Corporate Networking Event by DHL

In June, I was specially engaged for a corporate networking event by DHL in which their guests consist their most important clients.

Presenting my chic style of magic in front of a beautiful rustic building

This engagement involves me performing 2 sets of Interactive Close Up Magic segment and one Stage Magic Show for the finale. I worked closely with Michelle in advising the best placement of magic.

We split the Interactive Close Up Magic segment into two parts because in such cocktail networking sessions, guests will arrive in different timings. For those who arrive early, they typically do not have much activities to do. Hence, it is most appropriate to have a magician interact and entertain them before the main activities of the event.

Priceless expression : O

Thereafter, I also performed the second Interactive Close Up magic segment slightly after dinner is served. Restaurateurs might have the false impression that featuring close up magic during dinner would be akin to disturbing their guests during their meal. While this concern is valid, the years of experience I have performing in high end restaurants  allowed me to discern the best timing to approach a table. It also made salient to me when the guests are taking a break from the food. Such an approach comes with the years of experience that a younger or semi-professional magician may not have the privilege to gather.

Towards the end of the evening, I then presented my Stage Magic show as one of the entertainment finale to this networking event.

Audience participation during the magic

The stage magic show was a strong closer as it gathered everyone in the event and they all participated in the magic. It features music and visual magic.

In the show, I got a gentleman (John, above) to help me with the magic. And after the show, another gentleman came up to me and thanked me for the magic. And he said if I have not chosen John to help in the show, he would not have been able to meet his friend who he had lost contact for many many years.

At that point of time, my hair kinda stood due to the uncanny coincidence. But also, I think this is truly what magic is about, it is about bringing people together. This left me with a strange but yet fulfilling feeling knowing that on top of doing the show well and everyone enjoying it, I have established contact for two separate individuals who had not seen each other for more than a decade. That is, real magic!

Once again, it is great to get affirmation from the events organizers and the committee!

“ At our recent Customer Event, Alexander stunned everyone with his amazing magic with his unbelievable sleight-of-hand. The performance was highly entertaining, either small groups or individually was just what was needed. He was professional and non-intrusive in his manner, whilst being friendly and approachable. People were left in awe by the seemingly impossible things he was doing! He was an invaluable addition to the evening’s activities, and one that I would recommend to any event! It was such a special night for us and you were an essential part of its success. Thank you so very much, Alexander! “

Warm Regards

Michelle Tay
Sales Performance & Development
Marketing & Sales
DHL Global Forwarding (Singapore) Pte Ltd

That is all for this entry! On a side note, I will be performing outside Central Mall  along Singapore River this week and next week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Do catch me there! More details here.

Signing off,

Alexander

Corporate Close Up Magic and Teach In

Last month, I had the privilege to do a unique performance for the friendly people at AIA. It was a session in which I performed a small portion of my Close Up Theatre set and Interactive Close Up magic, which ended with  a Teach-in seminar.

Finale to the Close Up Theatre set

A mini “Circle Show”

One of the main reasons why I personally decided to take up the teach-in was because of the inspirational theme of using magic. Under the leadership of District Manager, Mr Peter Lee, he wanted to showcase to his team that even though something seems impossible, it can be achievable as long as you put effort into it.

This message resonated with me and I took up the challenge. I arranged 3 effects of varying difficulties and true enough, Mr Lee and his colleagues were all able to execute them after considerable practice.

Hands on practice

The effects were handpicked based on the following criteria:

1. It cannot be a kiddish trick as it is not in line with Meta Illusions’ policy to perform kiddish tricks, let alone teach a trick that is kiddish/clownish in nature

2. There needs to be demonstration of skill involved. Because we conduct classes for youths and professional working adults, an effect is more amazing and appealing if some feats of dexterity are displayed.

3. The tricks are not heavily exposed in other mediums accessible to the general public.

With this set of criteria, my proposal was approved.

Experiential learning and group based teaching

Apart from inculcating the theme of the seminar, learning magic as a group is fun! It can create a culture of learning and sharing. It also fosters teambuilding.

Teaching and sharing within the group

I had a lot of fun teaching and performing to this group of spontaneous and fun-loving people. And I strongly believe that while magic can be performed for just entertainment’s sake, there are other subtexts that magic can exemplify, hence, creating an underlying theme or lesson.

For more on workshops and lessons, you can contact us at info@metaillusions.com, or drop us a line at 97459753.

One last thing, like us on Facebook too!

 

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

Le Grand Cabaret in Singapore

That is correct, you read the title right, Le Grand Cabaret in Singapore!

An invitation to Le Grand Cabaret in Singapore

Last night, Jonathan, Samuel and myself were invited to perform for Association Française de Singapour’s (French Association Singapore) anniversary dinner at Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa.

It was an exclusive event with French Ambassador as the Guest of Honour. We had much fun performing our brand of Interactive Roving Magic in a cabaret setting and style.

Samuel entertaining the Cabaret performers with his magic!

During our breaks, some of the performers requested us to perform magic for them. The performance was different from other venues and events as the guests were mostly french. We had to customize our magic slightly to accommodate to their culture. We did our magic in burst of 3 to 5 minutes, so that they can enjoy the food as well. The reason why it was arranged in such a way is because of the French culture of putting down their utensils when there is a programme going on. Hence they gave us their utmost attention whenever we approached and performed for their table.

Overall, I think the Meta Illusions team did an extremely good job. The President, Christine, thanked us personally after the last set. We do look forward to pictures and their publication which would feature some of our magic highlights. =)

Signing off,

Alexander

Thankful for 2011

Wow, 2011 has been an AMAZING journey for me!

And I cannot wait for the new year in which me and my team and taking more creative ventures in our magic.

New Year’s Eve had been a blast. Samuel, Jonathan and I were all doing our interactive roving magic shows in the evening. After that, we were invited to a countdown events organized by our client at the Promontory.

Amazing skyline created by MBS, where I used to perform

The night lights was amazing, I reached there before the rest of the team and we all brought our partners along for the count down. Wanna know the best part? We had free beer! Our client offered us beer for the countdown. =) Special thanks to Jonathan.

Meta Illusions 😉

Behind (beside in this case) every successful man....

Fireworks!

At midnight, we were treated to about 8 full minutes of beautiful fireworks, they are amazing, and I love them. Fantastic way to begin the new year.

So to all my family, friends, love ones! Happy 2012! May it be more awesome than 2011!

Signing off,

Alexander 😉

An Exquisite Close Up Show

The Close Up Theatre

Welcome to my Close Up Theatre

I had the pleasure of presenting my Close Up Theatre Show in a private gathering.

MetaIllusions is proud to feature this show. With that said, this show is catered to private events with a small (30 pax) number of guest. The Close Up Theatre is a structured show, with a beginning and a grand finale. In fact, this show builds on the show I do at Bar84 during my 6 month stint there.

One of the highlights: Blind Man's Aces

Interactive and fun!

While this show is branded as a show for a corporate type of setting, it is suitable for a family crowd as well. With that said, this is not a kids show with silly gags and oversized props, do check with us so that we can ensure the best fit of entertainment for you.

The prelude to the Grand Finale

I am really excited about this show, in fact, I am pleased to announced that for this particular show, we already have bookings for it in the new year. That’s pretty awesome!

For more information on bookings and pricing check out our website @ http://www.metaillusions.com/

Or you can drop me an email at alexander@metaillusions.com

Signing off,

Alexander 😉

Magic for a Wedding

Weddings are one of the most tricky events to do. For close up magic, on its surface, it is very much the same as any other cocktail reception event.

However, here is the catch.

Especially in local context, invited guest span over a huge demographics. Hence as a performer and from experience, I know that there will be grandparents, adults, young adults (usually children of the older relatives) and even younger children. Contrast this to a regular cocktail reception by a company, you can be fairly certain that the range do not span too widely.

Because of the large demographic, you will need a strong performer who can connect and interact with adults, and at the same time not neglecting the children. If the performer does not do his/her job well, the wedding as a whole may suffer.

The second problem: “Who is the star?”

I think a lot of performers do not recognize that the star of the event is not the magic or the magician, it is the wedded couple. I have heard stories in which the performer makes a grander entrance than the wedded couple. While this is all good in a corporate event, in my opinion, it is not for the couple. I would rather the couple shine on their special day. This is the very same reason I only recommend close up mingling magic for weddings, and not a stage show in which the audience would have to fixate on the performer. Also, considering problem one, a stage show is not the most ideal situation due to the wide demographics. That is, one style of magic performance may appeal to the older crowd but leave the younger adults alienated, or vice versa.

With all that said, I am actually very happy to share a wonderful testimonial from a satisfied client who engaged me to do mingling magic for his solemnization event:

“Hi Alex,

Base on the expressions and feedback I got from all my guests, your performance is marvelous and entertaining. I would strongly recommend other of my friends to you further more I will engage you again for my wedding lunch performance.

Once again thank you for making my wedding/ROM ceremony a memorable one”

Thanks Ian! That made my day!

I managed to get pictures for the lovely wedding held at a gorgeous location at Naumi Hotel. (Courtesy of Ian)

Magical Appearance of the Birthday Surprise!

This event was planned way before the solemnization itself, and I customized a special magic effect in which I made a special birthday gift appear for Ian’s wife, Evelyn. When I appeared with the birthday cake, the lovely bride was suprised as it was a secret. That is just one way of making sure that the couple feels special at the end of the performance.

Interacting with the crowd!

The young ones = )

=)

Congratulations Ian and Evelyn!

Signing off,

Alexander = )

Christmas is coming…!

In preparations for Christmas, I did a search on the best food and buffet for Christmas, and I stumbled upon a blog entry that was published a couple of years back on the food in Carousel @ Royal Plaza buffet.

Before I show you the link, I had a short stint in Carousel in 2009 doing close up magic for the patrons.

It was so much fun and I enjoyed it very much. In fact, on hindsight, I was glad that I put in the time and effort for this gig because the media actually picked up the news of a magician performing in Carousel for Christmas and they did an interview with me for Channel 8 and Channel 5 news. In the interview, I shared my thoughts on magic in Singapore and how the uniqueness of magic adds a different dimension to such an event.

Channel 8 Interview

I did not managed to get hold of the video but I did have a couple of screen shots in which you can see here in the Media Highlights section.

Foodwise: I loved the food, it is simply amazing, in fact I did a short post on it in 2009, you can read it here.

Okay, so the link I was talking about was a pleasant surprise because it was an accidental discovery of myself in action. You can check it out here.

I love that funky picture of myself. =)

I cannot wait for Christmas to come!

Signing off,

Alexander ; )

Close Up Magic for Ai Associates’ 8th Anniversary Dinner

This event actually happened in August at The Pump Room at Clarke Quay. I was pleasantly surprised to see these nice pictures.

It was a dinner event for Ai Associates’ 8th Anniversary. Adeline and I were invited to mingle with the crowd and do close up roving magic. We had a lot of fun there!

Here are some pictures! (Picture credits to (C)2011 Fabian Leow. Special thanks to Surya and Adeline for sending and uploading the pictures!)

Close up and personal entertainment

Good friend and magician, Adeline Ng, working her magic!

Magic with a coin, a purse and a guy holding a slice of lemon

Picture 1: Setting up the magic moment by pretending to do a card trick...

Picture 2: Ends up teleporting across the table and acknowledging the applause. 😉

It was a really really fun event. The crowd were all warmed up and hyped for the rest of the evening. It was an awesome evening interacting and mingling with these people!

I will be performing together with Adeline tomorrow evening at Marina Bay Sand‘s Convention Center for Hewlett Packard’s (or more affectionately known as HP) private evening. Exciting!

Do look out for updates for more of such post, you will never know how magic can add value to your event!

Signing off,

Alexander 😉

Roving magic for 21st Birthday Celebration

 

In August, Meta Illusions was invited to perform at a birthday party, Hui Fang’s 21st Birthday party at NUSS guild house at Suntec City.

Here are some picture highlights (Photo credits to Zijie, thanks for the wonderful pictures!):

Jonathan charming the crowd

 

The best magic happens in the audience's hand

Samuel involving the guest in the magic!

I love this picture within a picture. Inception and deception 😉

Customized magic for the birthday girl!

Comments given by the client:

“Firstly, a really big thank-you to Samuel and Jonathan for their awesome charm brought to the party to liven up the atmosphere at the tables! Till date, some of my guests are still singing praises of their really awesome skills- kids, teens and adults alike. I was worried that having just Closeup Magic for my party would be insufficient but your two Magicians did great in bringing laughter and enjoyment to them! Even the 2 little kids! My little niece still keeps the rubberband star Samuel gave her 🙂

I know it was a really tough challenge having to cope with the especially cheeky adults whom only wanted to see through their tricks but the two of them handled it all very well and very professionally. Jonathan’s special trick for me with my name on the cards was also really impressive!

It was definitely the best choice having you guys at my party, and I would never hesitate to invite you guys again should there be any event that requires such services! Thanks so much :D”

It is always a nice feeling to receive these positive responses, Meta Illusions differentiates ourselves from other magicians because we are constantly involved in the planning and success of your event. We do our best to customize our magic leaving you and your guest a wonderful sense of amazement.

Magic is really quite apt for  21st birthday parties. I have had people asking me for ideas on how to ensure that their guest do not feel bored and I believe magic is the answer. Magic entertains  your guest leaving them feeling attended to, and the best party, it breaks the ice because we all have been to parties where groups of friends do not know the other group.

If you wish to engage our services for your next party or event, drop us an email here: http://www.metaillusions.com/contact.php

We are more than happy to provide consultation to your event and creating success for you!

Signing off,

Alexander

Magic brings people together

I performed magic at an elderly home this morning. It was a very humbling experience in which I come to a further realisation of the power of magic.

I did close up magic followed by stage magic. Initially, the elderly were a little apprehensive, and one of the care takers told me that it was because they were not used to a new face. I understand. So I decided to take off the whole “magician-y” feel, and I simply greeted them in mandarin and spoke to them for a while then performed my magic.

It was such a wonderful and heart warming experience when they start to open up to you. I see the smiles of their faces and how they look to one another for an explanation to the magic and then burst in smiles in acknowledgement that the magic amazed them.

I spent some time talking to this old lady, and despite her old age, she is the one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her hair is white, and she has a nice smile, she is frail, but yet as graceful as a swan.

She told me that she had a son who is studying in the United States right now, and that he is married to a lovely wife, and how much she misses him. She also asked me where did I learn my magic from and to my surprise, she used to know magicians personally from China and America. And she shares that they all learnt from mentors. It was a very pleasant and enriching experience for me.

I think magic has the power to connect people and elicit emotions that are hardly elicited in everyday life. It brings smiles to people in the most unexpected situation. Smiles beget more smiles, and happiness begets more happiness.

It was a wonderful way to begin my day.