Samuel Beckett Bridge

Like all good days, this one starts with meetings - this time from my hotel room. Then I meet Saf and Jo for breakfast - and learn that Saf is almost as particular an eater as Jo.

I head for the conference venue, find our booth, and then head across the Samuel Beckett Bridge on a cultural outing to the National Gallery of Ireland. I only have time to visit the one room - modern artists including Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, John Singer Sargent and more. I really like a painting of a derelict La Corbusier apartment block by Peter Doig (extra)

After a healthy lunch at Sprout, I’m back at the convention centre for an afternoon of sessions before meeting the rest of the team in the exhibition hall.

It’s the conference party tonight at the Guinness Storeroom - buses laid on from 7. We’re greeted by drummers and bursts of flame in the courtyard (extra), before shuffling into the building and processing through the “visitor experience” towards the bars and food stations.

Hours later, we get a bus back to the hotel. For some reason we think it’s a good idea to have another beer at the bar. I meet a permanent resident of the hotel - Beau, a Canadian working for Google as a pricing specialist - and get an invite to tour the Google campus. Not sure when there will be time for that!

It’s late. The bar has shut. Frank, Jo, Saf and I are sat outside finishing our drinks. Tomorrow is upon us.