2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

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Scott Wells
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2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 5th, 2018, 4:54 pm

This is one of the best I.B.M. Conventions I’ve attended in years. Tons of headliners like Nick Lewin, Jeff Hobson, Pop Hayden, Larry Wilson, The Amazing Jonathan, Steve Valentine, Lance Burton, Jeff McBride and so many more. With an attendance of around 450 people, there is a real intimacy about this year’s event.

The first day’s update of a daily report is now online at https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... on-day-one with lists of fun chats with talent organizers and dealers. And come back tomorrow for the next daily update.
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Matthew Field » July 6th, 2018, 3:35 am

With an attendance of 250, it would be even more intimate.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 6th, 2018, 8:45 am

Day two update now ready for your listening pleasure with chats with more people from the convention including Amazing Jonathan. https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... on-day-two
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 8th, 2018, 12:53 am

Day Three update from the I.B.M. convention featuring various chats with talent and registrants: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... -day-three
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 8th, 2018, 1:03 am

Contest Winners:

Stage Adult: Gold Medal, First Place and People's Choice - Zhou Zhou and Yuan Yuan; Award of Merit: Sebak

Stage Youth: First Place - Red Star; Award of Merit - Luna; Fantasma Award - Theo Chattra

Close-Up Adult: Erik Tait; Award of Merit - Chong Huang; People's Choice and Obie's Four F Award: Chris Quinero
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby rrath1 » July 8th, 2018, 8:46 pm

Some one said 290 attendance max. A dealer told me this. Low registration.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby erdnasephile » July 8th, 2018, 8:55 pm

Scott: Follow up question: In your talking to folks, have you heard how are the dealers doing there? (Please forgive me if you have already addressed this in one of your podcasts--I haven't finished them yet)

If the attendance is that low, it would seem to be a not insubstantial risk for the IBM and/or dealers to lose money on the convention.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 9th, 2018, 6:42 pm

And for an extended podcast (that runs about an hour and a half), I bring you the final day’s update and wrap: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... n-day-four
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 9th, 2018, 6:51 pm

erdnasephile wrote:Scott: Follow up question: In your talking to folks, have you heard how are the dealers doing there? (Please forgive me if you have already addressed this in one of your podcasts--I haven't finished them yet)

If the attendance is that low, it would seem to be a not insubstantial risk for the IBM and/or dealers to lose money on the convention.


Well, I did hear that some were not pleased with attendance and sales. One reported the lowest sales of any convention they had attended. I must say that the dealers’ room was never very busy and rarely more than a couple people at a time at any one booth, except of course, Mark Mason’s booth.

One must query whether or not the booth prices must come down for dealers to exhibit, or something must be done about trying increase attendance. I don’t know why this one wasn’t better attended. Grand Rapids was a great city, conveniently and centrally located. But best of all was the outstanding talent booked by Michael Finney. We had some people who never perform/lecture at conventions like The Amazing Jonathan, Patrick Martin and Larry Wilson, among others. And the stage contestants in the finals were outstanding that even warranted a Gold Medal being awarded.
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby rrath1 » July 9th, 2018, 7:06 pm

Just for clarification, I thought 'Gold' wasn't awarded? Was it, or wasn't it. The broadway show from China wasn't awarded a 'Gold'? First place winners? Interested to know.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Scott Wells » July 10th, 2018, 12:58 am

rrath1 wrote:Just for clarification, I thought 'Gold' wasn't awarded? Was it, or wasn't it. The broadway show from China wasn't awarded a 'Gold'? First place winners? Interested to know.


Melody Munoz, co-chairman of the contest committee confirmed that the Gold Medal was awarded as mentioned in my post above.
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby ErikTait » July 13th, 2018, 2:32 pm

The gold medal was awarded to this absolutely dynamite pair of young women who produced about a billion parasols. They were absolutely top notch and well deserved of that medal.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 13th, 2018, 4:40 pm

It's becoming apparent (at least to me) that for many smaller conventions--a category which now includes the IBM and SAM--that it doesn't matter what talent is booked. They have become regional conventions that attract mostly a local group from nearby states.
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Tom Moore » July 13th, 2018, 4:57 pm

I have a theory that most of these iconic / legacy conventions have built their entire existence around stage shows / performers yet the quality and availability of good stage performers has dropped off a cliff in the last 20 years which means that these conventions don’t have any wow or novelty factor to offer and because they’ve neglected developing anything else interesting to program they have lost the ability to attract attendees


(* there are good working stage performers but the number of new breakthrough performers in the last 20 years has been basically 1 per year so there simply aren’t enough)
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Hanno » July 13th, 2018, 7:43 pm

I think the convention scene is changing rapidly. The conventions which are organized by clubs like I.B.M. or SAM but also in Europe are loosing importance and have much lower attendance. On the other hand Genii Convention, Magic! Convention, FISM or new formats like The Session are successful.

On the other hand, smaller convention also have a lot of advantages: smaller theatre, you have not to fight for limited seats, you have more contact to artists. Its great to have the choice between different formats of magic conventions.

And I think it was not a good to do this I.B.M. Convention just a few days before the FiSM Convention in Busan. Some dealers did not want to visit both convention. Its a logistic challenge and a question of costs. Thats also the case for magicians who had to decide were to attend.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 13th, 2018, 8:44 pm

For decades it has always been a question among convention organizers in the US (and probably in Europe, too) whether to hold a convention that comes immediately before or after FISM.

The general consensus is, among convention organizers in the US (at least), that it doesn't make any difference.
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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby CraigMitchell » July 14th, 2018, 2:02 am

And now to see what IBM SAM and Live do in 2021.

It will be suicide for IBM and SAM to have their events the similar time as FISM Canada.

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Re: 2018 I.B.M. Convention Updates

Postby Steve Bryant » July 17th, 2018, 1:20 pm

In the Day 4 podcast, Scott includes the entire Larry Haas speech to the Order of Merlin breakfast. Wisdom from Eugene Burger, worth a listen.


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