I need help! And I'm not afraid to admit it. As a relative newcomer to magic, I have never attended Magifest. I live about fifteen minutes from the hotel where it will be held. I would like to go, but I have some concerns.

1) Registration fee: $110.00- not a problem, but will I get my money's worth? What can Magifest do for me as an amateur? Will I learn new effects? Routines? I guess my biggest question is, What are the benefits of attending Magifest?

2) Time committment: "Honey, I won't be home til late Thursday night, I need to take Friday off work, and I will be gone all day Saturday..." You see where I am coming from with this? We also have four children, and that would be a big time investment for my wife.

Here is what I see as advantages of attending:

1) Location: It couldn't be closer to home. Fifteen minutes away.

2) Two and a half days of non-stop magic. How can you go wrong with that?

3) The opportunity to experience Magifest for the first time.

4) Any learning experiences I might gain from attending.

I am leaning toward going, but I still have those few concerns lurking. If you guys could give me your viewpoints, both positive and negative, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Mark, the Undecided Magician

Mark,

I have never attended magifest myself but I can unequivocally state that you should go.

Here's why:

It's ONLY $110. You don't have to pay airfare or for a hotel room which makes this cheaper than any other convention you could go to this year, period. It's slightly more than a set of 3 videos and will have a lot more magic. If you catch some impromptu performances or back room sessions you'll get way more than your money's worth. In fact, the only way for this to be a losing proposition would be if you paid and didn't go.

Beyond that, I looked at the line up and the performances look particularly strong. I haven't seen all the lecturers but it looks to be a strong line up with a little something for everybody.

One word of advice. In order to get the most out of this you need to make sure you have no other commitments. Send your wife and children to Disneyland for the weekend. Make sure that work cannot call you in on Friday and get there as early on Thursday as you can. The last thing you want to do is have to be home between 6 and 8 only to discover that that's when Howie Schwarzman showed up and gave up the real work on the pass and the top palm. You might find that you don't even go home but just take catnaps in the lobby or at the bar. I've been at conventions where I didn't even go upstairs to my room for several days because I didn't want to miss anything.

Also, try to meet people. Too many people at conventions hang out with their own little clique so they don't get exposed to everything at the convention. You might meet someone who will perform effects for you that make your jaw drop. You might meet someone that shares some insight that you find valuable. Or, you might meet someone who's just another amateur magician but becomes a friend in the magic community with a similar interest. Any of these can make the convention more fun.

One last piece of advice, bring a notebook. Often times a convention can be a whirlwind of magic and it's easy to forget those pieces of information that seemed so valuable. When Rich Block and John Carney lecture there will be some real gems. I haven't seen the other lecturers but I'm sure they'll have valuable information as well. Write it down and buy lecture notes so you ensure that you keep the information you've paid for.

I hope this helps,

Dave

Hi Mark... I promise I wont give you too much grief about your sad love affair with the Browns. But , YES, do go to the MagiFest. It will be a blast. If you do NOT learn anything, it will be your own fault. As to the family thing, I am lucky,my family loves it. My daughter wants to take a friend of her. We have a suite reserved. Gonna be a great party. The line up is fantastic! Better than some Nationals I have been to. So basically, let your wife know that you will be leaving Thursday, you will return Sunday. If she wants to come along, so be it. I will see ya in the bar. It is on the right hand side as you walk in. The bartenders name is John. The beer is cold...

Magi-fest was the VERY first convention I ever went to, ( I was about 14 or so) remember tony?

You live fifteen minutes away? Are you kidding me? you MUST go to this convention.
It gives you a chance to see THE BEST LINE UP IN YEARS of magic! Everybody is SUPER nice and I promise I will say hi and hang out with you as much as I can.
It would be a shame if you did not go. Magi-fest is my all time favorite convention out of all of them. I also live right up the street.

Justin Miller

Don't let Justins threat of hanging around with you stop you from attending the convention. He says that to everyone who might buy him a free beer. Yes, Justin was but a lil spud who was anooying all the grown ups back then. Now he is an adult... Who annoys all the grown ups. Seriously, Justin has always had the chops. Go to the convention and meet EVERYONE. You WILL have a good time... Aside from Justin that is....

Yeah....What they said!

Tony,
You let my secret out. that is how I get invited to lecture at conventions. I go make a fool of myself for about 10 years and then finally they get so tired of me they hire me! My plan is working muhaaaaaaaa (cough) (cough).


It is going to be a blast.
Steve, very prolific of you.

Justin Miller

Mark,

you're in a very enviable position. magi-fest is without a doubt the best convention I've been to. there is ALWAYS something going on. if I lived 15 minutes away, I'd be there each and every year...unfortunately I live 6 hours and 15 minutes away...

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, "man, I wished I wouldn't have gone to magi-fest this year..." but I've heard plenty of people say, "man, I hate I missed it..."

go for it...you'll have no regrets...

BDC will be there again this year. THAT alone, is worth the price of admission!

Thanks for all of your input, guys. I appreciate it. If anybody else has anything to add, I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks!
Mark

By the way, Big Daddy, will we be able to tell you from your red hat and orange coat?

Thanks, Doomo, for not making me feel bad about being a Browns fan. The Browns do a good enough job of that already! You guys are making Magifest sound too good to pass up. I'm going to talk to my wife and hopefully get in touch with the Magifest folks about registering.

Thanks!
Mark the Magical Browns Fan

You may be hard pressed to find a convention that will have the caliber line-up at the same time at the same convention. Magi-Fest went all out for their 75th anniversary.

If you don't enjoy the Big 6 Close-Up show, find me in the Party Room and I will make it up to you with a few beers. Like others said, my wife and kids know Magi-Fest is a rite of passage and the only dates set aside each year (first weekend in February) that hey don't see me.

I'm a bit biased on this, since I work on the planning committee. This will be my 26th Magi-Fest. I'm like a kid in a candy store at Magi-Fest; I look forward to it all year...not just the convention part, but seeing old friends and meeting new ones. The people that attend Magi-Fest are probably as important as the events, talent, dealers, etc. The guys who have already posted have indicated that, in believe.

Here's my perspective:

For $110 you get:

Headliner show ticket, that sells to the public for $15.

Close-up show: I don't know what value to put on this, but I'd pay at least $25-30 (if not more) to see this show. All the performers are top notch. Tim Conover is making a rare convention appearance; he doesn't do many magic conventions, and he will slay. I've personally seen him work some trade shows, and have been trying to get him to the 'fest for some time. The other guys are fantastic, and have an impressive resume too, it's just that many have not seen Tim.

Saturday night show. Easily worth another $15 or so.

Lectures: Most local clubs charge at least $10 when a lecturer comes to town. We've got 5-6 lectures. Recently a local magic shop charged $25 per person to see John Carney lecture (John is one of our lecturers). While not all lectures are relevant to everyone, I think we have a wide variety...so you're sure to have at least 2 or 3 fit your style.

Thursday night show. A great show to get the convention started, featuring award-winning acts from last year. Again, easily $10-15 dollar show.

Contests: This is a great place to see up-and-coming performers. You learn a lot about what to do and what not to do.

24 magic shops in one place. This will just about overwhelm a newbie to magic. Bring lots of money.

Add all this up...and it's a deal!

It's hard to put a dollar value on all this; some may think my estimates too high, or too low, depending on your own interest, etc. But think of it this way: A ticket to an OSU football game is $55; you can pay $40-80 to see pro hockey in Columbus (depending on seat). A broadway show in Columbus is about $80 now. A night at a Comedy Club is...I haven't done that in awhile, how much is that now? And these events last 3-4 hours, tops. We're talking about $110 for a solid 2-1/2 days of magic.

Hope to see you there.
Ron

Wow. You guys sure are making a good sales pitch. Should I expect a limo to pick me up, too?

Mark

I cant wait to go. Hanging out with tony is one of the best parts. Me, Jason, brian, john are all rolling down. 10 hour drive will sort of suck but what do you do. I will have my pimp hand incase anyone gets out of line. Cant wait to hang out and bust out some stuff all night. Its going to be fun.

See you all there

I'll definately be there again!

I went last year and had a blast...even though it was only for a few hours.

Be sure to check out Justin's lecture. I've seen Justin's stuff in person, and it is far from the ordinary. I believe it's Saturday around noon. Check the site for details.

You can recognize me by looking for a guy doing some card flourishes. =)

J

I think you guys have me convinced! Less than three weeks away...

This is the 75th Magi-Fest. They have a great line-up and I would not miss it this year. I worked Magi-Fest last year, so I'm looking to hanging out and enjoying all the shows this year. Be sure to say hello!

Joseph Young
The Guy with the Rubik Cubes

Yow! Is it that soon? Sheesh I better get my reg in!