- It was a whole day of listening to interesting, articulate and intelligent women with only a few token men (most of whom were also quite good, I should say).
- I laughed. A lot. Particularly when Jo Brand came on. (And when I learned the phrase ‘mimsiwoowoo’).
- For nine hours, my having kids was just assumed and not seen as a disadvantage I had to overcome.
- People wanted me. Well, mainly advertisers. It was a new experience – as a teacher you have nothing to give, so nobody tries.
- I got to interact with friendly strangers as we tweeted each other on the big screen while the debates went on.
- I discovered some new role models; Stella Creasy, Viv Groskop, Sonya Cisco, Prof Tanya Bryon, Laura Bates, Sarah Crown, Helen Lewis, A L Kennedy and Jo Brand. (If I’m honest, some of these may have developed into girl-crushes).
- I got to bump badges with other bloggers (no really, we were wearing fancy badges that share contact details when tapped together).
- I was reminded how special words are. As A L Kennedy said, ‘I love shoes, but nobody burns f*cking shoes’.
- I learnt a new word – ‘aphorism: a truth written or spoken in a concise and memorable form’.
- The champagne and canapés.
