FISM DAY 1 :: BY CRAIG MITCHELL

Beijing is one enormous hot house - it's a sweltering city and you dare not leave the safety of your air conditioning. A quick trip down to the supermarket this morning and I've returned drenched to the bone. Humidity is ridiculous.

Delegates are greeted in the convention centre with an enormous sign announcing the 24th World Championships of Magic. And right beside it - a security presence ... along with rows of xray machines and police / security personnel on entry to make you feel very special. I had my bag searched twice - every nook and cranny - although no indication of what contraband they may exactly be looking for ( gospel magic perhaps ? ) Everyone nods & smiles with no idea as to what you are possibly saying.

With the first event scheduled for 4:30 pm - it was up to the dealers to keep us entertained. The Dealer's hall is divided up into 4 smaller separate rooms - with each dealer having their own trade show style both. The numbers of dealers are way down ( which is a pity ) although there are some exotic new comers who normally wouldn't be seen at a major convention. The early buzz from the purveyors of prestidigitation ? The appearing canes being sold by a Chinese toy company for under $2 ! Mounds and mounds of boxes. Lots more gems still to be discovered I'm sure.

Unemployment is clearly not an issue here. Everyone has a job including some dear soul whose function is to stand over the mass of cables criss crossing the hallway ( covered with plastic the size of speedbumps ) to warn oncomers of this nasty roadblock in their way. A multi-million dollar venue and no one took this into account! The convention centre also clearly considers us magicians a dirty bunch ... the regular carpets in the dealers rooms are all covered up with make shift lining stuck to the floor with duct tape resulting in somewhat of an obstacle course. Fascinating.

A central canteen station has been setp in the in main hallway with all the usual fare on offer - pizza, hotdogs, sandwiches along with the more adventurous Chinese dishes. Payment is via a 'debit card' which you pre-purchase and then top-up as needed.

The Opening Ceremony and Gala Banquet follow this evening. Stay tuned :-)