The most recent meeting of the Executive Committee of FICPI took place at Goodwood Park in England during the first week of September. The participants were blessed with good weather and as FICPI-UK had secured the exclusive use of the hotel, there was a very pleasant and convivial ambience.

A very full working programme was completed successfully and much of this has already been reported in ExCo News. The meeting commenced with a reception and dinner at Goodwood Racecourse, a short distance from the hotel. This made it easy for at least one Antipodean delegate (who did not realise that when David Evans says "prompt" he means prompt!) to follow on by taxi.

On Monday 3 September there was only one working session, so there was time for golf and other leisure activities in the afternoon before delegates were treated to a traditional British pastime, namely eating out at a local pub. Four pubs were used, and although they were selected for the quality of their food and drink they also had splendid traditional names, namely the Angel, the Kings Arms, Badgers and the Horseguards Inn.

Tuesday was a full working day but in the evening delegates had the opportunity to visit the famous Chichester Theatre to see a particularly fine musical production.

It was one of the specific aims of the Organising Committee to avoid long coach journeys so the day out took the form of an excursion to nearby Portsmouth where there were many activities having a distinctly nautical theme. Everybody was first able to visit HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship, and in the evening, we dined aboard HMS Warrior, on the Gun Deck, with our dining tables alternating with cannon.

In between, delegates were at liberty to explore the historic naval dockyard, either visiting museums, the remains of the famous ship the Mary Rose, taking a cruise round the harbour, or playing various interactive electronic games to test their aptitude at various nautical skills.

A buffet lunch was available within the Royal Naval Museum.

Thursday was another full working day and in the evening delegates were able to relax in the hotel itself, with drinks on the lawn followed by a barbecue dinner.

Friday brought the traditional final banquet. The coaches had been banished and instead of the usual large group gradually assembling to climb aboard, delegates were whisked in small groups, as they came down from their rooms dressed in their finery, to Goodwood House, built for the first Duke of Richmond, in a fleet of historic Rolls Royce motor cars, provided by David Evans.

We dined in splendour looking at magnificent portraits of members of the Richmond family old and new, including the father of the first Duke of Richmond, King Charles II.

Needless to say our indispensible accompanying persons graced all the above events with their presence, and also took part in their own full programme during the working sessions, which included visits to Arundel Castle, Beaulieu, and Chichester Cathedral.

Music was not forgotten and we were entertained by a harpist at the opening reception, a splendid jazz band at the barbecue, and by a string quartet and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra at Goodwood House

As with all such events, not everything went strictly according to plan. Even now, long after the event, the mere mention of the words "fire alarm" causes members of the Organising Committee to turn pale and tremble! The general view however, was that the event had been a great success and our President, Malcolm Royal, described the final banquet as spectacular.

The organising committee consisted of Richard Gallafent (President FICPI-UK), David Evans (Treasurer), David Carmichael, Terry Johnson, Alastair Neill, Bill Stonehouse and Keith Warren. Much hard work was also carried out by the ladies committee namely Patti Bannerman, Elizabeth Carmichael, Barbara Stonehouse and Hennie Warren.

Of course the event could not have taken place without the hardest workers of all, namely the Secretariat (Alexandra Louage-Firbank, Cath Kershaw and Sandie Snell) and our event manager Lynn Williams, assisted by Eileen Allen and Caroline Glover.