| Good morning everyone, |
| and welcome to the 2nd Annual Wullaballoo Conference on Mastering Computer Languages. |
| I hope you all had a good trip. |
| Before we get underway with today's programme, |
| let me fill you in as to what's on tap for tomorrow, |
| Sunday, February 19th. |
| At 9 am right here in the Main Hall, |
| we'll be hearing a lecture from Dr John Smith about "Computer as Teacher". |
| Professor Smith, from the University of Melbourne, |
| is a world-class expert in the field of computer-assisted education, |
| and his talk promises to be both stimulating and informative. |
| Immediately afterwards, at 10:30, |
| there'll be a presentation of papers by various delegates. |
| That, however, will take place in the Garden Room on the ground floor. |
| If you don't yet know, |
| the Garden Room is also called the Ballroom, |
| and we'll be gathering at the west end, |
| the slightly raised area called Level 2. |
| Just look for the crowd. |
| If you get lost, there are signs in the foyer. |
| After all that thinking, talking, and listening, |
| I expect everyone will be a bit weary. |
| So at 11:15, |
| there will be a break for coffee, cookies, and other light refreshments. |
| These will be available at the aptly named Refreshment Stand, |
| placed by the door back here in the Main Hall. |
| Also, if you choose to skip the formal lunch, |
| you can buy a packed lunch at the stand for a reasonable price. |
| I strongly urge you, however, to join us at the formal lunch. |
| That won't be till one o'clock sharp, |
| so you have time to stroll about town a bit. |
| We'll be eating at the Sea View Restaurant. |
| The restaurant is located right here in the hotel, on the top floor. |
| It's a good dozen flights of stairs, |
| so I suggest you take the lift on the ground floor, eh? |
| If you're not fond of fish, |
| there's an all-you-can-eat barbecue available as well. |
| They even offer wallaby meat! |
| After lunch, we'll troop back downstairs to Level 2 in the Ballroom |
| for the presentation of further papers, |
| which will begin at 2 pm. |
| Please try to be on time. |
| I know you'll be a bit tired after lunch, |
| but the Ballroom echoes so with people coming in late. |
| Thank you in advance. |
| Once we've heard the papers, |
| we'll break for afternoon tea at 3:10 p.m. |
| No need to walk. |
| The manager of the refreshment stand has graciously agreed to have tea served in the Ballroom. |
| He's even promised us some special scones, baked from a recipe of his dear old Scottish grandmother. |
| Then, tea being drunk and scones munched, |
| we'll retire here to the Main Hall for some closing remarks and questions. |
| So, by 5 o'clock we should have the conference wrapped up. |
| But the fun isn't over! |
| This is Australia mates! |
| We'll be flocking to the hotel's own Palm Lounge on the east side of the foyer for an informal reception. |
| You can relax, mingle with the other delegates, and let your hair down a bit. |
| This will run from 5:10 to 6:10, though you're free to stay as long as you like. |
| The lounge manager has informed me that, for the duration of the actual reception, |
| you can have all-you-can-drink beer for $20 with purchase of an advance ticket. |
| And, yes, tickets can be purchased from any conference organiser |
| or at the front desk anytime between now and the start of the reception. |
| I suggest you come by tomorrow evening to pick up the tickets |
| since the conference hall only holds 800 people. |
| That way, you can also get your journey planned ahead of time |
| and be sure not to miss this truly memorable conference. |
| If you want cocktails, however, I'm sorry. |
| You'll have to pay for those at the regular price. |
| Oh my goodness! Speaking of paying, |
| I see I forgot to tell you a couple of things. |
| The first is about lunch. |
| The charge for the lunch will be $15 for all you delegates. |
| If you have guests with you, |
| the cost is $25 for the general public, |
| and $6.50 for children under the age of 10. |
| That's $15 each, not total for everyone! |
| Another item is about the lunch menu. |
| I very much urge you to try the fish. |
| I mean, look at the restaurant's name: Sea View. |
| As the name suggests, it is a famous seafood restaurant. |
| The chef is a Basque from Spain, |
| and he really gets quite put out when people ignore his fish specialities for burgers or barbecue. |
| If fish isn't your thing though, try the steak, |
| he makes an exquisite Filet mignon topped with bleu cheese and mushrooms. |
| Finally, if you'd like to buy a ticket, |
| you can have both lunch and unlimited beer for $35. |
| I should have mentioned that earlier, |
| but I am a bit forgetful. |
| Maybe I should avoid the beer after the conference, eh? |
| Well, I've said my bit. Are there any questions? |