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This was my first convention, and I am definetly going next year. Let me tell you about the events I went to...

Friday
The British Close-up Championships - 10 competitors of a very high standard (semi-proffesionals and full time proffesionals). It was won by a Hungarian (I think) called Feco. His magic was all to music and it was beautifully slick. The deserved winner.

Bob Fitch Lecture - Didn't go!

Comedy Calvacade (adults only) - Didn't go!

Boris Wild Lectrure - A very interesting lecture on marked cards. I'll have to start trying his ideas out. Boris was highly entertaining, he resemembled the Graham Norton of magic and that made me laugh for three days...

Paul Gertner Lecture - Didn't go!

Saturday
U.K Childrens Entertainer of the Year - Didn't go! It was won by Magic Dave.

Franz Harary Lecture - The star of the show, gave a lecture but it was an open question and answer session rather than teaching tricks. A lot of the questions were about music and lighting, etc... Really great lecture.
(Funny Story) I was waiting for the lecture and i approached Franz to ask for his autograph on my programme.
He writes 'To' and then asks,' Who shall I put it to?'
And I say, 'Put it To Edward.'
Franz looks at me and says, 'Oh, so you're Edward?' Almost like he'd heard off me before.
So I say quick as a flash, 'Why do you know me?'
He replies, 'You sure look familar.'
(if you didn't laugh, don't worry. It was funny at the time!)

Vladimir Lecture - Didn't go!

'Kidz R Us' Lecture By David Ginn - I went to this to see a bit about children's magic, but I'm not sure that it's an area I want to pursue any further. I brought the book, but maybe I wasted my money. We'll see, i didn't learn that much.

'Kidz R Us' Lecture By Ron Popple - Didn't go!

Rene Levand Lecture - He spoke in spanish, so ther was an interpreter, but this lecture was magical! Rene only has one arm yet he amazed an audience who watched as he weaved magic with equally amazing stories and the odd joke here and there. Inspirational.

Gala Show - 'The Best of British' Command Performance - It's a Gala show and it was fantastic. Terry Seabrooke was hilarious. He chose someone from the audience and just made jokes about him for his entire act. Mark Taylor did his show with a bang and thouraghlly entertaining it was too. Roy Davenport performed a number of his great-grandfather’s tricks and he was really polished, great to watch. Billy McComb also did a nice trick with the invisible mauve scarf. He wanted to make it disappear but did a sloppy steal – all the magicians saw it and all the magicians laughed. Wayne Dobson and Joe Trancini were the last people on and they were good. My favourite by far was The Great Nardini, (and his wife). His act where everything goes wrong was extremely funny, yet he still put in enough magic that actually went right. The use of music was also well played within the act.

Sunday
Carl Cloutier Lecture – An interesting lecture on sleeving and topit routines. I might use a few of the ideas mentioned but there are other ways of accomplishing magic.

Close-up Sessions – From the eight performers I saw six.
Rene Levand – Same act as his lecture yet still highly entertaining.
Henry Evans – Couldn’t hear what he was saying but the magic was ok. He uses mostly gimmicks though.
Carl Cloutier – Didn’t see!
Bob Fitch – Didn’t see!
For the next four I was really close to the front, which is a good thing.
Boris Wild – A well strung together routine about him missing his girlfriend. Excellent story, music. Excellent magic.
Jason Latimer – The close up champion performed the classic cups and balls, but with clear glasses! He had a slow start and a few things went wrong, but over all it was truly wondrous. You couldn’t keep track of which ball was where, even though you could see through the glasses.
Vladimir – A nice routine using a few manipulations, which he is famed for but not my favourite magician.
Paul Gertner – A real professional, did a few effects including a nice four ace routine and a brilliant cups and balls using steel balls. A fantastic idea as you can hear when a ball is under the cup!

Lecture by Billy McComb – Didn’t go!

Lecture By Henry Evans – Didn’t go!

International Gala Show – Uchinda, the 1994 world champion of manipulation, was good and the seven year old sensations from Japan, The Yamagami Brothers, also got a huge round of applause. Vik and Fabrini were an interesting act an I certainly enjoyed them, very amusing. Joe Pasquale had the audience in fits, really really funny - The German blindfold tester! (Those that went will know what I mean). Franz Harary topped the show and he did a really weird trick where the two halves of two girls swapped places. I couldn’t work it out at all and I couldn’t work out the vase trick either. My favourite of the international show was the stage champion, French man, Norbert Ferre. He was amusing in his own stupid way and yet his magic was entertaining aswell. He asked question to the audience and then answered them himself. You have to see this guy to understand – ‘Are you fine? yes,yes,yes!’

After Gala Show Party – Didn’t go!


The Dealers
I had several walks around the dealers and I brought
Crash Course on Kids Shows – By David Ginn
ID
Mental Photography Deck – Only £4 because I had the demonstration deck.
Rainbow Cascade from Davenports.

The dealers rooms were packed every day. It was overwhelming the number of stands and things to buy and sell – I could have spent a fortune. On the Sunday I met Paul Nardini in the dealers room and because he was astounding the night before I had a chat to him and he gave me a few tips on my magic, and an autograph. He was a nice guy (and his wife was a nice lady!)

Summary
So to conclude I would say that I have definitely written too much and there is still more to be said about the events I didn’t go to. From the gala shows it became obvious that television does not know what talent is (all reality television with non-celebrities).

But mostly from the weekend I learnt that entertainment is far more important then fooling someone and that little stories and jokes can help with this. Paul Nardini also told me to try lots of magic and see what I’m good at, and what people enjoy, so there is lots of work for me to do and many more tricks to practice.

I had a really good time and you can sign me up for the next one… Roll on 2005!

If you've read this all. Thank you very much...

Woooohooooo, I read it all and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much

I think it is great that you learnt something so fundamantal, rather than just learning a new trick, you sound like you feel you learnt a lot about how to entertain and not just how to impress yourself (sorry if I misread it) and that is surely a good thing m8.

Glad you had a great time and didn't buy everything you saw
Anybody else go?

ps - Terry Seabrooke doesn't want to try that in Manchester, lol.

Undoubted highlight for me was Rene Lavand's "Why do the colours alternate themselves?"
Hard to explain why.
Simple plot of the cards sorting themselves into red, black, red, black etc. after being shuffled.
Nothing more.
And yet the emotional impact was something I've never seen before in magic.
Lavand received a well-deserved standing ovation.

And the tremendous technical challenge of performing advanced card sleights with one hand never came into it - we were all so touched by the 'real' magic.
An unforgettable experience.


PS. I know Paul Nardini personally and I can assure you he is one of the nicest guys in magic. Great magician too.

I would say that I have definitely written too much

No way!

I was hoping to get there but family commitments made it difficult so I'm really grateful for the Review. Never worry about doing a long posting (unless it gives you typist's cramp!) because all this is new, informative and so very much appreciated. I've started laying the ground work to make sure I can get up there next year and your review gives me loads of ammo to use - thanks again.

I too had been hoping to get there and now your post has made me realise I just didn't make enough effort

Anyhow still a very good review and has helped give a flavour of what went on

Will all those going next year please be on the lookout for 2 desperate hitch hikers near the M6. One will be from Wolverhampton, the other from Birmingham and both will urge you to pick a card, any card......

Thanks for reviewing the convention Jing. I love reading about Magic events like this, and your review just makes me want to go to another big convention.

Maybe next year...

Same British dealers selling the same old time music hall effects, badly made and vastly overpriced.
Rip off Britain.......I will continue to by my gear from the US, its cheaper, far better quality on the whole and I get it in 2 days. I can wait 2 weeks for UK mail to arrive.
Wake up British Magic dealers or you will all die a very quick death. Get up to date and into the 21st Century.
Codology is dead and so is the Zig-Zag.
Just take a look at a US magic dealers website, then take a look at one of ours.......................see what I mean?

How about posting a few links?

I think magicands needs to wake up.

I will continue to by my gear from the US, its cheaper, far better quality on the whole and I get it in 2 days.

How can the Tricks you purchase from the USA be of a far better quailty than the Tricks you purchase in the UK? since most of the items are actually imported from the USA. And also how can you say that the Magic Dealers are ripping people off? dont you take into consideartion the cost of actually importing magic into the country. Delivery, tax etc.

Maybe you are another of the new generation that is after knowledge and experience for nothing?

Magicands you need to wake up, and do it quick.

I'm sure there are far more dealers in the US (so, perhaps, a greater opportunity for good deals) than in the UK but I've never had any problems obtaining anything from an outlet in the UK - whether having visited them or dealt with them via the internet. Virtually everything that I've bought has been imported from the US. I am aware of heavy critiscism of one outlet, which has a base in the US and another in the UK, and I'm sure that readers will have an idea of the name. I have dealt with them and, in my experience, their service has been good.

Just my 2p worth!

Juan

I've bought things from both the Uk and America. Customs is a pain, but it doesn't get added on all the time and sometimes, it's something i put up with, to get something, earlier than the Uk, or if it's only sold in America.
I've bought from A1 Magical Media, Ellusionist, and Superhandz.

The British sites are also excelent, and i regularly buy from emagictricks, cards4magic, alakazam, and magic box (maybe others.)

I've also visited Stores at conventions and on their premisies - International Magic, Davenports, House Of Magic - All seem fine to me.

I would also like to see these links, that show I'm being ripped off, and where all then better magic deals are!!