Performing at John Deere's 50th Anniversary Celebration in Nottinghamshire

There are some corporate events you remember because of the venue.

Others because of the audience.

And then there are those rare events that stay with you because they were unlike anything else you've ever done.

John Deere's 50th Anniversary Celebration in the UK was one of those events.

It all took place over a September weekend at the company's Langar headquarters in Nottinghamshire, transforming a quiet field into a temporary celebration of one of the world's most recognisable agricultural brands. There were historic machines alongside the latest models, demonstrations taking place throughout the day, food stalls, live entertainment, family attractions and thousands of visitors coming together to celebrate fifty years of John Deere in the UK and Ireland.

For me, it became one of the most unusual and rewarding corporate events I've ever had the privilege of being part of.

The Booking That Almost Never Happened

Ironically, the booking almost didn't happen at all.

In late 2015 I received an enquiry from John Deere asking about entertainment for their Christmas celebrations. Unfortunately, I was already fully booked and had to decline.

Rather than simply leaving it there, I encouraged Alison Yaxley, John Deere's Shows and Events Coordinator, to keep me in mind for future events. I explained that alongside after-dinner entertainment, I also offered stage performances, exhibition entertainment and interactive experiences designed to engage visitors throughout the day.

Several months later I decided to send a simple follow-up email asking what events they had planned for 2016.

That one email changed everything.

Within twenty-four hours I was invited to Langar to meet the events team and discuss not one, but two major celebrations they were planning for John Deere's landmark anniversary year.

Celebrating 50 Years of John Deere

The anniversary weekend was unlike the formal corporate events I usually perform at.

Instead of arriving at a hotel ballroom or conference venue, I found myself driving into a huge Nottinghamshire field that had been transformed into a temporary festival.

The location itself already felt familiar. Over the years I'd regularly performed my "Dinner With The Mind Reader" experience at the beautiful Langar Hall, just a short distance away, so returning to the area brought back plenty of happy memories.

What greeted me this time, however, was on an entirely different scale.

Everywhere I looked there were John Deere machines - past and present - lined up across the site. Massive marquees stretched across the field while exhibitors, food vendors, demonstrations, family attractions and entertainment areas were all being prepared for what promised to be a very special weekend.

Although it was very much a corporate celebration, it was also a genuine community event. Employees, their families, customers, farming communities and members of the public would all be sharing the same experience.

I remember thinking...

"This is going to be very different."

Building "Challenge the Mind Reader"

Alongside my stage performances, I'd suggested something a little different during our planning meetings.

Instead of simply appearing for scheduled shows, why not create an attraction visitors could discover throughout the weekend?

The result was Challenge the Mind Reader.

It was an interactive performance area measuring roughly two metres square, enclosed by chrome posts linked with black velvet ropes, almost creating a miniature boxing ring for psychological entertainment. Behind me stood a large branded backdrop, while matching signage invited visitors to stop, watch and take on the challenge themselves.

Looking back, it was probably one of the earliest times I'd experimented with creating a dedicated branded experience rather than simply performing wherever space was available. It even had its own hashtag — #CTMR — although I can't honestly remember anybody ever using it!

Setting everything up on the Friday afternoon brought the first challenge of the weekend.

The enormous marquee looked impressive, but the Nottinghamshire weather had other ideas.

The wind constantly pushed and pulled against the canvas walls, making the entire structure gently ripple throughout the day. My two-metre backdrop seemed determined to spend the weekend lying on the floor rather than standing upright. After watching it topple over more than once, I eventually secured the frame to the marquee supports using small bungee cords. It wasn't part of the original plan, but it worked perfectly.

There was another small compromise too.

Normally I'd lay a large branded carpet inside the performance area, but the marquee floor consisted of heavy ground sheets laid directly onto the uneven field beneath. With so many bumps and ridges underfoot, it simply wasn't safe. As much as I liked the branding, guest safety always comes first, so the carpet stayed rolled up.

Sometimes the smallest decisions are the most important ones.

A Windswept Weekend

The wind became one of the unexpected characters of the entire event.

My banner wanted to take off every few minutes.

My hair spent most of the weekend doing whatever it pleased.

Yet elsewhere across the site, another group of performers couldn't have been happier.

Professional kite flyers had been invited as part of the celebrations, and while I was battling to keep everything anchored to the ground, they were making the most of perfect flying conditions with enormous kites dancing high above the Nottinghamshire skyline.

It's one of those little details that still makes me smile whenever I think back to the weekend.

Different People. Different Reactions.

One of the things I love most about mentalism is that no two audiences ever react in exactly the same way.

That became especially obvious during the John Deere celebrations.

Families were naturally curious.

Children approached with complete openness, eager to take part in whatever was happening inside my little roped-off performance area.

One moment has stayed with me ever since.

After reading her mum's mind, I glanced across at a young girl standing nearby. She looked from her mum to me and back again, trying to work out what she'd just witnessed. Her expression changed from curiosity to complete astonishment in a matter of seconds.

It wasn't about the method.

It wasn't about the effect.

It was simply pure wonder.

At the other end of the spectrum were groups of local farming lads.

Their reaction couldn't have been more different.

They initially stood back with folded arms, watching from a comfortable distance. You could almost see them trying to work out what was happening before deciding whether it was worth getting involved.

Then, little by little, they edged closer.

Before long they were leaning on the ropes, laughing, discussing what they'd just seen and trying to come up with explanations of their own.

They weren't pretending to believe anything impossible had happened.

Quite the opposite.

They simply knew they'd witnessed something they couldn't explain.

Those moments are often my favourite.

Creating an Attraction

Public events can sometimes be intimidating for performers.

The last thing you ever want is to be standing in an empty performance space while visitors walk straight past.

Fortunately, that never happened.

Throughout the weekend there was a constant flow of families, John Deere employees, farming communities and visitors stopping to watch, take part and bring friends back to experience it for themselves.

Once a crowd forms, more people naturally become curious.

Curiosity creates conversation.

Conversation creates another crowd.

Before long, Challenge the Mind Reader had become exactly what we'd hoped it would be - another small attraction within a much larger celebration.

Alongside the interactive area, I also performed several stage shows across the weekend, bringing psychological entertainment to audiences who had gathered between the many demonstrations and attractions taking place around the site.

Capturing the Weekend

Knowing how unusual this booking was, I invited videographer Ian Dearman to spend part of the weekend filming.

We captured performances inside Challenge the Mind Reader, stage appearances, interactions with visitors and wider footage around the event itself.

At the time I was thinking about creating a new showreel.

Looking back now, I'm even more grateful that we documented it.

The footage captured not just the performances, but the atmosphere of the weekend itself.

Looking Back

By the time everything had been packed away on Sunday evening, I was exhausted.

Two long days outdoors, constantly adapting to changing conditions, performing for hundreds of visitors and working in an environment completely different from my usual corporate events had certainly taken their toll.

I was relieved that everything had gone well.

Excited to see the footage Ian had captured.

And proud to have played a small part in celebrating such an important milestone for one of the world's most recognisable brands.

Nearly a decade later, it still stands out as one of the most unique corporate events I've ever been involved with.

Sometimes the biggest events aren't remembered because of the size of the stage or the scale of the production.

They're remembered because, somewhere within all that activity, you create a few unforgettable moments for individual people.

For one little girl.

For a sceptical group of farming lads.

For the families who stopped for a few minutes and left smiling.

Those are the moments I still remember.

Planning a Corporate Event in Nottinghamshire?

John Deere's anniversary weekend was very different from the formal corporate dinners, conferences and awards evenings that make up much of my calendar, but that's exactly what made it so memorable.

Whether you're organising an exhibition, product launch, networking event, conference, awards ceremony or large-scale public celebration, every event deserves entertainment that feels engaging, intelligent and genuinely memorable.

If you're looking for a Corporate Mentalist in Nottingham, I'd love to hear about your event and explore how we can create something your guests will still be talking about long after they've gone home.