“One Enchanted Evening” in Vicksburg Sept 8

Mississippi Native Turner Brings Magic, Music From Atlanta to Vicksburg

Atlanta speaker and entertainer Joe M. Turner performs in Vicksburg on September 8

NOTE: Listen to a radio interview about this upcoming appearance!
Interview by Annette Kirklin on The Directors Report, WVBG Radio, Vicksburg, MS (8/17/2011)

Atlanta speaker and entertainer Joe M. Turner will perform “One Enchanted Evening” at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center on Thursday, September 8. Turner, a Brandon native, will present a unique show of sleight-of-hand illusions and music performances.

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation takes immense pride in welcoming acclaimed international speaker, corporate entertainer, and Brandon, Mississippi native Joe M. Turner back to his home state for a one-night-only, one-of-a-kind theatrical performance on Thursday, September 8th at 7:00pm in the SCH Auditorium.

Turner will present a multi-faceted evening of variety entertainment including unreal sleight-of-hand mysteries, uncanny psychological illusions, and unforgettable piano and vocal classics, all woven together into what some consider “a 21st-century one-man vaudeville.” Don’t miss this unique entertainment event! This limited engagement will sell out, so don’t miss out!

Tickets are $25 for SCHF Members, $30 for Non-Members and $225 for a Corporate/Private Table. Ticket price includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, punch, a cash bar, and an unforgettable evening of magic, mentalism, and music! Tickets are on sale now at the SCHF Business Office, Paper Plus or charge by phone at (601) 631-2997. You can get tickets and directions online at http://www.southernculture.org

Joe M. Turner combines seven years of corporate experience in training design and development, business communication, human performance development and change management initiatives at Fortune 100 clients with extensive theatre experience and magical talents to create customized magical presentations for his clients.

Joe is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Academy of Magical Arts at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, the Society of American Magicians, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, The Magic Circle in London (A.I.M.C. with silver star), and the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. He is also a popular speaker, onscreen and onstage talent, a professional pianist, an accomplished vocalist, composer and playwright. Visit his website at http://www.turnermagic.com

Space is limited and an advanced ticket purchase is suggested. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the SCHF office at 601-631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org

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Based in Atlanta, Georgia, professional speaker, mentalist, and corporate magician Joe M. Turner delivers unreal entertainment and keynotes for corporate meetings, events, trade shows, conferences and private events worldwide.

Category Entertainment, Event, Arts

What companies really want from corporate entertainers

Speaker/Magician Joe M. Turner entertaining and speaking at a corporate gala.

A somewhat frustrated colleague recently posed this question to me: “What do companies want?  What do companies out there want for their employees and from their providers when it comes to entertainment at meetings and events?”

Even though it may have been asked with an air of exasperation, the truth is that they have hit upon a vital question. The fact is that companies are sensitive not just to their event budgets, but to the perception of how they use their budgets.  Even if they have the means to do an over-the-top record-breaking event in their organization, in tough times there can be negative PR associated with that.

Here’s what I think. In good economies or bad, companies want their events to be successful, as measured by effectively achieving their objectives. That’s it. Those objectives may not always be defined well, but the people putting the event together have objectives for the event, and fulfilling them is the goal.

It is not a question of either entertaining customers/prospects OR communicating marketing messages OR inspiring the audience OR boosting employee morale. The target includes all of those things, and it has always been so.

Even in stronger economies, the purpose of having an entertainer or speaker at corporate meetings, or drawing traffic at a trade show booth, or at any conference or other event has always been more than just entertaining.  There is a lasting impact that quality entertainment can have on the attendees… they perceive and remember the event more positively and therefore remember the content with a positive perception, too.  A quality entertainer is a plus for any event.  But you can take it a step further than that.

In addition to basic entertainment, I sometimes integrate one or two of the main takeaway messages of the conference into my performance. Not in a preachy or heavy-handed way, of course… sometimes it’s almost a wink-wink laugh or an inside joke.  Maybe it’s just an “offhand” comment or example that somehow confirms or emphasizes something the audience learned at the conference.  Whatever the case, it’s not coincidence that it’s in there! It’s a subtle way to direct the attention of the audience back to the important messages and, when skillfully done,  it helps to lock those messages into the minds of the attendees.  (When working at a trade show,  of course, the integration of messaging is not as subtle, but it is equally skillful — the nature of the venue demands more overt marketing messaging.)

I often make at least one pre-event trip to meet with the producers of the event in person to discuss the messaging and how I can make sure my piece of the puzzle will help them to achieve their objectives.

It’s a good question — and worth considering by all meeting planners, conference planners, and other event planners.