Rotterdam · South Holland · Netherlands
A surprise as bold as the skyline.
Congress at Ahoy, maritime dinner or company party: Isma Zmerli adds mind reading and close-up magic to Rotterdam events, in English or French.
5.0 on Google (500+ reviews) · English or French · About 2h40 from Paris by Eurostar
How it can work
A Rotterdam event might be a congress at Ahoy, a client evening on the Kop van Zuid or a party in a former factory. Each setting calls for its own kind of interaction.
Networking
At exhibitor drinks or a maritime industry dinner, guests often know each other only by email. Isma works his way around the room and lets the magic make the introductions: an object that travels from one guest’s hand to another, a word chosen in secret and then revealed.
For receptions, exhibitor evenings and client dinners.
Main stage
In an auditorium or a factory hall, anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes on stage brings audience members up, one choice after another, until the final reveal. It works as a congress opener or as the centrepiece of a company party.
Only a microphone and some stage space are needed.
Port and innovation
For logistics, energy and technology teams, Isma, an AI engineer by training, shows how prediction works and when it fails, in his AI mentalism show or in a keynote on artificial intelligence with a more educational slant.
For innovation days and conferences.
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.
Rotterdam and the Maas
The direct Eurostar from Paris reaches Rotterdam Centraal in about two hours forty. Each performance follows the venue, whether a congress auditorium, a former transatlantic liner or a listed factory, and the way your guests move through the evening.
Shows are in English or French, not Dutch: mention your guests’ languages when you get in touch so the format suits everyone in the room.
Congresses and fairs
Rotterdam Ahoy, in the south of the city, combines exhibition halls with a convention centre built around RTM Stage, a vast auditorium, and hosts trade fairs such as Europort. De Doelen, on Schouwburgplein near Rotterdam Centraal, is both a concert hall and a congress venue.
On the waterfront
Dinners at Hotel New York, the former head office of the Holland America Line, events at nhow Rotterdam inside the De Rotterdam tower, or a night aboard the SS Rotterdam, moored at Katendrecht: close-up while guests mingle, the stage once they are seated.
Industrial heritage
The Van Nelle factory, a UNESCO World Heritage site where coffee, tea and tobacco were once processed, now hosts congresses, launches and parties in its glass-walled halls. Company sites and offices across the city work too.
Centrum, Kop van Zuid, Wilhelminapier, Katendrecht, Delfshaven, Kralingen, Blijdorp, Feijenoord, Rotterdam-Zuid, the port areas
Schiedam, Vlaardingen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Barendrecht, Dordrecht, Delft, The Hague, Gouda, Leiden, Breda
About two hours forty from Paris Gare du Nord by direct Eurostar, with Amsterdam around forty minutes further north by train. The quote details Isma’s travel.
Good to know: Rotterdam’s water taxis link the city centre with the Kop van Zuid, Katendrecht and the SS Rotterdam in a few minutes. For a waterside venue, booking boats for your guests can turn the arrival into part of the evening.
AmsterdamParisLondonCorporate eventsTrade showsAll 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
There is no Dutch version: Isma performs in English or in French. English is widely understood in the Netherlands, and the experience rests on what volunteers do and what the room sees. Still, describe your audience when you enquire so we can judge together.
Yes. During trade fairs such as Europort, a close-up set on your stand helps start conversations with visitors, and the same format suits an exhibitor dinner afterwards. Details on the trade show entertainment page.
Yes, throughout South Holland: The Hague, Delft, Schiedam, Dordrecht, Gouda and Leiden, and further to Breda or Utrecht. The Hague is a short train ride from Rotterdam Centraal.
Late January and early February during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, July with the North Sea Jazz Festival at Ahoy, and early September for World Port Days. Book early if your date falls around them.
Yes. Close-up adapts to an office floor, a canteen or a visitor centre, with no stage needed. A stage segment only adds a microphone and an open area in front of the audience; on port sites, let Isma know about any safety briefing or access rules beforehand.
Mainly the format and how long it lasts, the size of the audience and the date. The Eurostar journey from Paris appears on the quote, which you receive within a day.
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.
