From Tricks to Trust - A Magician’s Guide to Authentic Networking
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Learn how to meet new people and grow your network - without the performance.
We all know we need to be doing more networking, and as AI rapidly takes over our digital lives, more of us are seeking real in-person connection with others.
Networking can feel awkward, performative, or transactional. It can feel like something you subject yourself to, rather than do with people.
In this interactive event, we’ll use magic as a lens to explore how trust, curiosity, and authentic connection really work. Not as a performance, but as a way of understanding attention, storytelling, and the subtle ways we shape how others see us and how we see ourselves.
We’ll uncover the stories we tell, the boxes we put ourselves in, and how small shifts in perspective can completely change the way conversations feel in networking, work, and everyday life.
This is a unique workshop / networking hybrid, with playful exercises, honest conversation, and great food + drinks provided.
💡 What to expect at the event
We’ll ignore the usual expectations of networking, and explore what it really means to connect using curiosity, playfulness, and a bit of honest reflection.
Through stories, simple exercises, and a short lightning talk, you’ll see how ideas from magic can reveal what’s really going on in our conversations.
How we present ourselves and build trust, and how we inadvertently misdirect others, and even ourselves.
The event will address challenges like:
Feeling awkward, performative, or unsure in networking settings
Worrying about being sold to - or having to sell yourself
Not knowing how to talk about what makes you interesting
How to listen more effectively (and learning why this is a superpower)
Feeling pressure to fit into boxes shaped by work culture or social media
Wanting more meaningful, human conversations
This isn’t your average networking event. Expect:
Playful, low-pressure ways to meet new people
Thought-provoking group activities
A practical lightning talk from Olly
Honest, relatable stories
Other people curious about doing work differently
Past attendees have said our events have made them feel:
Invigorated
Reflective
Empowered
“The most fun I’ve had at a work event."
Senior Product Manager, BBC iPlayer (past event attendee)
🙋🏽♀️ Who is this event for?
Business owners or leaders looking to get out of the office and expand their network. You can be a serial networker, or brand new to networking. This event is for you!
The event will be inclusive and welcoming to all who attend.
🎤 Your facilitators
Tom Parson is an experienced facilitator and founder of Big Echo, an innovation and growth partnership based in Manchester.
After a decade running tech agency Huddle Digital, Tom launched Big Echo to demystify, derisk and democratise innovation for traditional sector businesses.
Alongside this, he is also a contract lecturer, corporate facilitator and private trainer – teaching innovation, design thinking, software engineering, entrepreneurship and, occasionally, music production.
Olly Fray is a magician, software developer and entrepreneur, interested in how people form trust, make decisions, and connect with one another.
He runs Pathway, a MarTech consultancy that helps teams make sense of complex systems and data.
He uses magic not only to entertain but as a way to explore attention, perception, and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s possible. Magic can teach us how easily people can feel awkward, guarded, or unsure in social settings, and how small shifts in tone, framing, and curiosity can completely change how a conversation feels.
⏰ Event timings
6:00pm - 6:30pm Registration + networking games
6:30pm - 8:00pm Keynote + workshop
8:00pm - 8:30pm Networking + food
🎟️ Your ticket
Your ticket gets you all of this:
Delicious South Korean food and complimentary drink
5% donation to climate change innovation
Guaranteed to have a meaningful conversation with at least 3 new people
1.5h of expert facilitation
1h of structured networking
Optional free Big Echo merch
Spaces are limited so we can provide an excellent experience for those who attend. Don't wait to grab your ticket!
This event is suitable for self-directed CPD. Participants may record up to 1.5 CPD hours for attending the workshop session.
🥟 Food
RamYum will serve a Korean-inspired grazing platter that is bold, satisfying, and made fresh.
See more on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramyum_uk/
🏙️ Venue
SEESAW is a space for people who like to think more curiously.
A space to work, learn and play, SEESAW is a workspace, cafe, events and exhibition space in a beautifully transformed warehouse in the heart of Manchester city centre.