Paris · Receptions · Dinners · Weddings
Magic that happens in your guests’ hands.
Isma Zmerli, a magician based in Paris, moves among your guests at receptions, dinners and parties with sleight of hand performed a few inches away, in English or French.
5.0 on Google (500+ reviews) · Based in Paris · Reply within 24 hours, no commitment.
Magic at close range
Paris receptions often take place in rooms never designed for a show: a mansion salon, the deck of a boat, a museum gallery. Close-up magic needs no stage, no lighting and no sound system, so it adapts to the venue rather than the other way round.
During the cocktail
Isma joins four or five guests for a few minutes: a borrowed ring that travels, a card signed then lost and found somewhere impossible, coins that multiply in a hand. Then he moves on, and the conversation keeps going without him.
Typically one to three hours, depending on your guest list.
Between courses
At a seated dinner, Isma visits each table between courses, in step with the waiting staff. Once dessert is served, he can gather everyone for a 20 to 45-minute set. For predictions and mind reading, see his mentalist in Paris page.
For the set, the venue provides a microphone and a clear space at the front.
Brand and tech evenings
Isma is also an AI engineer, and his repertoire includes digital effects alongside cards and everyday objects, a good fit for a launch or a client evening at a tech company. For a full show on artificial intelligence, see the AI magician format.
For product launches, showrooms and client evenings.
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.
Paris receptions
Isma is based in Paris and works the way Parisian receptions unfold: guests arriving in waves after work, a cocktail that becomes a seated dinner, speeches slotted in between. Close-up adapts to each phase, in a private salon as easily as on a boat.
Mansions and salons
Cocktails in the restored salons and gardens of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, near the Champs-Élysées, which hosts from 100 to 1,300 guests: roaming magic keeps every room of a multi-salon venue lively, not only the one with the bar.
On the Seine
Bateaux Parisiens, moored at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, offers private hire of boats for 50 to 400 guests. On board, table magic between courses suits the narrow spaces and gives each table its own moment as the monuments go by.
Unusual venues
A reception among the vintage carousels of the Musée des Arts Forains in Bercy, up to 900 guests for a cocktail, or a dinner in the private rooms of Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon: close-up needs no stage, which suits venues that have none.
the 8th and the Champs-Élysées, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Marais, Montmartre, Bercy, Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower, the Grands Boulevards, Batignolles
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Boulogne-Billancourt, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Levallois-Perret, La Défense, Saint-Cloud, Vincennes, Saint-Ouen
Versailles, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Reims and the Champagne houses
Good to know: Paris slows right down in August, when many offices run on skeleton staff and plenty of restaurants close for their annual break. Summer parties therefore cluster in June and early July, so those dates are worth securing early.
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
Usually one to three hours, depending on the number of guests and how the evening unfolds. The set is planned so that every group gets its moment, latecomers included.
Yes. On board, Isma moves from table to table between courses, in step with the crew and the waiters, so service is never held up. Each table gets a few minutes of magic of its own, with nothing to install.
No. Close-up is performed standing among the guests, with Isma’s own props, so it suits a salon, a gallery or a courtyard. Only a set for the whole room requires a microphone and a cleared area.
Yes: during the drinks reception, while the couple are busy with photos, close-up gives guests something to share. See the wedding magician page for more.
Yes. At fairs such as Maison&Objet, held at Paris Nord Villepinte every January and September, close-up stops passers-by and gives your sales team a natural opening. The trade show magician page explains how it works.
It depends on the duration, the number of guests, the date and whether you add a set for the whole room. Share your details and you will have a quote within 24 hours.
Yes, in English or in French. Paris receptions often bring several nationalities together, and close-up is visual, so everyone can follow.
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.
