Notes from the field.
Event planning, corporate magic and the occasional story from the road.
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 I have actually performed in, what each one does to a cocktail hour, and the questions worth asking before you book.
Milestone Birthday Party Ideas in Vancouver (30th, 40th, 50th and Up)
A milestone birthday has a guest list nothing else has: work friends, old friends, family and neighbours in one room. Ideas that work at each decade, and the one problem they all share.
Corporate Event Venues in Vancouver: Notes From Someone Who Works In Them
Not a ranked list. Notes on the Vancouver corporate venues I have actually worked, what each room does to an event, and the logistics nobody mentions until you are standing in the parkade.
What Is a Mentalist, and Why Corporate Audiences Love One
A mentalist reads minds instead of doing card tricks, and corporate audiences respond to it differently. What mentalism actually is, how it differs from magic, and when it is the better booking.
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, no ballroom and no sightlines, booked as one 2:30pm to 10pm package. Why an industrial venue suits a magician-MC better than a hotel does.
Wedding Cocktail Hour Entertainment Ideas in Vancouver
Your cocktail hour is the one part of the wedding you will not be at. Ideas for entertaining guests while you are away with the photographer, ranked by what they actually solve.
Case Study: How Fairmont, Hyatt, and the Westin Celebrate Their Own Staff
Hotel staff run everyone else's party all December. Here's what happened when Fairmont, Hyatt, and the Westin threw their own, and brought Kel Modern Magic in 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 actually fix — arrival, dinner, the programme and the last hour.
Magician vs Photo Booth vs DJ: What Your Guests Actually Talk About on Monday
Three corporate entertainment options, three completely different jobs. An honest comparison of what a DJ, a photo booth and a magician each actually deliver, and how to pick by the problem you have.
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 close-up on the trade show floor. Why conference audiences need a different approach than a company party.
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 December holiday party entertainment in Vancouver, which dates disappear first, and what your options actually are if it is 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. Here is the honest test for whether yours does, what the job actually involves, 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 summer party with families, then booked again four months later for a bigger company dinner. What changed between the two, and why it matters when you're choosing entertainment.
How to Fix the Dead Cocktail Hour at Your Corporate Event
The cocktail hour is the most under-planned part of most corporate events and the one that decides how the rest of the night goes. Six things that actually fix it, and one that never does.
Entertainment That Lifts a Fundraiser (And the Kind That Costs You Donations)
A fundraising gala has a job no other event has: the room has to open its wallet. Where entertainment helps that, where it gets in the way, and how to place it 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 booked the same entertainment twice, two years apart, for a shared Christmas party in Surrey. Why a client who comes back after a gap tells you more than one who never left.
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. A look at what 45 minutes of magic does to a room of about 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 doing all three jobs: MC, close-up magic through the banquet, and the show. Why that combination suits a Chinese wedding banquet better than hiring separately.
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.
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, start to finish, so the client didn't have 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
Why an insurance company's next 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.
Transforming Tech Events: How Magic and Lineup Relief Brought Life to an Introverted Crowd
How close-up magic gave an 800-person tech company event something genuine 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 corporate magician in Vancouver for weddings, corporate events and parties across the Lower Mainland.
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.
What Does Training look like for a Magician?
A look inside what real, ongoing training looks like for a working professional magician.
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 wedding or gala.
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 wedding MC, and what a professional host does differently.
Why most of the weddings you go to suck
An honest take on why most weddings you attend fall flat, and what actually 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 kind of shared moments that make an event genuinely unforgettable.
4 Steps to Mastery
The four steps to real mastery, and why watching tutorials online isn't 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 a year that changed 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 honestly.
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.
