and pros worth booking alongside your entertainment.
Five Tips to Plan the Best Company Event
Five practical tips for planning a company event that leaves a lasting impression, from setting clear goals to engaging entertainment.
Redefining Celebration: Kel Modern Magic Transforms Dry Grads with Spectacular Wonder
What a dry grad actually is, and how Kel Modern Magic turns a substance-free graduation night into real, lasting wonder.
Trusting Your Vendors: Key to a Successful Event
Why trusting your vendors matters as much as picking the right venue when you're planning a Vancouver wedding or gala, from someone on the vendor side.
The Ultimate Guide on How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Entertainment in Vancouver
The ultimate guide to choosing wedding entertainment in Vancouver, from timing your program to picking the right format.
Why Dry Grad Committees Keep Hiring Hypnotists (And What Nobody Tells You)
Twenty-five years of dry grad entertainment across Vancouver: what actually keeps a room of grads engaged from midnight to 5am.
Creating Lasting Memories: Why Kel Modern Magic is a Must-Have for Vancouver Weddings
Why magical entertainment belongs on every Vancouver wedding checklist, and the kind of memories it creates for guests long after the day.
3 REASONS WHY NOT TO HAVE YOUR UNCLE AS YOUR MC FOR YOUR WEDDING
Three real reasons your uncle will struggle as your wedding MC, and what a professional Vancouver wedding host does differently on the day.
Why most of the weddings you go to suck
An honest take from a Vancouver wedding magician and MC on why most weddings you attend fall flat, and what makes one worth remembering.
What Happens When You Bring a Magician to a Country Wedding in Hope BC
What happened when Kel brought close-up magic to a country wedding in Hope, BC, and why it felt like a gift rather than a job.
Making Memories: How a Magician from Vancouver Can Leave a Lasting Impression on Your Guests
How a Vancouver magician creates the shared moments guests still talk about years later, and why those moments make an event memorable.
4 Steps to Mastery
The four steps to real mastery, from a Vancouver magician 25 years in, and why watching tutorials online is not the same as putting in the work.
2019 THANK YOU!!!
Kel's 2019 in review: 100+ shows, sold-out performances, and a look back at the year that changed how a Vancouver magician runs the business.
The Name Game
A simple technique for remembering names on the spot, and why it builds rapport faster than anything else in the room.
WHAT IS MAGIC? WHAT IS YOUR WHY?
What is magic, and what is your why? The two questions every performer has to answer for themselves, from a Vancouver magician with 25 years on stage.
CHECK
YOUR
DATE / Check your date
One person.
The whole night.
Close-up magic during cocktails. Table to table as dinner starts. A 45 minute stage show after. MC throughout. No patchwork of vendors, no dead air.
