The only other bone of contention I had was with some schedule clashes that resulted when two juicy sessions were put on at the same time, while other session times were filled with lightweight (or in some cases, weightless) application development sessions. I'm sure the attendees of other streams would express the same view.

Party time
Well, I gave the parties a miss, apart from an excellent one hosted by Lotus UK on the top of the Reichstag looking out over Berlin. Nothing against the official parties, but I prefer to get out and about a foreign city and enjoy its dining delights.

Berlin is not short of them. The award for best meal of the week goes to Le Canard restaurant, but the overall standard of dining in Berlin is very good. Whether you're a casual diner or a serious party animal, the city has something to offer you.

Well, to sum it up, I'm going back next year. The whole experience was worth every penny!

Patrick FitzGerald is Managing Director of Ulpian Ltd, a London-based Knowledge Management and Team Working consultancy.