Magic & Mentalism for 600 Guests
Inside RBC’s Lunar New Year Corporate Gala in Montreal
Bao Magic on stage for RBC’s Lunar New Year – Photo by Vanessa Cyr
Corporate galas often bring together hundreds of guests, senior executives, and key clients. The challenge is creating entertainment that captures the attention of the entire room while still feeling personal and connected to the occasion.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to perform at RBC’s 8th Annual Lunar New Year Gala in Montréal, hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Montréal and attended by nearly 600 guests.
RBC hosts this celebration annually for its leadership, clients, and partners to mark Lunar New Year and celebrate the Chinese and broader Asian community. The evening featured multiple cultural performances and concluded with a magic and mentalism act designed to close the event on a memorable note.
For this event, the goal was to create a performance that would work at a large scale, align with the celebration's theme, and deliver a strong closing moment for the night.
Opening the Event with Close-Up Magic During the Cocktail Hour
Photo by Vanessa Cyr
The evening began during the cocktail reception with close-up mingling magic and mentalism.
This style of performance allows guests to experience the magic just inches away in small groups, which helps break the ice and spark conversations between people who may be meeting for the first time.
These interactive moments help build energy in the room early in the evening and create shared experiences among guests before the main program begins.
Designing a Stage Performance for 600 Guests
Photo by Vanessa Cyr
Later in the evening, I returned to the stage for the closing act of the night, performing a 15-minute magic and mentalism performance designed specifically for a large audience.
When performing for hundreds of guests, every moment needs to be visual, clear, and engaging so that the entire room can follow the experience.
At this gala, the stage was positioned in the middle of the ballroom due to the scale of the event and the room layout. This meant the performance had to work equally well from every angle.
To make this possible, we coordinated closely with the audiovisual production team at BeGreen Studios, who implemented a live camera feed with several PTZ cameras and a mobile camera operator.
The result was a seamless blend of live performance and projection screens that allowed every guest in the ballroom to experience the details of the magic.
Adapting the Show for a Lunar New Year Celebration
Photo by Vanessa Cyr
For this gala, the performance was adapted to reflect the theme of welcoming fortune and prosperity for the new year, an important idea associated with Lunar New Year celebrations.
Rather than presenting a standard routine, the structure and scripting of the act were tailored so that the magic would feel connected to the occasion and resonate with the audience.
One of the opening moments included participation from Marjolaine Hudon, Regional President for Québec at RBC, creating a memorable interaction that connected the performance directly with the host organization.
A Finale About Prosperity
The closing piece of the act centered around the theme of prosperity.
For this moment, I borrowed a $20 bill from a randomly selected guest who joined me on stage. The bill was used as part of the routine and, by the end of the performance, it transformed into $100.
The idea behind the piece was simple: the guest would return to their seat with five times the amount they had originally handed me, a symbolic way of representing prosperity and good fortune for the year ahead.
But then something unexpected happened.
After receiving the $100 bill, the guest shared that in Chinese culture, when someone brings you wealth, you return the gesture. He then reached into his wallet and handed me another $100 bill.
It was a completely unscripted moment that perfectly captured the spirit of the evening.
Video by Caro Weng & Ellie.N. Photo
Behind the Scenes: Coordinating a Large-Scale Production
Large corporate events rely on strong collaboration behind the scenes.
For this gala, the audiovisual production was handled by BeGreen Studios, whose live camera setup ensured that every guest in the room could follow the performance.
My backstage manager, Dany Dao, coordinated the technical cues throughout the act, from music timing to communication with the production team, ensuring everything ran smoothly.
This level of coordination allows the performer to remain fully focused on engaging with the audience.
What Event Planners Can Take Away
Photo by Michael Nguyen (@caerus.exe)
This event is a great example of how magic and mentalism can adapt to large-scale corporate celebrations.
For RBC’s Lunar New Year Gala, the performance included:
• Close-up magic during cocktail hour to warm up the crowd and encourage guest interaction
• Customized stage act designed for nearly 600 guests
• Scripting adapted to the theme of Lunar New Year to connect with the occasion
• Collaboration with a professional AV team using live cameras and projection screens
• A short, high-impact closing performance that fit seamlessly into a multi-entertainment program
The goal is always the same: create entertainment that feels tailored to the event while keeping the entire audience engaged.
Planning a Corporate Gala or Client Event?
Bao Magic creates customized magic and mentalism performances for corporate events, galas, and client celebrations across Canada.
Whether it’s close-up magic during cocktail hour or a stage performance designed for hundreds of guests, each experience is crafted to fit the scale and atmosphere of the event.
