From Laughter to Action: The Hypnotic Secret of Effective Event Entertainment
The real secret to making your event work isn’t the food, the venue, or the schedule—it’s who controls your guests’ attention.
For 20+ years, I’ve engineered entertainment that delivers 30-50% lifts in client ROI—not by being “fun,” but by capturing, focusing, and directing attention into a hypnotic state where suggestions become action.
The bar experiments.
I started learning this at Malone’s Magic Bar in Boca Raton around 2003.
I would get a crowd of people laughing and having fun, and during the performance I would take a drink from my ‘cranberry vodka’ (really grenadine + 7UP). The entire bar - sometimes 20 to 60 people - picked up their drinks and took a sip with me.
The opportunity was obvious. I started taking one or two sips from my drink during each show. Glasses emptied faster, and bar revenue increased.
I also noticed that if one person in a group asked for a refill, everyone in the group ordered another drink. So when I had group of 20 or 30 people watching the magic and having fun, I suggested that we take a break, refill drinks, and do some more magic.
By simply taking a sip first and timing the refill offer, we increased beverage sales 50% per seat (1 drink to 2 or more).
Scaling the principle to corporate and trade shows.
Here’s how I transferred the psychology from the bar to corporate behavior.
At the end of a set at a corporate event, I told the audience, “If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to tell Elizabeth from Emerson.”
I always got positive reviews from my clients, but the next day Elizabeth reported a line of people telling her how much fun they had with the magic.
I tested this with other clients, and they detailed 3x more people telling them how much they enjoyed the magic.
I applied that to the trade show booth. At the opening night hospitality, I said “Don’t forget to visit the Emerson booth tomorrow to see the new variable speed compressor.”
I got an email the next Monday from a marketing person who said “jeez, everyone came to the booth talking about the magic from the night before!”
Admittedly, we didn’t talk about how many of them asked about the compressor, but the increase in traffic is indicative.
Another client wanted to introduce their new VP of sales to the clients at their hospitality event. I got him on stage, did a fun trick with him, and introduced him as the new VP of Sales.
At the end of the show, I asked everyone to shake his hand and say thank you to him for the event - and he literally had people lined up to talk to him.
The entertainment becomes a business multiplier - literally taking the company’s existing business processes and helping them get 2x, 3x or more return simply by capturing and directing their guests’ attention.
| Tactic | Environment | Result |
|---|
- | Sip + Refill | Magic Bar | 50% sales lift |
- | "Tell Elizabeth" | Corporate | 3x feedback volume |
- | Booth Prompt | Trade Show | Traffic surge |
- | VP Handshake | Hospitality | Networking line formed |
Do that, not this…
Here’s the thing. Most entertainers will talk about “integrating the product message into the performance” and they’ll draw attention to a logo, talk about your brand message, or involve your key people in the show.
Unfortunately, all the data and “look at our stuff” messaging makes the audience glaze over.
Rather than engaging with your people, guests say things like, “it’s really impressive how he integrated your product into his show.”
But they don’t do anything that advances toward a sale.
How to use it in your own event.
There’s three steps to getting this right:
Clarify: Identify the behavior you want the guest to perform
Captivate: Capture, focus, and direct their attention with entertainment that fully engages the audience
Command: Deliver a specific offer and call to action
The script looks like something like this.
“If you had a good time, and you want to learn more, talk to Bob about the new product…”
‘If you had a good time, and you’re tired of late deliveries, talk to Mike about your current pump project, and we’ll show you how fast we can deliver what you need.”
“If had a good time, and you want learn about our new pump program, drop your business card in the bin…”
It’s a simple formula that compels action.
If you’re planning a corporate or golf club event, imagine entertainment that doesn’t just hold attention—but directs it.
That’s what I design weekly for clients seeing 30-50% lifts in engagement and sales.
Curious? Reply with your event details—I’ll send 3 tailored ideas to hit your goals (no cost, no obligation).
As always, I’m happy to help you celebrate your success in our next quarterly clients-only report.
