Why Magic Conventions Aren’t Really About the Magic Tricks Anymore

For me, magic conventions aren't really about the magic tricks anymore.

That might sound slightly strange coming from someone who owns a magic company and regularly attends conventions as a dealer and lecturer.

But hear me out.

On 27 September 2026, I attended the LADs Centenary Convention in Northampton.

LADs stands for Lectures and Dealers, and this was a particularly special one. It celebrated the centenary of the Northamptonshire Magicians' Club and was also billed as the final LADs convention.

It was actually my first LADs.

And apparently my last!

But the day reminded me of something I've increasingly realised over the years.

I still love magic tricks.

But conventions have become about something much bigger.

People.

My First – and Last – LADs Magic Convention

The LADs Centenary Convention took place at the Delta Hotels Northampton and brought together magicians, lecturers and dealers from across the magic community.

There were lectures throughout the day and a separate dealers' area.

I was there with Neo Magic.

From a dealer's perspective, if I'm being completely open, the layout wasn't ideal for me.

The dealers' hall was some distance from the main lecture area.

When people came out of lectures, they naturally gathered around the foyer, bar and food areas.

That meant the dealers weren't necessarily where the natural footfall was.

And that's an important consideration for any convention.

Dealers Need to Be Part of the Convention

One thing I think works really well at some other conventions is giving dealers a few minutes in front of the main audience.

Nothing huge.

Just:

“Hi, I'm Vinny from Neo Magic. Here's what I've brought with me today. Come and have a look during the break.”

Two or three minutes.

Done.

It introduces the dealers and gives attendees a reason to go and see them.

After all, if an event is called Lectures and Dealers, I think both parts are important.

Dealers invest money in stands, stock, travel, hotels and everything else involved in attending.

And the smaller independent dealers often have products you won't necessarily see everywhere else.

But Something Else Happened at LADs

Despite the footfall not being quite what I'd hoped for as a dealer, I came away really pleased that I'd gone.

Why?

Because I spent the day talking to people.

Some I'd known for years.

Some I'd never met before.

And some I hadn't seen for a very long time.

One person I bumped into was somebody I'd originally met at Blackpool about 13 years ago.

Suddenly we're standing next to each other again at another magic convention all these years later.

That's what I mean when I say conventions aren't really about the tricks anymore.

“I've Been Listening to Your Podcast”

One of the nicest things yesterday was people coming over and talking about the new Mind Burp Podcast.

One chap, Steve, told me he'd been listening while doing his parkrun.

That genuinely made me smile.

Another Steve came over and was incredibly complimentary about my products and was asking what I've got coming next.

Loads of people stopped at the stand simply to say hello.

Some bought something.

Some didn't.

And that's absolutely fine.

Because quite often the conversation wasn't:

“What's your latest trick?”

It was:

“How's the family?”

“What have you been up to?”

“How was your holiday?”

That's when you realise these aren't just customers anymore.

They're friends.

When Customers Become Friends

When I started Neo Magic, I didn't really know many people within the wider magic community.

Over the years that's completely changed.

I've travelled around the country attending conventions, giving lectures and demonstrating my magic.

I've met hundreds of people.

And slowly those familiar faces become friendships.

People send birthday messages.

They ask about the family.

They remember things you've told them.

You might not see somebody for six months or even a year, but within five minutes of meeting again you're carrying on the conversation as though you saw them last week.

I love that.

The Magic Community Is Something Worth Protecting

I genuinely think the magic community is something quite special.

Of course it isn't perfect.

No community is.

But I've met an enormous number of incredibly helpful, generous and creative people through magic.

People share ideas.

They give advice.

They help each other.

They recommend books.

They demonstrate tricks.

They introduce you to somebody else.

And sometimes a five-minute conversation completely changes the way you think about something.

That's why I think it's important that we continue supporting magic clubs, conventions, lectures and independent magic dealers.

Because once some of these things disappear, they're incredibly difficult to bring back.

Growing Up With Tam Shepherds in Glasgow

Growing up in Glasgow, Tam Shepherds Trick Shop was magical to me.

And, of course, it became synonymous with the legendary magician and creator Roy Walton.

There was something completely different about physically walking into a magic shop.

You weren't scrolling through hundreds of thumbnails.

You were talking to somebody.

You were seeing something demonstrated.

You'd hear:

“Have you seen this?”

And suddenly you'd discover something you hadn't even been looking for.

Physical magic shops like that have become increasingly rare.

And that's why I think supporting the ones that remain matters.

Independent Magic Dealers Matter Too

It's also one of the reasons I've deliberately taken Neo Magic in a slightly different direction.

I don't mass-distribute everything I create through the biggest wholesalers.

Instead, I sell directly through Neo Magic and work with a relatively small number of independent magic dealers.

That means you won't necessarily find every Neo Magic release in every magic shop.

It's another reason conventions matter.

You get to meet independent creators.

You get to see their latest ideas.

And you get to see things demonstrated by the people who actually created them.

There's Too Much Magic to Keep Up With Online

One of the problems now is the sheer amount of magic being released.

It can feel like hundreds of new tricks are appearing constantly.

Scroll.

Scroll.

Scroll.

Another trick.

Another download.

Another gimmick.

Another trailer.

It can become a waterfall of products.

And you're trying to stick your hand into that waterfall and grab something, thinking:

“Is this actually any good?”

At a convention, it's different.

You can see something performed.

You can ask questions.

You can handle the props.

You can talk directly to the creator.

And sometimes you'll discover a brilliant little effect that you'd never have noticed online.

Why I'm Reducing the Neo Magic Range

Interestingly, this has also made me think about Neo Magic itself.

Over the years I've created a lot of magic.

A LOT.

But going forward I want to focus more on a smaller selection of products that I genuinely believe represent where I'm heading creatively.

Things such as Mind Waves, Scribble Snap, Mental Match and my books.

I'd rather have a smaller range of products I'm really excited about than an enormous catalogue where great ideas get lost.

The Best Ideas at Conventions Don't Always Come From Lectures

Here's another reason I love conventions.

You learn things in completely unexpected places.

You might be standing at a dealer table.

Having coffee.

Waiting for a lecture.

Sitting in a hotel bar.

And somebody says:

“Have you thought about doing it like this?”

Suddenly your brain goes:

Hang on…

That's a Mind Burp.

And sometimes that random five-minute conversation becomes more valuable than anything else you see that day.

How One Conversation Changed Mind Waves

A perfect example happened recently with Mind Waves.

Luke Jones came over to me at the Leamington & Warwick Day of Magic with a storytelling presentation he'd developed for Mind Waves.

He showed it to me.

And I thought:

That's fantastic.

So I started sharing the idea with other Mind Waves owners.

At LADs, I was showing people the additional presentation.

One person told me he'd recently taken Mind Waves on holiday and had been performing it for people there.

He immediately said that if he'd known Luke's presentation beforehand, he'd have used that too.

That's brilliant.

Luke has an idea.

He shares it with me.

I share it with other people.

They perform it.

Perhaps somebody else then develops it again.

That's a creative community.

That's What Owning a Magic Company Means to Me

For me, Neo Magic isn't simply:

Make trick → sell trick → next trick.

I want people to enjoy the things I create.

I want them to perform them.

I want them to develop their own presentations.

And if someone comes up to me and says:

“Vinny, I've found another way of doing this…”

I want to hear it.

That's part of the fun.

That's also one of the reasons I still love attending conventions.

We Need to Support Magic Conventions

Organising a magic convention must be an enormous amount of work.

Venue.

Lecturers.

Dealers.

Tickets.

Schedules.

Hotels.

Technical equipment.

Food.

Advertising.

Problems nobody attending the event will ever know happened.

And often the people organising these events aren't doing it because they're going to make enormous amounts of money.

They're doing it because they love magic.

That's worth remembering.

If we want these events to continue, we need to support them.

Attend.

Watch the lectures.

Visit the dealers.

Buy something if you like it.

Talk to people.

And bring younger magicians into the community.

What Makes a Great Magic Convention?

One thing I've seen done particularly well at other events is keeping the lecturers, dealers and attendees connected.

If the dealers are close to the lecture room, people naturally wander through.

If dealers get a few minutes to introduce themselves, attendees know who's there.

If there are spaces where people can sit down, have a coffee and perform something, conversations happen naturally.

Because those conversations are actually part of the convention.

You can't put them on the timetable.

But they're incredibly important.

The Human Side of Magic Matters More Than Ever

We're living through an interesting period.

AI is becoming more powerful.

We're spending increasing amounts of time online.

Social media can supposedly connect us with thousands of people.

And yet I increasingly value actual human connection.

Shaking someone's hand.

Giving an old friend a hug.

Seeing somebody smile when you show them something.

Sitting down with a coffee and talking nonsense for 20 minutes.

Those things matter.

I've personally taken a bit of a step back from some social media platforms.

And I've noticed something.

My head feels clearer.

I'm spending more time with my family.

I'm thinking more.

And I'm appreciating face-to-face conversations more.

Technology can connect us.

But it can't completely replace being there.

Maybe That's Why Podcasts Work Too

It's actually one of the things I'm enjoying about the Mind Burp Podcast.

I'm literally talking into a microphone.

But when you're listening through headphones while walking, driving or apparently doing your parkrun, it feels much more personal.

I'm effectively dropping into your head for 15 or 20 minutes and having a conversation with you.

Hopefully something I say sparks an idea.

And perhaps you then message me and that sparks another idea in my head.

Again, it's about connection.

Magic Conventions Create Friendships

I've made some of my best friends through magic conventions.

People I've met at Blackpool and elsewhere have remained friends for years.

You watch people's lives change.

People get married.

Have children.

Change careers.

Start businesses.

Release products.

And you keep bumping into each other at conventions.

Eventually the magic trick becomes almost secondary.

It's simply the thing that originally brought everybody together.

Remembering the Golden Age of TV Magic

Another lovely conversation at LADs took me straight back to being a kid.

We started talking about television magic and the shows I grew up watching.

For me, that immediately brings back memories of Paul Daniels.

Those programmes were a huge part of my childhood.

And it reminded me of something else.

We can become obsessed with the newest thing.

The latest trick.

The latest gimmick.

The latest technology.

But some of the older magic is still fantastic.

Sometimes going backwards and rediscovering something is every bit as exciting as buying the latest release.

My Next Magic Conventions

LADs might have been the final LADs, but I've still got plenty coming up.

On Sunday 11 October 2026, I'll be heading to Hullusion in Hull.

Then on Saturday 7 November, I'll be lecturing at Wayne Goodman's Newmarket Shindig.

There are plenty more events after that too, including Blackpool next year.

And I'll continue attending, lecturing, dealing and probably drinking far too much coffee while talking about magic.

If your magic club or society is looking for a lecturer, you can also find out more about my Neo Magic lectures.

So, Are Magic Conventions Still About Magic Tricks?

Of course they are.

I still love seeing a brilliant trick.

I still love being fooled.

I love performing my own material.

And I love wandering around a dealers' hall and discovering something I've never seen before.

But that's no longer the main reason I go.

I go for the people.

Old friends.

New friends.

Random conversations.

Shared ideas.

Coffee.

Laughs.

Stories.

And those little moments when somebody shows you something and your brain suddenly goes:

“Hang on… what if?”

That's the real magic of a convention for me.

And yesterday at LADs reminded me why I still love being part of this community.

I'm Vinny Sagoo, founder of Neo Magic and Mind Burp Games, thank you for reading.