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cowardlylion wrote:Having never been to a magic convention or lecture before. I have signed up for the whole weekend

A wise decision! My first visit to the Blackpool bash was last year and it's a biggie. There's virtually no breathing space between events so you need to check the programme and work out which events you want to see as there will be clashes and you can't get to see everything. The dealers are the biggest problem - if you think it's tempting to see stuff offered on line then just wait until you're presented with two or three huge rooms of dealers, all demonstrating and selling wonderful must have items. On the Friday afternoon the dealers are restricted to less than half the full amount and they're in the upstairs Horseshoe area but Saturday and Sunday is when the big rooms downstairs are used and it's probably best to resist buying anything on Friday as there's a much bigger choice on the other two days. Easy to say, not so easy to do - I blew most of my cash on the Friday but was chuffed to find cash machines were merely a short stroll away in the town centre!

Friday afternoon is registration time so get there as early as you can (check the times of opening first) and be prepared for a long queue but also be prepared to rub shoulders with professional magi who will happily chat and swap ideas, thoughts etc. Last year I (and 4 others) spent half an hour chatting to Ali Bongo - nice bloke, such a gentleman. Blackpool is frantic, the shows are top quality and the atmosphere of being among others with the same interests as yourself is wonderful. Main tip is to just go, soak it all up, and enjoy. Nest best tip is to get your registration for 2007 in as quickly as you can - the form is usually with the programme!

Thank you for that. The tip on getting to registration early sounds a good one. The more I read the more excited I am about the whole thing.

Looks like I am going to have, to put a whole lot of overtime in between now and then to pay my way lol . Should be great weekend

Once again thanks,

Paul

cowardlylion wrote:I am assuming my credit card will come in handy especially as I can see a bad case of CUPS coming on. But any tips or advice that can be posted about the event would be very much appreciated. Cheer in advance

Paul

Actually cash tends to be preferred, especially by the overseas dealers.
There are plenty of cash machines near the Winter Gardens.

My best tips may sound strange, but you will appreciate them:

1. Dress lightly
2. Bring a bottle of water

Although the weather will probably be cold, the venue is hot. Especially for the Gala shows, which can get quite unbearable!
And with so much going on, right through the weekend, endurance is a factor!
You don't want to end up uncomfortable and miserable, and not enjoying the never-ending stream of great magic.

Some aspirin might be a good idea too!
Especially if you end up in one of the legendary Bar Sessions....

The bar sessions until the early hours are the best thing about Blackpool. Its cheaper to book in hotels other than the main event hotel but you are likely to miss out on the late night sessions. Believe me, they are a must. You will see some very good magicians showing people how to do their stuff.

Last time I went I was sat in my room at half 3 in the morning trying to remember moves that had been shown to me an hour earlier. Take a notepad, and learn some awesome stuff.

Being new to the magic scene I have never know about this convention before. Does it mean we can expect an fair few new tricks coming onto the market in the next few weeks or is it just a case of magicians showing off new ideas to fellow magicians?

Yes i am not going this year but deafently next year, if i am going to go to blackpool it would deafently cost me about 1 grand as there will be tonnes of magic just wating to be bought.