When planners start looking at entertainment for a corporate event, the first question is usually "band or DJ?" A magician often isn't on the list until someone has seen one work a room. The three do very different jobs at corporate events, and the right choice depends less on budget than on what each part of your evening needs.
I'm a corporate magician and mentalist in New York, so I'm not neutral here. But I share plenty of nights with bands and DJs, and the best events usually use two of the three, each at the moment it's built for.
The short answer
- Hire a DJ if your guests will dance and you want music all night at a flexible volume.
- Hire a band if live music is the centerpiece, your guests will dance, and the room has space for a stage and the sound.
- Hire a magician if the evening is about conversation: a cocktail hour, a client reception, a networking event or a crowd that won't dance. A magician also gives a seated audience one shared moment after dinner.
- Combine them if the night has a reception and a dance floor: magic while people mingle, music once they're ready to dance.
A DJ for a corporate event
What a DJ does well: a professional corporate event DJ keeps music going all night and reads the room, adjusting the playlist to the crowd rather than playing a fixed list. A good corporate DJ often doubles as the MC, handles announcements and plays the walk-up music for awards. DJs adapt quickly, from background music at dinner to a full dance floor an hour later.
What a DJ needs: a table, power, and enough room for speakers. Most bring their own sound system, and many offer event lighting like uplighting and dance floor lights.
Watch out for: a DJ only works as entertainment if people dance. If your crowd won't, the DJ becomes background music, and background music doesn't get anyone talking. Volume is the other risk: music loud enough to fill a dance floor makes conversation hard during the cocktail hour.
Best for: a company holiday party with a dance floor, team celebrations, galas after the program, and any party venue where the evening ends with dancing.
A band for a corporate event
What a band does well: live music has an energy recorded music doesn't. A great band turns a ballroom into a party, and for a gala or a big anniversary celebration, a band feels like an occasion in itself. Many corporate event bands also play quieter sets, like a jazz trio during dinner, before the full band takes over.
What a band needs: a stage or a cleared area, power, a load-in and sound check before guests arrive, and breaks between sets. The bigger the band, the more space and planning it needs.
Watch out for: a band is usually the most expensive and the least flexible of the three. It also takes over the room: once the band is playing, it's the main event, so it's hard to do anything else at the same time.
Best for: galas, large corporate holiday parties, milestone anniversaries and any event where dancing is the point of the night.
A magician for a corporate event
What a magician does well: gets people talking. Strolling magic goes to guests in small groups during the cocktail hour, and a moment of astonishment turns a cluster of strangers into a group laughing together. Nobody has to dance, sing or volunteer, so it works for every guest, including the ones who would never step onto a dance floor. A stage show after dinner gives the whole room one shared moment, and it can be built around your company: a product, a milestone or the people being honored.
What a magician needs: for strolling, nothing at all. No stage, no power, no sound check. For a stage show, a microphone and some light.
Watch out for: a magician won't fill a dance floor, and strolling magic works best in a room where people can hear each other. Music playing at conversation volume is fine.
Best for: cocktail hours, client appreciation events, networking events, conferences, awards dinners, executive dinners and any crowd that won't dance.
As Kaila S., Vice President of Development at Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, put it:
He was able to get the guests really excited, mingling together, and also in awe!
How they compare
- Setup: a band needs the most (stage, power, load-in, sound check). A DJ needs a table, power and speakers. Strolling magic needs nothing.
- Conversation: a band and a DJ both raise the volume of the room. Strolling magic starts conversations rather than competing with them.
- Who it reaches: music reaches the people who dance. Strolling magic reaches every small group, including the guests who would never dance.
- What people remember: with a band or a DJ, the atmosphere. With a magician, a specific moment that happened to them, which they retell at work on Monday.
- Flexibility: a DJ is the easiest to adjust on the night. Strolling magic fits around any run of show. A band sets the schedule around its sets.
Which one fits your event?
- Holiday party: magic during the cocktail hour, then a DJ or a band once dinner is over. These office holiday party ideas show how the evening fits together.
- Client reception or networking event: a magician. Your goal is conversation, and loud music works against it.
- Conference or awards dinner: a short stage show to hold the room during the program, and a DJ afterward if there's dancing.
- Product launch: a magician who can build your product into the material, with a DJ for atmosphere.
- Gala: a band for the dancing, and strolling magic during the reception before dinner.
- Small executive dinner: close-up magic at the table. A DJ or band would overwhelm the room.
For more options matched to each kind of event, see these corporate event entertainment ideas.
Combining a magician with a band or DJ
Many of the best evenings use both, one after the other. A typical run of show looks like this:
- Cocktail hour: strolling magic while guests arrive and mingle, with background music at conversation volume.
- Dinner: quiet music from the DJ or a small band.
- After dinner: a short magic show for the whole room, or the awards.
- The rest of the night: the DJ or band takes over and the dance floor opens.
Each act gets the moment it's best at, and nobody is competing for the room.
What does each one cost?
Prices vary widely by city, date and size. A DJ typically costs the least of the three, and a band's fee rises with the number of musicians and the length of the night. For my own work in New York, strolling magic runs $3,000 to $6,000, a stage show $4,000 to $7,000, and both together $6,000 to $12,000. I've written up what a corporate magician costs, including what moves the price.
Whoever you hire for your next event, the same rules apply: watch video from real events, ask what they need from the venue, and get everything in writing. Here's my full checklist for hiring a magician, and most of it applies to bands and DJs too.
Band, DJ or magician: FAQ
Should I hire a band or a DJ for a corporate event?
Hire a corporate event DJ if you want flexibility, a smaller footprint and a lower cost. Hire a band if live music is the centerpiece of the night and you have the space and budget for it. Either way, make sure your guests will actually dance.
What's the best entertainment for a corporate event where people won't dance?
Entertainment that comes to them. A strolling magician during the cocktail hour or a short show after dinner works for every guest, without asking anyone to get up and perform.
Can a magician perform while a DJ or band is playing?
Yes, during the cocktail hour, as long as the music is at conversation volume. Once the dance floor opens, it's time for the music to take over.
Do I need a stage for a magician?
Not for strolling magic. For a stage show, a small stage or riser helps once the audience is above about 100 people.
Planning a corporate event in New York?
If you're weighing entertainment for a corporate event, tell me about it. The date and the venue don't need to be settled yet, and I'm happy to tell you where magic fits in your evening and where it doesn't.