MINDvention 2012 Pictures from Days 1&2

Danny and Robert really know how to arrange a convention schedule. The first event of the day didn't begin until 10:00 a.m. which left plenty of time to sleep in after a late night to early morning session. I finally retired to my room around 2:00 to work on an upload the podcast (which, BTW, I hope you enjoyed) and as I left the bar, there sat about 15 of the top mentalists in the world huddled around a table talking about the next best thing that I know I must soon have in my show...and probably yours, too.

But to go back in time a bit (which we mentalists are wont to do), Danny Archer hosted a fascinating interview with Eric Dittleman, finalist on America's Got Talent. I hope to grab him for a few words here on The Magic Word, too. Then followed a panel discussion on TV mentalism featuring a variety of international performers. From left to right in the picture below: Eric Dittleman (U.S.), Sartori (Germany), Haim Goldberg (Canada), and Lior Suchard (Israel).

Paul Draper hosted the Attendee Show which essentially is anyone who wants to perform before their peers. Although it is a scheduled show, the performers are gathered from the registrants who tell Danny that they want to perform. There is a wide variety of performers and performances and personalities from this international group.

Due to a technical error while trying to video record a first day lecture, Allison Campbell repeated her lecture on the "Do's and Don'ts of Corporate Mentalism". Essentially it was a short marketing course on getting work and doing work on the exhibitor floor. It was a fascinating presentation from a professional trade show worker. Not just another viewpoint from the distaff side, but an introspective look at what and how those interested in getting the work can get it.

One fascinating point of view tip was to look at other trade show performers as friends and business associates and not as competition. Look at the pie being larger...not someone else trying to get a piece of your pie. The picture below is a phone number prediction taken direct from her act and sold after her lecture.

075: Day 1 - MINDvention 2012 in Las Vegas, NV

After a little bit of a travel difficulty due to a layover in San Diego, I finally arrived in Las Vegas for the first day of the annual MINDvention at the Palace Stations Hotel & Casino. I missed the first couple of lectures but Gregg Lancaster and Bob Patilla filled me in on the details that you will hear in this podcast. I then chatted with Roy Zaltsman from Israel who will lecture for us tomorrow plus he will be one of the featured performers in the final night gala show. Roy talked a bit about the MARS convention (Magic At the Red Sea) he produces in Israel. One of the things he offers is a webcast of unpublished videos that is more of a sampling of some of the tricks extracted from the lectures featured at MARS. You can learn a lot from these free videos by subscribing to his newsletter at: http://telepathy.co.il/unpublished

We wrapped up the day with an interview with Paul Draper who talked about his upcoming lecture tour and his long association with MINDvention as one of the emcees.

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074: Part 2 - The "Official" Houdini Seance in Ft. Worth, Texas 2012

The “Night of Nights” finally arrived. The table was set and the cast of characters were in readiness. The usual group expected to sit at the séance included; William Radner, Séance Director; from Springfield, MA; Thomas J. Boldt, Séance Director and Houdinite from Appleton, WI; John Cox, Screenwriter and Houdini Historian from Los Angeles; Robert Somerdin, Houdini Collector from Deerfield Beach, FL; Fred Pittella, Houdini Historian and Handcuff Authority from Queens, NY, and: Larry Weeks, Houdini Historian from Brooklyn, NY.

Unfortunately this year due to Hurricane Sandy, Fred Pittella and Larry Weeks could not escape the severe weather. So their replacements came from the Ft. Worth area: Ash Adams, Collector and MC for the evening, and; Kathy Tayefeh, Houdini Enthusiast. Rounding out the Inner Séance Circle were: Derek Kennedy, Magic Collector and Historian from Ft. Worth; Arthur Moses, Houdini Collector, Archivist, Biographer and Historian from Ft. Worth, and; Scott Wells, Medium.

There were two levels of tickets for this seminal event. The “regular” tickets went for $35 who received a commemorative, 3 ½” custom-made padlock emblazoned with a special Ft. Worth Houdini Séance logo. The “VIP” tickets sold for $100 each. They received the padlock, too, but also a pair of metal bookends shaped like large padlocks. They also enjoyed a social hour talking with other devotees while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine.

At the appointed hour everyone was ushered into the Commandry of the Ft. Worth Masonic Center. The ushers were appropriately attired in turn of the 20th century clothing complete with top hat and white gloves. Built in the 1930’s, this creepy old building has enough of its own ghosts to wade through to find Harry Houdini.

You can download the evening’s program here to enjoy reading an outline of the evening’s planned activities plus other interesting information about Houdini’s earlier visits to Texas.

The first clip in this podcast features a Keynote® presentation on Houdini which covered a lot of territory with 90 slides in the brief time allotted him. I was seated in the back of the room so the sound quality is not the best, but you will have the feeling you were there.

Next is an audio clip of Bill Radner’s presentation who brought the famed “Séance Handcuffs”. He introduced a short video of his father, Sid Radner. Then finally is the complete Houdini Séance featuring me, Scott Wells, as the Medium. You will hear the Master of Ceremonies, Ash Adams give the “Rules of the Séance” before introducing me.

Following the séance, I sat down with Tom Boldt who discussed his involvement and participation in the Houdini Séance over the past 25 years. The following morning during breakfast in the home of Arthur Moses, we recorded a recap of the whole experience with him as well as with Jamie Salinas, Houston magician who performed the straight jacket escape as part of the evening’s entertainment; and John Cox, Houdini historian and blogger about “all things Houdini” at http://www.WildAboutHoudini.com/ and also with Joe Notaro who blogs about Houdini’s film, “The Grim Game” at http://harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com/

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