GRAND PRIX 1949

GRAND PRIX 1950 & 1955 & 1961

GRAND PRIX 1951 (Buckingham)

GRAND PRIX 1958

GRAND PRIX 1967

GRAND PRIX 1964 & 1976

GRAND PRIX 1970 & 1973

GRAND PRIX 1979

GRAND PRIX 1982

GRAND PRIX 1988

GRAND PRIX 1991

GRAND PRIX 1994

GRAND PRIX 1997

GRAND PRIX 2000

Scott the Magician & Muriel

GRAND PRIX 2003

GRAND PRIX 2006

Pilou (Stage)Rick Merrill (Close-up)

GRAND PRIX 2009

SOMA Shawn Farquhar

EMC Talk Eric Eswin

Hello to you all.

As I dont know whether it is morning, afternoon or evening at the place youre watching this exciting conference from, I think that is the most appropriate greeting.

My name is Eric Eswin and I am the International President of the FISM.

Just like now I never get any enthusiastic response when I introduce myself like this, because most of the people do not know what FISM means.

Some time ago we conducted a survey, asking people of different countries about their idea of the meaning of FISM. The results were very disappointing. We got answers like Fixed Income Security Market Fellow of the Institute of Service Management Financial Institute of Stock Market

And one responded even suggested that FISM stands for Five Incredibly Sexy Men.

Well, they were all wrong and as ignorant as many magicians who do speak about FISM. They use it as a name or as a brand, although they havent the slightest idea what FISM stands for.

Actually FISM is the French acronym for Fdration Internationale des Socits Magiques, in English: the International Federation of Magic Societies.

So basically FISM is a federation of societies and not of individual magicians, like most of the magic societies as we know them are. At the moment we have 85 member-societies from really all over the world. Asia, South Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, Latin America and Oceania are represented. So in this sense FISM is the largest worldwide organisation that is respected and recognised by the major magic societies as the sole organiser of the World Championships of Magic.

Before I elaborate on that let me first tell you something about how it all started. It will be interesting as you might recognise some of the current feelings of young magicians who are trying to communicate with each other in a modern, effective way, a way adapted to social life in general.

It all started in the beginning of the past century. How was social life at that time? Magicians communicated with each other by gathering at magic clubs that had annual magic conventions and provided a place to meet, talk and to

change ideas. At the club meetings there were demonstrations by club members and they had friendly competitions, sometimes with more prizes than competitors.

Please keep in mind that in that time, unlike today, we were deprived of computers, e-mail, sms, DVDs, the Internet and YouTube.

Just like today, there was no systematic education for magic and having magic conventions and especially competitions was just a good way to create a magic act and put it to a test to magic colleagues before showing it to a public of non magicians.

International communication was done by regular mail, snail mail as we call today, by an exchange of magic club magazines and an occasional visit to a magic convention in another country. Travelling was quite an issue and an ash cloud preventing travelling by air never bothered international life.

In 1937 in a French magic club, the Association Syndicale des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (Association of magicians), talkings began about organising an international magic organization, with the main purpose to organize magic conventions and international competitions. Because of the Second World War however, it was not before 1948, when in Lausanne, Switzerland, such an international organization was founded and Dr. Jules Dhotel, the President of the French magic association, wrote the Statutes in French.

That also explains the French name of the organization: Fdration Internationale des Socits Magiques, abbreviated to FISM. Despite this French start, if I may say so, from its very beginning in 1948 the FISM was really international as you can see by the first board members in this old picture.

There were not only representatives from European countries like Belgium, France, Holland and England, but also the USA was represented by Arnold Furst and Ren Clark and even a representative from India, although he is not depicted in the picture.

About 300 magicians attended the first FISM convention in 1948 in Lausanne from about 13 countries and there was a competition with some 30 contestants.

The first winner of the FISM GRAND PRIX, the highest award that could be awarded, was won by WILLANE from England. Unfortunately we dont have his picture, but we do have one of the 1st Prize winner in the Manipulation Category, Jean Valton from France.

From 1948 till 1952 there were yearly FISM conventions and since 1952 the conventions were held every three years.

On the screen you will see some more Grand Prix winners from the early FISM conventions. It is not a complete list, I took some random pictures.

In 2003, because of their growing importance and universal recognition as the most prestigious competition in magic, the FISM conventions were rightfully called the FISM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAGIC.

Nowadays the number of conventioneers is between 2000 and 2500. The coming FISM WCM2012, to be held in Blackpool, UK, is expected to sell out at 3000 attendees.

For sure you will understand that the organization of such an extensive event needs a sound structure.

On the next picture you will see the basic organizational structure of the FISM.

At the base we have of course the member-societies. The ultimate directive authority for the conduct of the affairs of the FISM is vested in the General Assembly, consisting of all the Presidents of the Member Societies.

The members of the General Assembly are subdivided in six continental chapters: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania. Each continental chapter is run by its own Continental President, as elected and appointed by the members of that continental chapter. The six continental Presidents constitute the FISM Executive Board.

To develop FISMs strategy and to ensure a consistent and continued maintenance of this strategy and, the General Assembly elects a so-called Presidium, consisting of an International President and two vice-Presidents. All meetings of the General Assembly and of the Executive Board are presided over by the International President.

The two International Vice-Presidents are Gerrit Brengman from Belgium and Domenico Dante from Italy.

And coming back to the survey I mentioned about the meaning of FISM, you now can clearly see by yourself how wrong the suggested answers were. Especially the one that said that FISM means Five Incredibly Sexy Man, as we are only three in the Presidium!

Every three years at their meeting the General Assembly decides which of the bids are granted the hosting and organization of the next FISM World Championship of Magic.

So last year during the World championships held in Beijing, China the General Assembly decided that the next FISM World Championships of Magic shall be held in Blackpool, England, in July 2012. President of the organizing committee of FISM WCM2012 is Derek Lever, from the Blackpool Magicians Club.

Two things are remarkable in he current organization. First, it is a truly international ORGANIZATION, which is reflected in the

different boards. As you see the Honorary President, Maurice Pierre, is from France, the Presidium members are from Holland, Belgium and Italy, the President of the next World Championship is from the UK and our webmaster, Craig Mitchell is from South Africa. And they all live in their home country, so you can imagine the challenges we meet in having an effective way of communication.

Secondly, ALL board members, including the Presidium members, are unpaid volunteers. I am not saying this to evoke your contemplation, I just say it to emphasize that not all of us are professional association managers, which sometimes prevents a truly professional approach of organizational problems. I will come back to this in a minute, when I talk about the future.

Despite these elements however FISM has not only survived, but has developed in a respected global organization.

So that is FISM today. Now a few words about its future.

But before that, lets look at some more recent FISM Grand Prix winners. Again not a complete, but just random number of winners.

OK. Now the future of FISM.

First of all, I am convinced that the FISM World Championships of Magic will continue to exist and as the demands will be stronger and stronger, the organization will become more professional and the leadership will be in the hands of paid professional association managers, not necessarily magicians.

Secondly, in the future, the World Championships of Magic will be more than in the past held outside of Europe. From 1948 up till now we only went outside Europe twice. In 1994 in Yokohama and in 2009 in Beijing. Due to the growing interest of the other continents, more often continental chaters will host a World Championship of Magic.

The number of member-societies will grow. We already have more applications and inquiries about applications from magic societies from India, Indonesia and still more from Europe.

With the introduction of continental chapters, we have also introduced FISM continental championships of magic. The first continental championship was the FISM Asian championship of Magic, which was held in 2008 in Seoul in Korea. In 2011, one year before the World Championships in Blackpool, we will have the Latin American Championships of magic in Guatemala, the European championships, also in Blackpool, the Oceania Championships in Melbourne and we are discussing the next venue for the second Asian championships in Japan and we are exploring the possibilities of the first North American Championships in the USA.

The winners of the continental championships will have a guaranteed entrance in the World Championships f Magic. So it looks like that in 2012 at the WCM we will see the champions in magic of all the continents, represented in FISM.

For the future, because of these continental championships, the growing number of member societies and the restriction of 150 contestants, the selection of the contestants will be stricter. Only the best, as qualified by the Presidents of the member-societies can gain an entrance in the World Championships of Magic.

More than ever in the future FISM will be what the initiators meant it to be: a leading global platform of magic, committed to the enhancement, promotion and development of the Art of Magic.

If you agree with me that this 3-days Essential Magic Conference is a wonderful, encouraging and educational event, that contributes to the development of the Art of Magic, then you should certainly attend a FISM WCM as well. There, over a period of six days, you will have life contact with the artists and moderators and you will see 150 contestants of really all over the world, from Europe to Africa, Australia, Asia to North and Latin America, competing for what is world wide recognised as the most prestigious awards in magic.

I already told you that the next FISM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAGIC will be held in July 2012 in Blackpool, England.

No person with a serious love for the Art of Magic can afford not to have attended at least one FISM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP of MAGIC.

I am looking forward to welcoming you all in person in July 2012 in Blackpool.

And in the meantime:

Stay tuned and Keep Practicing! You may be a future FISM Grand Prix winner!

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