Magic conventions

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Magic conventions are gatherings of professional magicians, magical hobbyists, dealers, collectors of magical apparatus, books and ephemera, and other students of the art of magic. They provide a place for lectures of subjects related to the craft, as well as a series of sample performances of noted or innovative techniques. Many conventions also hold competitions to judge who excels at a particular style, and present awards in various categories such as sleight of hand, card tricks, mentalism, stage illusions, and International Magician of the Year.

Contents

[edit] Scope

Some conventions are internationally known, and others are specific to a particular city or region, but still bring in attendees from around their particular region such as the "York Magic Festival" in York, England, which brings in performers from across the United Kingdom.

[edit] List of well-known magic conventions

[edit] International

[edit] Regional - U.S.

[edit] Invitational

Some small conferences have great prestige within the industry, but are not open to the public:

[edit] Reports and Listing

Site such as magic week and The Magic Convention Guide list up comign magic conventions and provide reports on past conventions

[edit] Magic societies

Some conventions are hosted by specific magician associations or societies. For example, the two oldest and largest magic organizations in the United States, are the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The Home Counties Magical Society ran the 'Junior Days', a convention specifically aimed at younger magicians, now having been replaced with the event run by The Magic Circle

Other Magic-related organizations are:

[edit] Awards

[edit] Gold Medal - I.B.M.

The most prestigious "stage magic" award in the industry is the I.B.M. Gold Medal International Award of Excellence in Stage Performance, from the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Along with other annual awards such as First place, Second place, etc., there is a possibility of this special Gold Medal award being issued if the judges decide that they have witnessed a contest performance of Gold Medal quality. As of August 2006, only eight Gold Medal awards have been made, to:

  • Lance Burton, 1980
  • Howard Hale. 1985
  • James Cielen, 1988
  • Fanny Tjin (Jade), 1990
  • Greg Frewin, 1993
  • George Saterial, 1999
  • Keiko Muto, 2002
  • Arthur Trace, 2005

[edit] Gold Cups - I.B.M.

The most prestigious "close-up" award in the industry is the I.B.M. Gold Cups International Award of Excellence in Close-up Performance, from the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Along with other anuual awards such as First place, Second place, third place, etc., there is a possibility of this special Gold Cups award being issued if the judges decide that they have witnessed a contest performance of Gold Cups quality. As of August 2006, only seven Gold Cups awards have been made, to:

[edit] Magic Castle

Each year the Hollywood-based Magic Castle club gives out awards at a black-tie dinner.

[edit] FISM

A highly prestigious convention within the business is run once every three years by the FISM organization. FISM is a federation of magical organizations.

[edit] Award duplication

Because there is little standardization in naming awards within the industry, some smaller festivals often give awards that have the same titles as the awards at larger conventions. Less scrupulous magicians will often claim that they have a prestigious award, without indicating its origin, or declare themselves an 'award-winning' act, implying a high quality of performance. Self-claims of fame and notability must therefore sometimes be taken with a grain of salt. If a magician is or has been a genuinely notable and successful competitor in magic contests, he or she will probably have won an award, perhaps more than one, which are recognised at an international, national, or at least regional level. Examples of this are awards bestowed by FISM, IBM, SAM, The Magic Circle (London, England) and the International Magic Convention Close Up Competition, also held annually in London.

There are also organisations that randomly give out awards to famous magicians in different countries, to boast their own organisation's importance. This is a bit awkward, as it many times is difficult for the performer to know if it is a real organisation or not, and might become embarrassing for the performer, should he use such award in his marketing and someone later track its origin.

[edit] Dealer rooms

Most conventions have a "dealers room", where magical supplies are sold, along with books describing various techniques.

[edit] References

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