Sunday - and the first day of the conference. My hotel room has been an interesting experience; a large canister of silicon shower sealant left in the bottom of my shower tray, complete with applicator gun and a green scouring cloth. Perhaps they're expecting me to turn my hand to a bit of DIY between events. I take the sealant and applicator out of the shower, and put it on the floor in the bathroom.

The agenda for the day's conference includes consultative sessions on tax, devolution, and children and families. There's an opportunity for the party to 'debrief' on the recent general election; a speech by the party's health spokesman Professor Steve Webb MP, and motions for debate on tax credits and equal pay.

I'm also kept busy making sure the many training sessions for party members are running smoothly (I'm the party's training administrator in my day job, when I'm not being a councillor), and in the evening I've organised a reception for the party's trainers.

In the afternoon, there's a meeting of the Local Government Association Liberal Democrat Group. As a newly elected member of the LGA Scrutiny Panel, I'm part of the Group, so I go along for a very interesting meeting and the opportunity to raise all sorts of local government issues with senior figures from the LGA. The debacle of the new licensing legislation, and worries about the cost to local councils of introducing free bus passes next April, are among them.

After dinner, I catch one of Blackpool's famous trams back to my hotel.