Java Magic Went Behind The Scene of The 9thAsian Magic Association Magic Convention
The 9th AsianMagic Association Magic Convention was the first Asian Magic Association (AMA) magic
convention in the Philippines. Filipino magicians were proud of this
international convention. The magic convention was hosted by the Inner Magic
Club (IMC) in Davao city from the 14th until the 17th of
September 2012. I was privileged to see the 9th AMA Convention
preparation.
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| Silvan Prayogo (magician from Indonesia) with Chief of Staff Lemuel G. Ortonio |
Mr. James Infiesto (a member
of IMC and the director of the 9th AMA Convention) and Jandee
Infiesto (Mr. James Infiesto’s son) warmly welcomed me in the arrival terminal
of Davao City’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport at around 11:00 a.m. on
Monday, the 10th of September 2012. It was great to see Mr. James
Infiesto once again after our first meeting in 2007 Magic Festival, Malaysia.
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| Chief of City Administration Attorney Lyka Lopez |
Most of the 9thAsian Magic Association Magic Convention preparation in Davao took place in Blue Tree fashion boutique where Bonjee
Entertainment Services (BES) office would be until September 12. Several BES
staffs such as Joyce D. Cesar, Cheysser Santiago Camahalan, Jane Calonia, and
Abby Dalipe were busy responding conventioneers via emails while preparing the
magic convention technical matters such as meals, ticketing, souvenirs, security,
promotions, etc. Armed with laptops and Nokias, fueled with Mc Donald’s Chicken
Rice packs, BES staffs worked tirelessly from morning till night. A sudden
change in convention hotel was one of the urgent matters they had to solve within
days. “We use an event organizer like Bonjee Entertainment Services to
professionally manage the convention. The staffs are focused on this task,”
said Mr. James Infiesto.
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| Discussion with Pinnacle Hotel management about the preparation for the magic convention |
Magicians and magic clubs in
Davao did their best to support the 9th Asian Magic Association Magic Convention. Mr. Peter
Miral from Davao Square Magic Society was one of Davao magicians who closely
assisted the 9th AMA Convention management. “This is an important
event for all magicians in the Philippines. We must work together for the
success of this event,” said Mr. Peter Miral. Michael Zalamangkah (founder of
Panaboans Magic Society and a member of United Mahikeros of Mindanao) couldn’t
agree more. Michael Zalamangkah and his friends made foreign conventioneers
felt more welcome in Davao city.
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| Silvan Prayogo (Indonesian magician) poses next to the Asian Stars of Magic poster in front of the Blue Tree Fashion Boutique (10th of September 2012) |
The 9th AMAConvention also received a generous support from the Davao City Government and
the Philippines Department of Tourism especially for security and promotion. Convention
sites were secured by military and police force in uniform and plain clothes. “The
Philippines, especially Davao, is a safe and friendly place to visit and have a
magic convention,” as AMA General Secretary Albert Tam from Hong Kong later
said during the closing ceremony on the 17th of September 2012.
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| Mr. Joey, the legendary Davao city street magician. |
Mr. James Infiesto introduced
me to Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte in Davao City Hall. The mayor reserves
Monday to personally meet Davao citizens in her office. I witnessed common
people, dressed casually, cuing for their turn to speak to the mayor. The
citizens may talk about personal matters such as education, economy, etc. “The
mayor listens to people’s ideas and problems,” explained Mr. James Infiesto. Mayor
Sara Z. Duterte and her dedicated staffs such as Chief of Staff Lemuel G.
Ortonio and Chief of City Administration Attorney Lyka Lopez successfully make
Davao city the safest and most livable city in Asia. Another astonishing
achievement is the successful implementation of NO SMOKING policy in Davao
City.
The 9th Asian Magic Association Magic Convention had been intensely promoted months earlier via a website, internet social
media, newspaper articles, a large billboard, fliers, brochures, posters
distributions, and press conferences. On
Tuesday, September 11, Panda (a French magician based in China) and I were the
first two foreign magicians to publicly promote the magic convention in Quezon Park
(across the Davao City Hall). I performed several close up magic routines such
as the four colored silks blendo and the linking safety pins. Panda performed
balloon arts and tongue - piercing bizarre magic. Stage director Arnold
Allanigui, Ian Santarin Martin (champion of national close up magic), and Mr. James
Infiesto performed magic shows in a press conference the following day in the
City Hall conference room to promote the convention. All promotional magic
shows were broadcasted by ABS CBN TV and radio stations. Then, in the morning
of September 13, Mr. James Infiesto was interviewed by ABS CBN once more in the
Pinnacle Hotel lobby. Mrs. Skye Bangoy Dionela and Jandee Infiesto were seen
busy preparing Mr. James Infiesto to look good for the interview. The magic
convention activities were also nicely documented in photographs by Mr. Perkins
Bayron and Mr. Boy Samson.
We also surveyed the convention
sites such as the Pinnacle hotel (the ballroom, the magic dealers room, etc)
and the University of Mindanao Matina Gym (for the Asian Stars of Magic on the
14th and 15th of September 2012). Guest performers for Asian Stars of Magic got
their chance to set up stage condition such as properties positioning, lighting
and sound (music) on the day of their performance. Paper tapes with the guest performers’
names written on them scattered on the stage floor to mark their performance
area. I marked three areas on the stage for my magic properties. Stage director
Arnold Allanigui worked closely with each guest star to set up the stage. He
provided a selection of backdrop theme designs for guest performers during
their shows. In addition to entertainment, Asian Stars of Magic was an effort
to raise fund to help children with cancers. The beneficiary of Asian Stars of
Magic was Kids of Hope (Davao Children’s Cancer Fund, Inc).
On Wednesday, September 12,
meetings for the convention preparation moved from the fashion boutique into a
meeting room on the second floor of Pinnacle hotel to accommodate more people. People
involved in organizing the 9th AMA Convention such as IMC President Alexander
I. Lagula, Convention Chairman Cris Castro, Mr. Arnold Allanigui, Mr. Beling
Rodrigurez from ABS CBN, City Mayor Computer System and Communications
Consultant Bert Barriga (the consultant for the 9th AMA Convention),
BES staffs, and many others got together more frequently to discuss and
implement the final preparation of the convention. Their meetings could last
from morning until late at night. Some said that organizing a magic convention
means a few hours of sleep and many cups of coffee. Details such as the stage
set up, schedules, and Mayor Sara Z. Duterte magic show were discussed. Yes, the Mayor of Davao performed a brief
magic show, the blooming flower in a pot, during the 9th AMA Convention
opening ceremony.
Despite challenging
pressures such as the China – Philippine territorial dispute, past security
incidence in the Philippines, and other unsuspected last minutes problems,
Philippines has successfully organized the 9th AMA Convention. The
magic convention showed united effort and dedication by magicians, government,
and general public of the Philippines. I am grateful for the opportunity to witness
the hard work behind the 9th Asian Magic Association Magic Convention.
