Java Magic Went Behind The Scene of The 9th AMA Convention

Java Magic Went Behind The Scene of The 9thAsian Magic Association Magic  Convention

Author: Silvan Prayogo, President of Java Magic (Indonesian Magician from Semarang city)

Silvan Prayogo (Indonesian magician from Semarang city, Central Java province) with Mr. James Infiesto (left) and Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte (middle)

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 14^th until the 17^th of September 2012. I was privileged to see the 9^th AMA Convention preparation.

Silvan Prayogo (magician from Indonesia) with Chief of Staff Lemuel G. Ortonio 

Mr. James Infiesto (a member of IMC and the director of the 9^th 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 10^th of September 2012. It was great to see Mr. James Infiesto once again after our first meeting in 2007 Magic Festival, Malaysia.

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.

Discussion with Pinnacle Hotel management about the preparation for the magic convention

Magicians and magic clubs in Davao did their best to support the 9^th Asian Magic Association Magic Convention. Mr. Peter Miral from Davao Square Magic Society was one of Davao magicians who closely assisted the 9^th 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.  

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 17^th of September 2012.

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 9^th 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 14^th and 15^th 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 9^th 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 9^th 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 9^th 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 9^th 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 9^th Asian Magic Association Magic  Convention.

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