British Ring IBM Convention 2006, Part 4 (Written by Steve Evans)

Saturday, September 23, 2006
With the weather back to clear blue sky’s I went for another early morning walk and one of the Homeless people asked me if I wanted a ticket to see Mike Close. Eastbourne is a Spar town so has I had a bit of time to kill before breakfast I went to the one opposite the Pier and got a Newspaper and some Orange juice.

We cleverly applied reverse psychology at Breakfast and ordered things that we didn’t want and for the first time all week we got what we ordered - what can you do!! So full of Ham Salad at 9.30am on the dot Sep and entered the Dealers Hall because I was buying Magic books and I needed Sep to confirm they were the one’s I wanted. (Switch and Unleashed by Jay Sankey for the record).

At 10am I left Sep drinking Coffee and filed into the Congress Theatre to see the Mac King Lecture. Mac was introduced by Peter Reveen and Peter was in turn introduced by Paul Stone. The double introduction was something that happened a number of times during the week but it didn’t bother me much and I was happy that Peter was introduced because I hadn”t got a clue who he was (Stage Hypnotist and Lance Burton’s Agent as it happens). Mac was great. The lecture was a combination of tricks (Card to pocket, a cool rope routine and other bits and pieces) and storys including one about telling a stripper to take her clothes off and being surprised when she did and the time he vomited into his prop box due to choking on a Gold Fish!

I left at 11am (about 10 minutes before the end) and made my way to the Gold Room in the Winter Garden complex where the International Close-up was being held. I was room host in one of the three spaces, which is one of the highlights of the convention for me and great fun to do. That said there was a problem with the space this year. Being one room divided into three areas the noise carried cover and it was just like the close-up sessions at Blackpool. Bryan has since passed comment and I think in two year’s time we will be back to the individual room arrangement. The acts were: John Carney, Tim Conover, Vanni Bossi, Mark Mason, Charlie Frye and Seth Kramer. All were good and they copied with the unfavourable conditions admirably.

I must say though I was disappointed that Tim Conover did exactly the same set we had seen in "Trade Show Live" and Seth Kramer did mostly the same material. Tim’s Trade show patter line "delivering solutions today" also crept in from time to time. I can’t believe that people at their level only have 10 minutes of material. Charlie Frye’s music wouldn”t work in my space (due to the sockets being tripped for some reason) so we chatted for a while and then has a filler he performed Guy Hollingworth’s Reformation - some filler. The shows ran at 11.30am and again at 1.30pm, which meant I got to see everything twice and I still missed how Mark

Mason got the signed card into a brand new sealed deck!! Oh one final point, the room was VERY warm; I wore a suit and melted!

The international Close-up wrapped at 3pm in time for me to meet Sep at the Ice Cream Parlour for my pre-arranged Mega Ice Cream Treat. I had the one with Maltesers on and a Hot Chocolate and then felt sick. We sat on the chairs outside the Ice Cream place (Al fresco - I haven’t seen that there before) taking advantage of the glorious weather until 4.30pm when Sep went back to the room for a kip and I went into the Floral Hall for John Lenahan’s McDonald Aces Workshop which was great fun and well attended. Basically everyone either sat at tables or with a board on their lap (which were provided) and worked through John’s handling of the trick. And it case you didn’t have the

necessary cards Keith Bennett was on hand with them for sale. We decided to eat out for Tea so I pushed the boat out and we went "posh" the Chippy across the road from the Ice Cream place and we were joined by Eric, Martin and Frank Allan which was smashing and just like old times. As Sep put it "gave her someone nice to talk to!"

From our Chippy Tea we walked over to the Congress for the Saturday Night Gala and I would say it was one of the best I have ever seen. Although as with the international Close-up it was VERY hot and once again I melted. Hobson compered and was on sparkling form. Paolo Giua did a very high class Manip Act; Soul Mystique did a quick change act that was breath taking. Paul Zerdin did his Vent act and as with Hobson seemed on sparkling form and Dimmare did his act with borrowed birds and was just class.

After the interval Mikael Szanyiel (Winner of this years Golden Lion Award) opened with an act to music where he was a musical conductor. Some very good bits in it but the whole thing was a little unusual and I lost interest towards the end. Pilou the 2006 FISM Winner was next on with his "French street urchin" Act. Very simple premise (steeling apples) very strong act. Wally Eastwood (who can also be found on Youtube) is a brilliant juggler and very very funny and just when you thought it couldn”t possibly get any better, Hobson did the Egg-bag and stormed it and then Mac King came on and took the roof off.

We left the Gala happy bunnies and made our way over to the Wishing Well for the final Fringe of the Convention. Fay and Richard (Pinner) were both away working so the event had been left in the very capable hands of Martyn James (Who Compered the Fringe show that I did last year and stormed it). Martyn compered and was very funny has usual and Walt Lees opened. Walt was followed by "Rafael" who I don”t know personally but I don”t think he was the Rafael who stared in the Gala Show last year. Alan Hudson closed the show with a mental routine involving naming the colour of burst balloons whilst wearing a carrier bag on his head. Very nice bloke Alan (and very funny with it) and I believe he is soon to be supporting Paul Daniels.

So we stayed chatting with BMS chums for a little while before going back to our hotel meaning that I hadn’t gone to the HQ Hotel at all something I always regret in hindsight but not at the time as I”m always too knackered to go.