A dealership has two audiences, and they both matter.
There's the team. Sales, service, finance, detailing, the front desk. People who live on targets, weekends and month-end pushes. And there's the client base. People who just made one of the biggest purchases of their year, and who you'd love to see again for the next one. Plus their friends.
Most dealership events are built to say thank you to one of those groups. The good ones say it to both. Here's what that looks like in practice, starting with the dealership that booked me for both in the same month.
Regency Lexus: one new building, two openings
In May 2025, Evan Chang, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at Regency Auto, sent an enquiry through my website. Regency Lexus was opening the new Lexus EV Studio at 4632 Kingsway in Burnaby, right by Metrotown, and they wanted a strolling magician for the exclusive grand opening on June 5. About 85 guests, cocktail attire, sleight of hand and interactive mentalism, working the showroom floor.
We locked it in. Then, the next afternoon, a second question landed:
"Would Kelvin be available and interested to perform at our employee event tomorrow evening from 5-8 PM? We apologize for the short notice! The event tomorrow evening will be at the same location, 4632 Kingsway, and it's essentially a soft grand opening event, just for employees at Regency Auto."
Tomorrow evening. Yes, absolutely.
So the building opened twice. First for the people who'd be working in it. Then, three weeks later, for the clients they'd be selling to.
Night one: the staff soft opening
This was the team's night. Before a single client walked through the door, Regency let its own people see the space, eat the food, and enjoy the room they'd built.
That's the right order, and it's worth stealing. Your staff are about to spend every working day in this showroom. Letting them experience it as guests first, with a drink in hand and somebody else doing the entertaining, says "this is yours too" in a way an all-staff email never will.
My job was simple. Walk the floor, find the little groups, and give every one of them a story to take back to work on Monday.
Night two: the client grand opening
By June 5, the room had flipped. Same building, new audience: Regency's clients and VIP guests. The plan was close-up walk-around from the moment doors opened at 5:00 until just before the opening remarks and ribbon cutting.
Want to see it move? Watch Constance's reel from the grand opening.
Here's what close-up magic does at a client event that a band or a photo booth can't. It's personal. It happens in their hands, with their card, their signature, their choice. When a client walks into a grand opening, they're wondering whether they're one of a hundred faces or someone who matters. Magic answers that question in about ninety seconds.
And then they post about it. One guest shared her moment with the caption "This was so trippy!" Another, who'd seen me perform before, wrote:
"And we got to see @kelvinngmagic again, he blew our minds multiple times... we just don't get it, how?!"
And then the line every event planner wants to read about their guests:
"We wanna have a party just to hire him lol... we can't get enough."
That's free reach for the dealership. Every one of those stories put the new Lexus Studio in front of that guest's followers, tagged, with a smile attached. The client didn't just attend the opening. They advertised it.
Why magic works so well in a dealership
It fits the room. A showroom isn't a ballroom. There's no stage, there are cars everywhere, and people are standing, moving and talking. Strolling close-up magic needs none of that infrastructure. I come to the guests, wherever they're standing.
It keeps people near the product. Good walk-around magic doesn't pull a crowd into a corner. It happens next to the vehicles. Guests linger longer in the room where the cars are, and your sales team gets more natural chances to start a conversation.
It makes the client feel like the VIP. Client appreciation lives or dies on one feeling: "they did this for me." A personal moment, with their name on a card, is exactly that feeling.
It gives the team a night off. For the staff party, the point is that nobody's working. Magic is an icebreaker that gets service techs laughing with the sales floor and managers chatting with the front desk.
Not just Lexus: Lower Mainland dealerships keep calling
Regency Lexus isn't a one-off. Over the years, Kel Modern Magic has performed for Autowest BMW, Freeway Mazda in Surrey and Mazda Metrotown with Western Auto Group, Dueck Auto Group, Honda Way Abbotsford, Tri City Mitsubishi, Raydar Collision Group, Westminster Toyota and Olympic Auto Group, among others.
Autowest BMW brought the team to River Rock Casino in Richmond for their December 2023 dinner party, about 180 guests. Bruno Destradi put it this way:
"A great show performed by Kel and his team. The up close magic he performed amazed and confused the audience, who were still talking about the following Monday! I recommend Kel for your next event!"
Still talking about it on Monday. For a staff party, that's the whole brief.
Freeway Mazda: the dealer principal's thank-you
In November 2023, Western Auto Group brought me in for a close-up and stage show at Freeway Mazda in Surrey. Two days later, Dealer Principal Jim Vines sent this:
"I just wanted to give Kel and you a big THANK YOU. The event was great and the show was, well AMAZING. I appreciate your help in putting it together and hope to see Kel again in the future."
When the person who signs off on the night writes back on their own, you know it landed.
Westminster Toyota: the Christmas party in the showroom
In December 2025, Westminster Toyota held its Christmas party right in the showroom, planned with Bon Vivant Catering & Events. Cocktail tables between the desks, the team packed into the space where they usually sell, and me working the crowd. It's a great example of the dealership doing what it does best: turning its own floor into the venue.
Tri City Mitsubishi: the Christmas party at Burnaby Lake
Tri City Mitsubishi in Port Coquitlam brought me in for their Christmas party at Burnaby Lake in 2023. A dealership team out of the showroom for once, dressed up, with nobody to sell to and nothing to fix. That's the night close-up magic was made for: small groups, real laughs, and the service bay finally trading stories with the sales floor.
Olympic Auto Group: an auto group that came back
Olympic Auto Group, based in Regina, booked us for their Christmas party in December 2025. About 260 guests, and my colleague Bro Gilbert carried the room from close-up through the stage show. They've already booked again for December 2026, and this time I'm flying out myself.
That's the pattern with auto groups. Once the team has had the night, it becomes part of the calendar.
Want to see more of it in action? Watch on Instagram: video one and video two.
Frequently asked questions
Do you perform at dealership grand openings and client appreciation events?
Yes. Regency Lexus booked Kel Modern Magic for both the staff soft opening and the client grand opening of their Lexus EV Studio in Burnaby in 2025. Strolling close-up magic works well on a showroom floor because it needs no stage and keeps guests close to the vehicles.
Can magic work in a showroom with no stage?
Yes. Strolling close-up magic is built for exactly that. The magician moves to small groups of guests around the cars, so there's no setup, no stage and no sound system required for the walk-around portion.
What's the difference between a dealership staff party and a client event?
A staff party is about celebrating the team and giving them a night off. A client event is about making buyers feel valued and remembered. Close-up magic suits both because it's personal: every guest gets a moment that happens in their own hands.
Which dealerships have you worked with?
Clients include Regency Lexus, Autowest BMW, Western Auto Group (Freeway Mazda in Surrey and Mazda Metrotown), Dueck Auto Group, Honda Way Abbotsford, Tri City Mitsubishi, Raydar Collision Group, Westminster Toyota and Olympic Auto Group in Regina.
Can you book on short notice?
Sometimes. Regency Lexus asked about their staff soft opening the day before, and we made it work. Holiday season dates fill early, so for December parties it's best to reach out by late summer.
Planning a staff party or a client night at your dealership?
Book a 15-minute call: https://tidycal.com/m8gjl63/15-minute-meeting
Kel Modern Magic kelmodernmagic.com
