The BIG Conference this year was a rip roaring success. Not only did we enjoy good papers but for some reason the atmosphere this year was particularly buoyant and everyone seemed to have a good time from start to finish. The presence of some ducks on the patio of the St. Pierre hotel gave everyone a smile right from the beginning - and they stayed with us through much of the social activity, even coming into the bar at one stage. The views from the hotel are always breathtaking - green lawns, large and interesting trees, the expanse of the golf courses with lakes… and the mediaeval courtyard sets the scene.

Sunshine greeted the early arrivals to play the golf tournament on the championship course at the St. Pierre on the afternoon of the opening day. Richard Collins (who also appeared in the tennis later and is evidently a sportsman) won the trophy.

Drinks sponsored by the conference committee at 6pm were followed by a post-dinner quiz organized by Critical. Derek Farr was not with us this year but Critical had devised a brain-teaser to get us all in the mood - testing us all on London Underground stations.

We went round in pairs with clues to around 30 stations, which had to be untangled before proceeding to the next. An anagram (Piccadilly) was the last clue to get- but it was not just the finishing that counted. No. We were all timed - the winners had to be not just fiendishly clever but quick with it. Marc Brenner, editor of Research magazine and Adele Goody of Incisive Research won the event, having gone round in double quick time.

Copies of the quiz are available from Critical for a small fee - profits to go to the Market Research Benevolent Association (MRBA) which was again this year the charity supported by the conference. All monies collected go to a good cause, researchers and/or their dependents who have fallen on hard times and need some help from those of us in employment.

Neil McPhee, who was our official photographer this year took lots of action shots on the Thursday evening at the tennis. The tennis tournament takes place on the hotel courts straight after the workshops and is attended by those who play often and, very gratifyingly, by people who have barely held a racket for years; lots of good sports in B2B market research.

Around 20 played in all, the event sponsored by Pulse Train and the afternoon itself organised by Trevor Wilkinson. The two winners' trophies were awarded by Richard Collins of Pulse Train at the conference dinner that evening, the winners being Damon Thomas and Helen Wanford and runners-up Clive Warren and Pene Healey. It is good to see some faces there year after year, but also good to see some new players such as Katie Wilkinson from RBS having a go.

The Thursday evening drinks in the bar were sponsored by Sample Answers, which was followed by the formal Conference Dinner in the hall, with wine sponsored by Research International.

The MRBA raffle raised £598, with Kathy Hurst of the Wire (now our new Committee chair) acting as compere and announcing again in her inimitable way a multitude of winners.

It was a good night for Damon Thomas who won the the Carluccio Food Box (donated by Accent Research), with NOP providing its annual brown floppybear which all the women wanted to win.

Other prizes included Allianz' golf balls and umbrellas, Royal Mail gave a year book of stamps, BT provided Molten Brown cosmetics and Field Facts ITC very generously donated an MP3 player.

There were many other prizes too numerous to mention. Our thanks to all who gave so generously to the event, which is always a real highpoint of the evening.

The after-dinner disco partly carried on the party mood though many took the chance for a quiet chat with friends, old and new, in the bar outside. An enjoyable day, packed full of papers, workshops and the glue that makes the conference special - tennis, talk, wining and dining all in good company and against the marvellous backdrop of the ancient castle. You could not find a more glorious setting if you tried.

We are lucky that the conference has been able to continue there - we are just about the right size for the location and lucky to be able to be the ONLY conference going on at the time, so we're not competing with others for space.

Thursday night was rounded off by Neil McPhee with his guitar, this year joined by Henrik Hall from Sweden and Richard Collins who entertained the late night revellers with renderings of Oasis.

Our thanks to all who helped organise the social programme. The social side, the sports which are more fun than competitive, the opportunities to get to know each other in the coffee and lunch breaks whilst all being at the same hotel, that sheer break from the routine of our office work whilst learning new things about research and making new alliances, all contribute to making the BIG Conference special.

As one of the American delegates said: "I can safely say that this was the best conference I attended in the past year - excellent content, interesting attendees and very easy to meet and connect with people. I will certainly be back next year."

There was a real buzz about the conference this year. Everyone enjoyed it. Especial thanks to all the suppliers who sponsored this year's goodie bag and events - Critical, Elizabeth Norman International, Excell, Maven, NIPO Software, NOP, Pulse Train, QPSMR, Research International, RONIN, Sample Answers, Skopos, Synovate, Viewpoint and The Wire. Your support helps make the conference special but it's the gusto with which the delegates embrace it all that makes the real difference. Roll on conference 2006! We look forward to seeing you - and the ducks of course.

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