As an IBM and British Ring No.25 member, I had been looking forward to this convention for nearly a year since booking. As we would be meeting in Llandudno, Wales, my family stayed with me so that they could enjoy a seaside break while I participated in the convention.
If you attended, you will already know that this was an excellent 3 day event from Friday the 13th to Sunday the 15th September. However, for those able to attend from Thursday, "The Magic Bar Live" hosted unofficial events.
I have been a member of the ring for 18 months and as this was my first convention, it was a great opportunity to meet friends and make new ones. I can honestly say this is the friendliest club you can join. Everyone made me feel very welcome. Those who I was able to meet and chat with have made the convention a very memorable experience. And for those who I did not get to speak to, I hope to do so in the future.
As the convention is run by the council and volunteers, I volunteered to be part of the stewarding team and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to give something back but also knew it would help me meet lots of other members. The selfie pics in the gallery below will give you an idea of some that I met and spoke to. The photos only give a small glimpse of who I met and I am already making arrangements to meet some very soon.
The event ran from 9am each day with lectures, competitions, shows and a big Gala show on the Saturday night. The club even put on coaches for when we needed it for one event. An excellent dealers hall was also arranged and which was used as the main social meeting point.
An important part of the convention was the competitions with a close up and stage competition hosted by the club. Two enjoyable shows and a prize giving. Stand out lectures for me were Max Fulham, Russ Brown and Dr Naomi Paxton.
The Saturday night Gala show was also open to the public and the council and Presidents were in attendance. I can't wait to write a full review of the Gala Show for the IBM magazine "Key Ring". Star performers included Aaron Crow, Olivier Henning, Max Fulham, Mark James, and Taylor & Rebecca. Ada Campe (aka Dr Naomi Paxton) also did a fantastic job hosting the show and was very funny.
While I did enjoy all performances, highlights were watching Aaron Crow and discovering Olivier Henning and Ada Campe. Aaron is of course a well know act and not only was it a highlight to see him perform live, I had the opportunity to chat with him. Olivier and his manipulation act was also mind blowing.
As I was stewarding throughout the weekend, there was the odd show or lecture that I missed but that was my choice. I also had the freedom to go and see whatever events I wanted. There are too many events to list them all but I did particularly enjoy the Sunday afternoon events which had a strong line up of lectures and then John Archer's show. As a fan of John, he made my night by selecting me to join in and I got a John Archer zero dollar bill for my collection.
Sadly the event was over too soon after a packed three day agenda with a closing ceremony that saw the new President's installation (Aidan Heritage). Congrats to Aidan and thank you to past President Philip Partridge.
Below is a gallery of my weekend which includes selfies, collectables and some signed playing cards. I have also updated the collectables pages in this site.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the IBM, please do visit their website. https://britishring.org.uk. You can also view the convention brochure here.
A big thank you to all the IBM members, council and Presidents for putting on this excellent convention.
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