CreativityAtSea
Conference Review
Oct. 4-9, 2008
by Glenn Strange

[a bit late but of interest...] Over the past 25 years I have attended many magic conventions, workshops, and seminars. I have enjoyed each one. Even the bad ones were good. After a while they all begin to run together. Only two really stick out in my mind and have their own identity that sets them apart. One is my first magic convention. You remember yours. The one where everything you heard and saw was new and exciting. The dealer's room was indescribable and all you had to do was buy every trick they had and you would automatically become the greatest of the great. Stand back Copperfield! (read more)

The other convention was my first Fechter's at the old Forks Hotel in Buffalo, NY. That's the one that invites the world's greatest close-up magicians.  I was surrounded by legends and soon to become legends eager to share their knowledge and even to have conversations with me. Just the history of the convention and the Forks hotel was enough to send chills up your spine.

Now there's a third one in the group of unforgettable conventions. It's called Creativity at Sea. It's unique and unlike any other magic gathering I have ever attended.  It's hard to describe in a sentence or two.  I guess it would be like going to a magic convention and on a vacation at the same time.  Being treated like you're at a 5 star resort and not being concerned about an extravagant bill when you check out. Probably the best part of the convention is you can bring your magic hating spouse along and they'll love you for including them. In fact don't be surprised if they sign you up for the next year. Get ready you're not going to believe this.

Some attendees actually brought their kids and their in-laws along.  They all arrived happy and left happier. I know, it sounds like a lie, but it's truth. Yes, this is probably the only magic convention that heals shaky marriages, brings families closer together, and teaches you to be a better performer.

I'm not going to give you a blow-by-blow detailed explanation of every lecture and event that happened on the cruise. There's simply not enough time and I can't spell that many different words. I'll just give you an overview of some of the many things that happened. This was a five day cruise and even when you were not attending lectures or workshops you were with entertainer friends and your conversations were always about entertainment or just a few moments from it.

Tim Sonefelt and Barry Mitchell put together a well thought out, detailed convention and at the same time delivered you a laid back, relaxed event. Even during the months leading up to the departure date you were kept in the know by receiving timely e-mails updating you with information to make your cruise painless and enjoyable. Even when Hurricane Ike wiped out our scheduled Galveston port of departure, Tim kept us informed as Carnival Cruise moved our departure location to a nearby port in Houston. It was a feat of magic in itself.

Once on board and shortly after departing the dock, we had a short meeting. Tim and Barry welcomed everyone, and passed out gift bags to the attendees and the spouses. The convention workshops and lectures would be from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm on  the days we were at sea. The evenings were your free time. When the boat was docked it was your vacation time and you were on your own to sight see and participate in the on shore activities. Or, you could stay on the boat and lay around the pool or take part in other ship activities. It was a great mix of convention time and pleasure time.

After our welcome meeting it was time for dinner. Tim and Barry arranged for all the convention attendees to be seated in the same area for each evening meal. We were able to dine, laugh, and communicate with people of common interest.  Each night, after dinner we were off to the ship's theater to be entertained by some very talented dancers, singers, musicians, jugglers, and comedians.

One evening they had a cruise talent show. That's where people on the cruise get an opportunity to perform on the main stage. The show was made up of singers, a hypnotist, a bagpipe team, and one of our own attendees, Geoff Akins.  Geoff is from Illinois and he stole the show with his unique and entertaining bubble blowing. I'm sure you will be hearing more from Geoff, as he is a very talented and creative performer.

This year's convention was themed "Thinking Outside the Box".  Tim and Barry arranged a line up of very successful people from a variety of different entertainment fields to share their knowledge and wisdom. Their main objective was to give each attendee the tools and information necessary to enable them to discover their potential greatness.

Besides Tim and Barry, some of the other lectures and workshop leaders were, Jim Austin, Kris Austin,  Julian Franklin, Jim Kleefeld, Don Miller, and Bev Bergeron.  Jim Austin started off each session with activities to keep us laughing and energized. Kris Austin offered activities for the spouses.  Don Miller, an excellent magician, and owner of a very successful entertainment business, lead us in an impromptu workshop session. He took us deep into the purpose and thinking of being impromptu on stage and how to apply that knowledge to our own programs. Julian Franklin gave us a demonstration and examples of how he uses "Mind Mapping" to create new routines and business strategies. Tim and Barry kept things rolling along and on schedule.  Together we came up with new ideas, created new routines, and developed new magic tricks from items not normally associated with magic.  Bev Bergeron shared his endless knowledge and wisdom from over 50 years in the entertainment business. He was most generous in answering any and all questions, and made himself available throughout the entire cruise. Bev's wife, Alouise, traveled with us and  she  has a great sense of humor. She and Bev were like a tag team of comedy at the dinner table each night. I now suspect she's the one that writes all Bev's funny stuff.

Tim and Barry also arranged and scheduled "marketing meals" at breakfast and lunch times for attendees who had particular concerns. These were one on one sessions and covered a multiplicity of topics (marketing, pricing, sales, promotional materials, art work, etc.). 

Optional late night sessions were also made available and proved to be very popular with the attendees. Don Miller covered marketing. Jim Kleefeld covered the embellishment and enhancing of routines, and Tim and Barry discussed stories.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you where we went. From the port at Houston we cruised to Cozumel, Mexico. From there we cruised to Progreso, Mexico, and then back to Houston.  While in the Mexican ports, some of us went swimming with the dolphins, some explored the pyramids, some rented segways, some snorkeled, some shopped and Jim

Austin ate a homemade taco and drank the water.  I am happy to announce, because of his cast iron stomach and his positive attitude, Jim suffered no ill side effects.

Creativity at Sea is like no other convention I've ever attended.  Dollar for dollar it's the most affordable, user-friendly convention available today. It was a magic adventure.  We laughed, and had fun, we participated, and we made new friends.  We left excited with an eagerness to achieve our individual goals.

If you can attend only one magic convention next year make it "Creativity at Sea". If you can attend more than one magic convention next year make one of them "Creativity at Sea".