FISM

The Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) (International Federation of Magic Societies) was founded in 1948, and is one of the most respected organizations in the industry. It is an international body coordinating dozens of national and international clubs and federations around the world, representing approximately 50,000 Magicians from 32 countries.

The FISM is probably best known for conducting one of the premier magic conventions in the world, the triennial "World Championship of Magic". The 2006 convention was held in Stockholm, Sweden.

The next FISM will be held in 2009 in Beijing, China.

Brief History

The roots of the FISM began in Paris, France, in 1937, at a meeting of the 34-year-old ASAP, Association Syndicale des Artistes Prestigitateurs (Association of prestidigitation artists), which had a monthly magazine Le Journal de la Prestidigitation.

In 1946, a hotel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, hosted an International Congress of Magicians, with over 300 registrants from around Europe.

The 1947 "Congrès Magique International" brought in 500 attendees from 18 countries, and 70 participants in the competition. Meetings at that convention were held to discuss the creation of a formal international organization, and that was where the FISM title was proposed.

The first FISM began in 1948 at Lausanne (Switzerland). Here were the results:

Country	Name	Category	Place
England	Willane	Grand prix	1
France	Jean Valton	Manipulation	1
England	Paula Baird	Manipulation	2
Switzerland	Zano	Manipulation	3
Denmark	Haakon Edeling	Presentation	1
The Netherlands	Van Dijl	Presentation	2
France	Dominique	Presentation	3
England	Burtini	Invention	1
France	Gaulthron	Invention	Prix special
France	Rogello	Allied Art	1

References

• Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM)
• "A history of FISM", by Max Maven, originally published in Genii.