Palm Springs & Coachella Valley mentalist & magicianStart the desert trip with a night nobody on it will forget.
People go to Palm Springs to get away together, on incentive trips, leadership retreats and three-day wedding weekends. I come out from Los Angeles to make the welcome reception the night everyone talks about for the rest of the program. All I bring is what’s in my pockets, which helps when tonight is on a lawn and tomorrow is by the pool.
Why walking around suits resort events
Resort events happen outside, on terraces and lawns and pool decks, and they’re often in a different spot every night. A stage act wants a stage, a sound system and a rehearsal. All I need from you is a start time.
Incentive trips
The welcome reception sets the tone for the whole program. People have just landed, their partners don’t know anyone, and the first hour can be stiff. A bit of mind reading in small groups loosens a crowd up faster than the open bar does, and the two work even better together.
Retreats and board dinners
Twenty to sixty people in a private dining room or on a villa terrace. I’ll stroll during drinks, then do the short parlor show between the main course and dessert.
Conference evenings
The big meeting hotels and the Palm Springs Convention Center host association and corporate meetings all season. The evening receptions are where I fit in.
Wedding weekends
Welcome party on Friday, cocktail hour on Saturday. Desert weddings tend to be long weekends with the same guests at every event, which is great for me, because people I met on Friday come looking for me on Saturday.
When to book
The busy months are October to May, and January through April is the peak. If your date is in there, get in touch early. Summer events are mostly indoors and a lot easier to schedule.
The valley, city by city
The main meeting and event properties, from Palm Springs down to La Quinta.
- Palm Springs Convention Center
- Renaissance Palm Springs
- Thompson Palm Springs
- Parker Palm Springs
- Kimpton Rowan, Palm Springs
- Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs
- The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage
- Omni Rancho Las Palmas, Rancho Mirage
- The Westin Rancho Mirage
- JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Desert
- Renaissance Esmeralda, Indian Wells
- Miramonte Resort, Indian Wells
- La Quinta Resort & Club
These are here for reference. I’m an independent performer and I’m not affiliated with any of them.
Questions about desert bookings
Do you cover the whole Coachella Valley?
Yes. Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta and Indio.
How does the travel work?
It’s about two hours from LA, and it’s already in the price. For evening events I normally stay in the valley overnight on my own dime. That also means I’m around the next day if you’d like me at the farewell brunch.
We’re a DMC running an incentive program. Can you do more than one night?
Yes, and it’s a good idea. The way I’d do it is strolling at the welcome reception on night one, then a short parlor show at the final dinner. By the last night the people who met me on day one are dragging their colleagues over. There’s a page for planners with everything you’d need for a proposal.
Does this work outdoors in the desert?
Yes, and nearly everything out there is outdoors anyway. October through May the evenings are lovely. The wind can pick up in the afternoon, so I bring material that doesn’t depend on loose paper staying where I put it.
Do you do private homes and rented estates?
Yes. House parties, big birthdays and wedding weekends at rented estates are a Palm Springs specialty, and I don’t need anything from the property.
Tell me about your party and I’ll call you.
I’d rather talk for ten minutes than trade six emails. I’ll ask about the crowd and the timing, tell you what I’d do, and give you a price before we hang up. You don’t have to decide on the call.
Sets start at $700.