Think review part 1 - experience and highlights

I've just come up for air after the marathon that was Think last week. My first involvement proper with an event on this scale and boy was it energy sapping. From meeting and greeting speakers, chairing conference sessions, firefighting when crises emerged, overseeing video and print coverage etc etc. And then to finish it off sit on a platform with the environment secretary, pontificate on policy and sum up all that was discussed and pick holes in his speech on the existing stock. Such was my state at the end Thursday that I subsequently misplaced most of the notes I had made during that day as well as my phone (it was discovered the morning after). My highlights?

Here's a few:

• The aforementioned question time session. Rather surreal to be sat in front of hundreds of green experts and to be expected to wisely opine on the issue. I tried my best and made a joke of not being cynical about the performance of the Government on greening the industry, as most hacks are. And Hilary Benn was pretty game in responding to a lot of points made from the floor
• International perspective - I started Thursday with the mammoth task of fitting in seven presentations on amazing international projects in an hour. That didn't happen - it ended up stretching an hour an three quarters, but it was well worth the overrun (for me anyhow). From amazing masterplans for Jordan and the Far East to a great example of a community energy scheme that works in Austria and great projects in America, Sweden and Poland it was awe-inspiring stuff.
• Roundtable discussions - I managed to chair three sessions on energy, waste and skills. Tough skill to master and control four or five speakers and to involve the audience as well. Highlights include being implored to dress up as Bob the Builder to inspire children to enter the industry, refereeing a dispute as to how big a responsibility clients had for waste on site and being inspired to be proactive in tackling the skills challenge via the media (and not just dressing up).
• Bloggers drinks - I ended Wednesday with a few light ales with bloggers Mel, Casey, Rob and Martin. Very entertaining. Is twitter silly? Is UK TV rubbish? Can bloggers make money? What were the best films/albums of the last six months? How many six word novels can you write in half an hour? A few of the vital topics we covered, in between Casey being soaked by a faulty air-conditioning system