885: Blackpool 2025 - Day Three Report

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 – Dom Chambers ran into me in the hallway on his way to rehearsal for his show. But he agreed to chat for a bit and tell us about his experience performing here and a quick recap of what he’s up to lately. Dom was the focus of a chat on The Magic Word Podcast on Episode #664 where you can learn more about him.

00:06:12 : Nigel Quinn just arrived for the final day and gives us his perspective of why he came for the day and what he hopes to see and enjoy.

00:12:02 - Ger Godley, from Ireland, talks about this year’s convention compared with last year. He definitely thinks this year’s event is better organized.

00:21:14 - Jamie Allen, formerly known as the iMagician, has an all new show, one of which was directed by Jonathan Goodwin. Jamie was the focus Episode #584 where you can learn more about him.

00:33:48 - Javid with Pelican Stagewear talks about his efforts to take his wares to the U.S., but time and customs prevents his efforts from being profitable.

00:42:35 - Ron Spangler enjoys coming to Blackpool each year. He was one of the organizers of the Magifest before it was turned over to Vanishing, Inc.

00:48:28 - Eric Leclerq was the emcee (compere) of the Friday night gala. His insult comic type of humor is much like that of Mike Hammer, and that is to say that it wasn’t for everyone. He talks a bit about his choices and how he came about to get this engagement and why he chose to stick with what he does best.

00:57:08 - Ian Kendall is another magician who came in for the day from Scotland and watched a lot of lectures and shows. He was the subject of Episode #796 where you can learn more about him.

01:11:15 - we give a quick wrap-up of the convention as I give a quick review of Rick Thomas’ gala finale show. He was the subject of Episode #632 where you can hear a more personal side of him.

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Click on the banner above for more information about the 50th (and probably final) WInter Carnival of Magic in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

882: Fifth Dimension - Safety First and Always

Jeff Burns and Ivor Smith together are known as the Fifth Dimension who specialize in giving “magically enhanced presentations” to corporations around the world. In particular, they use magic for safety training sessions. There are many people who are in the business of motivational speaking and training, but few who focus on one area of training by using magic to help employees to remember key safety precepts. They travel the world to train employees with their unique style and method, always networking and making new contacts for the next opportunity.

If you are more of a visual person, then you might enjoy watching our conversation that was recorded over Zoom.

In this episode, Jeff and Ivor don’t hold back on giving the secrets of their success with tips on how others can replicate their business model. There is enough business in the world to go around to the magic community. They suggest that you don’t have to focus on safety, but there are training seminars that every large corporation puts on for their employees that needs facilitators. So why not use a magician to make those sessions both educational and fun while being memorable, too! One of the takeaways in this podcast is the quote from Jeff who reminds us that when companies cut back on their entertainment budgets, they don’t cut their training budgets. So, there are always opportunities for magicians to get “a piece of the corporate pie” by using magic to train their employees.

819: Blackpool Magic Convention 2024 - Day Three Report

Sunday 18th February 2024

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Dealers’ Hall Open

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. John Bannon Lecture (Arena) and Luca Volpe Lecture (Foyer Hall)

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Ikeda Yosuke Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Maga Gaia Lecture (Derham Lounge)

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Danny Goldsmith Lecture (Arena) and International Close-Up Show (Foyer Hall)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Montreal Trio Lecture 2 (Spanish Hall) and Lawrence Turner Lecture (Derham Lounge)

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Mac King Mega Talk (Opera House)

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Harrison Greenbaum Lecture (Arena) and Mat O’Neill Parlour Show (Derham Lounge)

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Steve Spill Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Fergus Roy Lecture (Foyer Hall) and Mat O’Neill Parlour Show (Derham Lounge)

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Clairvoyants Interview (Arena)

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Mat O’Neill Interview (Spanish Hall) and Bernardo Sedlacek Lecture (Foyer Hall) and Jimmy C Lecture (Derham Lounge)

6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. Gala Show (Opera House)

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Suhani Shah Show (Circle Hall)

8:45 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. Gala Show (Opera House)

8:45 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. Suhani Shah Show (Circle Hall)

11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Harrison Greenbaum Show (Arena and limited to audiences of 18+) and “Not The Gala Show” (Old Victoria Bar and limited to audiences of 18+)

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Paul Romhany talks about his experience as a lecturer here and this being his first Blackpool Magic Convention (BMC).

00:11:50 - Bill Herz, President of MagiCorp Productions, tells us about his representation of some of the top magic acts in the world for corporate shows.

00:20:34 - Jeff Burns, one of the Fifth Dimension magicians (maybe not the music group you’re thinking of) is from Aberdeen, Scotland, and chats about his tradition of attending BMC.

00:26:10 - Foxy, from Liverpool, is a regular listener of The Magic Word Podcast and his favorite place to listen is when he walks beside the Mersey River in Liverpool.

00:34:43 - Winner of multiple awards from The Magic Circle (TMC), Edward Hilsum, talks about working with the youth program at TMC.

00:40:33 - Jimmy C. was a lecturer from America who tells us about his experience plus a short recap of what was in his lecture (in case you missed it)

00:45:44 - Raymond Crowe, from Australia, was a lecturer and performer at this year’s BMC. Here he gives some important advice to all magicians.

00:59:23 - Uwe Sperlich, from Munich, Germany, is a regular at the BMC and here he tells us why plus recaps some of his highlights from this convention.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here