Berlin · Potsdam · Brandenburg
Mind reading that gets everyone talking.
Isma Zmerli, a Paris-based mentalist and magician, performs close-up and interactive stage shows in English or French for company events, trade fair nights and private parties across Berlin.
5.0 on Google (500+ reviews) · Shows in English or French · Reply within 24 hours, no obligation.
How it works in Berlin
No two Berlin events look alike: a launch in a former railway hall in Kreuzberg, a congress dinner in Neukölln, a prize-giving by the Brandenburg Gate. What matters is when your guests mingle and when they sit down together.
Receptions and networking
During drinks or a walking dinner, Isma joins one group after another: a coin that changes hands, a word only one guest was thinking of, a card chosen at random turning up somewhere impossible. Colleagues from different offices end up laughing together.
Usually one to three hours, depending on guest numbers.
Congress or gala stage
A stage feature of 20 to 45 minutes, built around volunteers from your audience. It can open a congress day, follow the awards at a hotel gala or close a kick-off before the party starts.
Needs a microphone and a clear stage area.
Start-ups and tech
For Berlin’s tech companies and start-ups, Isma, who trained as an artificial intelligence engineer, sets audience intuition against machine prediction: that is the idea behind the AI magic show, made for a product day or a developer conference.
Suits developer events and launches.
Tell Isma about your audience and running order: he will help you choose, with no commitment. For a company event, see also corporate magician and mentalist.
Berlin and Brandenburg
Isma is based in Paris and travels to Berlin for each event, by air or on the direct daytime train, which takes around eight hours. The performance adapts to the room, from the exhibition halls of Westend to a loft in Friedrichshain.
Under the Funkturm
In Westend, Messe Berlin hosts ITB in March, IFA in early September and, in even years, InnoTrans later that month, while CityCube and hub27 take large congresses. Exhibitor parties and delegate dinners around them are natural moments for close-up.
Galas and hotel dinners
Gala dinners take place in hotels such as the Adlon Kempinski by the Brandenburg Gate or the InterContinental Berlin near the Tiergarten, while the Estrel Berlin in Neukölln combines a large hotel with its own congress centre.
Lofts, halls and the Spree
Former industrial venues such as STATION Berlin at Gleisdreieck, rooftop bars in Mitte and boats chartered on the Spree suit launches and team nights. Offices work too, from Potsdamer Platz to the start-up lofts of Kreuzberg.
Mitte, Tiergarten, Potsdamer Platz, Charlottenburg, Westend, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg, Neukölln, Adlershof, Spandau
Potsdam, Brandenburg an der Havel, Schönefeld near BER, Bernau, the Spreewald and the lakes around the city
Under two hours by air from Paris to BER, south of the city. The journey is costed in the quote.
Good to know: Berlin is spread out. Messe Berlin lies in the west, the Estrel in Neukölln and BER airport well to the south, so leave enough time between hotel, venue and airport. Since December 2025, the FEX Airport Express has linked BER with Hauptbahnhof in 23 minutes.
MunichFrankfurtCopenhagenViennaAmsterdamTrade show magicianAll locations
What clients say
Corporate event · Mentalism
★★★★★
“A huge thank you to Isma! An incredible performance: our clients absolutely loved it. Professional, astonishing and incredibly friendly. We recommend him wholeheartedly!”
Corporate event · VIP guests
★★★★★
“Isma is fascinating and charismatic: the perfect experience and wow factor for our event with VIP guests. We were all amazed by his talent, and the guests are still talking about it.”
Company plenary · 200 employees
★★★★★
“Everyone loved the entertainment! […] He was very accommodating and tailored his performance to our company’s needs and industry.”
Meet Isma
On stage or up close with your guests, Isma turns surprise into an experience people share.
The art of capturing attention and getting your guests involved.
Trained in machine learning and deep learning.
A master’s degree exploring perception, attention and decision-making.
Easy to organise
One conversation is enough to get started, even if your programme is still taking shape.
Your questions
No. Isma performs in English or French. Many Berlin companies, start-ups and congresses already use English day to day, which makes the stage show easy to follow, and close-up relies largely on what guests see, so it also works for mixed groups. Let him know the language mix of your audience.
Yes. For a company Christmas party, close-up over the first drinks and a short stage feature before dinner work well together. December evenings are in demand for these parties, so it helps to get in touch the moment your date is confirmed.
Most of them: congress rooms at Messe Berlin or the Estrel, hotel ballrooms in Mitte, event lofts in Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain. A stage feature needs a microphone and a stage area; close-up can happen anywhere, even in a busy bar.
Yes: Potsdam, with its palaces and lakeside villas, Brandenburg an der Havel, the Spreewald and the hotels around BER. Mention the town and the venue in your enquiry so travel can be planned.
Close-up usually runs for one to three hours, depending on the number of guests. A stage feature lasts 20 to 45 minutes. Plenty of Berlin evenings use the two in sequence: close-up as people arrive, then the stage once everyone is seated.
Every quote is built from your brief: format, length, guest numbers and date. Travel from Paris is itemised in the quote, so you know the full cost up front. Send your details and Isma replies within 24 hours with a proposal.
Yes, so plan early. Early September brings IFA, in even years InnoTrans follows later in the month, and the Berlin Marathon is usually held in the second half of September, so hotels and venues fill up fast.
Let’s talk about your event
Share your date, venue and programme for a quote, or ask which format would suit your guests.
Reply within 24 hours.
Across Europe and beyond: a selection of our recent dates.
