Gabe's Convention Tips

Gabe isn't in the office today, but he forwarded me his blog post. For as many conventions as he's attended, he's a wealth of information when it comes to getting the most out of the experience. We'll all be back on Monday. Happy Independence Day!

Gabe's Convention Tip #1

I feel no more qualified to riff on this subject than anyone else who attends multiple magic conventions each year, but will give it a shot nevertheless. Here is one pointer (and there may be more to come) for blog readers on the convention circuit this summer. This tidbit is based on personal experience.

The biggest mistake you can make at a convention is to be what Young M.C. called a "poindexter" in his loquacious mid-90s classic Bust-A-Move. Don't be a wallflower. You want to meet that magic "celebrity"? Do it. Go up to him and talk to him. He's just a magician, and he'd probably like to hear what you have to say. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, like you do.

You want to hang with other like-minded folks? It's not as hard as asking a girl out on a date, chump. Go up to other conventioneers and talk to them. They like magic, too! As such, they probably will be happy to talk to you. More likely than not, you'll make a new friend in the process. So why offer up the above apparently obvious pointer? Well, for the first ten years of my convention-going lifetime, I spent absolutely no time with other conventioneers. I went to all events (lectures, shows, and other items on the program), but did not mix and mingle. Not at all. What a blunder. Once I finally did, I realized that I'd been missing out on everything that makes conventions great.

Once learning this lesson - and I learned it well at my favorite magic convention of them all, Abbott's Get-Together - my entire perspective on magic conventions changed. What now draws me to most magic events - and likely anyone else who has attended them in a serious way for any number of years - is the cameraderie. 'Nuff said.

I'll close this post with my favorite convention quote. It should come as no surprise that the author of said line was Jay Marshall, and he likely first used it at the IBM Convention held in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1939 (this would have been the 14th annual IBM convention). When asked what room he was staying in, Jay's response was short, to the point and funny. I'll paraphrase it here: "Room? What Room? It's only a three-day convention!"

If you're attending the IBM/SAM convention in Louisville, Abbott's Get-Together this summer, or the NEMCA convention in November, I'll see you there.