I've been a performing magician for many years and have never attended a convention. I've been to many lectures, but just never a convention or similar event. Be that as it may, I'm curious what people mind suggest to be the best FIRST convention someone like me should attend? I know very few magicians personally so I wouldn't be going to meet up with friends, just for the experience. Suggestions?

I highly recommend the IBM convention

I would recommend Magic Live. There is a great variety of lectures, a wonderful dealers hall and it is set in Las Vegas, so you can see top notch magic shows like Mac King and David Copperfield.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be heading to Magic Live next month.

So I don't have anything to compare it to, but Magic Live 2024 was a blast. All the magicians whom I told this was my very first convention said that any other in the future was going to be a let down (with the exception of maybe FISM or Blackpool).

There was a large dealer room with all the usual magic companies (and some unexpected participants). There were general sessions, performances, and hands-on sessions with well-known magicians. There were a few surprise lecturers and performers (and quite a few from Fool Us, such as Rachel Wax and Emily Robinson-Hardy). Mystique Dining hosted a lounge where there were "magic jams" and discussions, including a very interesting chat with Derek DelGaudio (who had some great insights). David Copperfield, Mac King, and others made appearances in the dealer room, browsing what was new. The special edition of Joshua Jay's new book sold out in 4 minutes and every dealer was giving show deals. The schedule was pretty packed—days started at 10am and went well into the night. Everyone was friendly and approachable, including David Williamson, R. Paul Wilson, and Mike Caveney. I even got a private 10-minute magic lesson from a well-known magician, which was amazing.

Abbott's Get-Together in Colon, Michigan. Always fun.
The hardest part of going to this convention was hearing about one of the regulars who passed away.
It was like losing a family member.