London Ontario
Keeping a university up and running is no small endeavor; it demands an extraordinary team.
Every day they’re tasked with maintaining the buildings, dealing with parking, mail, and construction, all while keeping every room across campus at the perfect temperature. Luckily, Western University is in good hands. The dedicated members of their Facilities Management team are experts at keeping everything flowing smoothly behind the scenes. It’s an incredible achievement, and during the holiday season, it’s time to celebrate!
More than 250 guests (employees and spouses of the Facilities Management team) attended the closed-door holiday party hosted at the University’s Great Hall. Wood paneling lined the historic room that was dotted with hand-painted portraits of past university presidents. It was a perfect room for the show, but initially lacked the theatrical equipment needed for the show.
Four hours before guests arrived for the holiday party, Sam was on-site with his AV technician, starting to transform the room into a dinner theatre. A sound system, theatrical lighting, and bright-blue stage curtains were set up in the room, all before the cocktail hour began.
When the doors opened, Sam welcomed guests and instantly sparked conversation by performing his Mingle Magic. Throughout cocktails, Sam walked around the room and performed incredible magic, up close, right in the guest’s hands. One of his most amazing feats was magically causing a dinner fork to bend and twist beyond repair – just inches away from the audiences that formed around him.
Following cocktails, guests sat down for dinner, catered by the in-house team at the University’s Great Hall. Then, it was showtime!
Right on cue, Sam ran on stage and started entertaining the guests with his quick wit and incredible magic. Better yet, he soon invited some of the guests to join him on stage, and they soon became the stars of the highly-interactive show.
At one point, Sam asked to borrow a $100 bill, and caused it to magically disappear! Of course, the (signed) $100 bill magically reappeared later in the show, in a very unusual way!
Twelve volunteers joined the magician in the spotlight throughout the show. From strapping Sam into a straitjacket to helping him defy gravity, they all enjoyed their time on stage. Although very funny, Sam’s humour was completely clean. He never did anything to offend or embarrass anyone in the audience or the guests alongside him on stage.
Really great show! It was clean, entertaining, and engaging. He got lots of people up on stage. Also very professional; everything was set-up hours before the show. I had no concerns about timing; very flexible. Overall, super professional and really engaging for the whole team.
Facilities Management, Western University
