Does anyone know?

[M Petersen]

Hey guys,

Does anyone know where the 2015 IBM Convention is going to be held?

Marshall

[Jeremy Greystoke]

I believe the 2015 gathering will be in Jacksonville, FL.

Jeremy

[Q. Kumber]

Rumour has it that it will be held next year.

[MJE]

You know that the '14 will be a combined convention, right? Which is likely the future of these gatherings, anyway. I can't imagine that the '15 will be all that hot if they go it alone, and not at all due to poor planning. Both groups put GREAT effort into these events.

Dealers are finding it harder to make these things work out. Let's face it; not everyone can go to multiple conventions every year. Talent can get better gigs. People seem to be choosing one local event and one big one. Having a combined IBM/SAM makes a lot of sense. Pooling the talent and the dealers works for everyone.

There are several non-club conventions to compete with, don't forget. I'm sorry to have missed the Genii event. As great as it must have been, it has to have cut into the spendable dollars of the casual magician, while perhaps raising the bar a bit. Then there's FISM, Blackpool, Magic Live, the Desert thing.....jeez.....

So, I wish I could say Meet Me In St. Louis, but I can't make it. I suggest you go to that one, unless '15 is a combined deal, as well. Should be. Probably won't be.

-MJ

[Richard Kaufman]

"the Desert thing" as you call it ceased to exist several years ago.

I believe that eventually there will be a combined IBM/SAM Convention every summer, but the committees for the individual organizations havem at the moment, only agreed to do one every third year.

I predict they won't even get to the "every other year" part of the scenario, and will out of economic necessity, and for the benefit of both the organizations and the attendees, start doing a combined convention every year.

That combined convention will then alternate with Magic Live, which I also believe will soon be held every two years.

[MJE]

"the Desert thing" as you call it ceased to exist several years ago.

I believe that eventually there will be a combined IBM/SAM Convention every summer, but the committees for the individual organizations havem at the moment, only agreed to do one every third year.

I predict they won't even get to the "every other year" part of the scenario, and will out of economic necessity, and for the benefit of both the organizations and the attendees, start doing a combined convention every year.

That combined convention will then alternate with Magic Live, which I also believe will soon be held every two years.

Yeah, I've been out of the loop for a few years, in terms of convention things. So, I missed that the Desert Seminar was no more. I only went one time and thought it was pretty nice.

I agree that a combined IBM/SAM convention is the way to go. David Sandy did a really nice job with the IBM event a few years ago, but it's a tough row all the way around.

The one I really miss is the "Invocational" in Chicago, run by Tom Palmer/ Tony Andruzzi. I don't think more than 40 or 50 people attended (I went to three of them), but it was a whacky few days. More of a party than a convention.

-MJ

[Richard Kaufman]

There were between 75 and 100 people at Andruzzi's Invocationals. They were great fun until the end, when we literally watched him drink himself to death. A pity. He was a very talented man who had much to offer magic.

[MJE]

There were between 75 and 100 people at Andruzzi's Invocationals. They were great fun until the end, when we literally watched him drink himself to death. A pity. He was a very talented man who had much to offer magic.

Yeah, maybe there were that many. Probably with going to so many big conventions over the years, it seemed smaller. The last two seemed VERY small to me, but I could be remembering it wrong. It was a while ago.

The drinking did seem to be a big part of those last two, didn't it? I guess I didn't think about it that much, since, as I said, it seemed more like a party than a convention.

I do clearly recall sitting on a sofa with he and his son (the writer), and the son asking him to slow down on the drinking that one day. Awkward moment.

Than someone pulled out a photo of Andruzzi in clown gear, which broke up the awkward moment. Oh, well. If the drinking didn't get him, the smoking would have eventually. We all get to make choices in this life, I guess.

-MJ