The Misquamicut Club - Watch Hill, RI

Last weekend I performed at The Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, RI. This was my second trip to Rhode Island this year and it was even more fun than the last!

The show was for a private event with 90 people in attendance. There were dozens of wealthy, fashionable people in the audience, including Neil Burger, the director of "The Illusionist", "Divergent", and "Limitless". 

Even more amazing, the club was just up the road from Taylor Swift's house and the gorgeous community of Watch Hill. I never know where I'll end up!

I love my job because I get to drop into new communities for a few hours at a time and experience a new way of life. Every time I go to New England I always love it. The East Coast is truly one of my favorite places to travel to.

With Hollywood movie director, Neil Burger, after my show in Watch Hill.

The show was incredible. The audience was attentive and engaged, adding hilarious banter to the performance throughout. I even had one audience member break down in tears after I revealed a memory she had been thinking of. (She thought of the birth of her only child.) It was a wonderful performance and I was happy to receive a genuine standing ovation to close out the night.

---

Mark Toland is a corporate and private event entertainer available for special events worldwide. His award-winning entertainment has been featured on NBC, WGN, WBEZ, and FOX. For information on booking him for your next event, contact us today!

Community Bankers Association of Ohio

I just returned from a performance for the Community Bankers Association of Ohio at the Hilton in Columbus, OH.

My entertainment was part of the 42nd Annual CBAO Convention & Trade Show, held in downtown Columbus. I was asked to dazzle guests during cocktail hour with close-up mysteries of the mind. After dinner, I took the stage and gave a fast-paced 45 minute interactive performance.

A few photos from my short trip to Columbus, OH.

I make it my business to get to venues early and be set up before the client arrives. The less stress I can add to an already stressful event, the better. The venue was beautiful, the audience was receptive, and the event went off without a hitch. 

After the event, my client emailed me with some kind words:

“I just wanted to follow up and say thank you again for everything— people really enjoyed your show and the stroll around was a great addition to our agenda. It seemed like quite a few people came up and me after the show and wanted your contact information. Hopefully you will have a few future shows around Ohio with some community banks!”

— Elizabeth Palmer, CBAO

I also had the chance to visit some family while in town, see a little more of Columbus, and put together a video of the trip. You can check it out below:

---

Mark Toland is an award-winning corporate entertainer, available for conferences, conventions, trade shows, meetings, banquets, and more. For more information, contact us today!

The Hemi Hideout - Conference Entertainment

Last weekend I performed at a corporate conference outside Houston, TX. My show was the closing event for the company’s 2016 kickoff and was held in one of the coolest venues I’ve ever performed in. A mile or so off the main highway on some picturesque Texas farmland is a large unassuming barn known as the Hemi Hideout. Coming from the cold Chicago winter, my wife and I were thrilled to enjoy the sun while we explored the property.

Of course, we spent our time taking pictures and shooting video so we could remember the trip. Eventually we went in to see the performance space and were blown away by the interior. The Hemi Hideout is home to hundreds of vintage neon signs, classic cars, antique gas pumps, posters, tractors, and more. And it’s all for sale!

My show was held at the long end of the room under the bright neon lights. I could tell immediately that the room presented several challenges.

First, my show is designed for an audience that can focus on the performance. The bright lights could potentially be very distracting for an evening of entertainment. Luckily, the audience was attentive, fun, and responsive to my entire show!

Additionally, the acoustics in a large barn are not the greatest. My mic is top of the line, though, and we had no issues.

Part of being a good corporate entertainer is the ability to adapt to different venues with minimal experience in your surroundings. Frequently, I’ll be thrust into a new performance environment with only a few minutes to acquaint myself with the room. It’s this adaptability that has allowed me to perform my corporate mind reading shows in nearly any venue you could imagine.

After the show I mingled with the guests and wowed them with even more mind reading up close. Turns out, the company had heard about my work for a partner company in Jersey City, NJ and had been hoping to book me for over a year. I love when I learn of word-of-mouth referrals between clients. I always feel that my entertainment is world class but it’s great to hear someone else say it!

All in all, it was another successful trip. I doubt I’ll ever perform in as unique a venue as the Hemi Hideout.  As usual, here’s a video I put together from the trip - check out this amazing space!

Sawgrass Marriott Resort

I hopped on a plane yesterday morning to make it to a corporate event in Jacksonville, Florida. This event was held at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort in a stunning ballroom. The company was holding their closing awards ceremony for an annual conference and sales convention, and I provided entertainment to help bring the audience back to life after several long days. Instead of my standard 45 minute show, my time was split up into two 20 minute segments.

Before my performance at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort in Jacksonville, FL.

It was essential to make the performance fast-paced and fun. The attendees were exhausted as a result of their breakout sessions and networking events earlier in the day. So I put together two mini "shows" that involved multiple audience members, kept everyone laughing, and was sure to impress.

I told a lady her first crush, guessed her star sign, and even got her birthday. She really lost it, though, when I correctly guessed her sister's birthday, too, even though her sister wasn't even in attendance. I also dazzled the crowd with other demonstrations, including my blindfold act. My final demonstration brought the house down and led to a long standing ovation.

I always tell my clients that my entertainment is "Low Maintenance and High Impact", meaning that when I arrive they don't have to worry about anything. I'll handle my sound check/set-up and make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. Sure enough, my client approached me after my performance last night and said "You were absolutely incredible! And so low maintenance. It was so easy on us."

Exactly as promised!

Performing in these ballrooms is amazing - the tech crew, staff, and client were a dream to work with and I am reminded constantly how lucky I am to be a traveling corporate entertainer.

2015 Year In Review

2015 was an extremely busy year. I performed shows in over 30 states for companies including McDonald's, Pepsi Co, Sephora, JC Penney, RSA, GSI, and more. While on the road, I started a film project where I would try to record a small snippet of my day. As a result, I captured at least 1 second of video from every day in 2015. And now, I've finally compiled it into this video so you can see what 2015 was like for a touring mind reader.

Enjoy 1 second from every day last year - my 2015 year in review video: