One month on, sitting at Kings Cross International waiting for the Eurostar, I was just petrified.

The details I had about the other attendees were sparse. I knew that I would meet 10 of them on the train. The others were going to fly to Paris from Manchester and Edinburgh.

We had all won our places through a competition in The Mail on Sunday. I wondered whether the 10 on the train would be peeping over copies of the paper, like secret agents. Sadly, that wasn�t the case but we did manage to quickly meet each other and establish where we were all sitting.

We are staying in a chateau, in the west of Paris. Because this is a conference centre we are expected to network and spend time together, so there is no TV or drink making facilities in the bedrooms.

The first meal with all 20 of us was superb. We were treated to stuffed quail and the cheeseboard was bigger than my local Sainsbury's delicatessen counter. I steered clear of all the free booze, keen to keep a clear head for the following day.

The evening went quickly, with everyone chatting about their businesses. It soon became clear that although we all came from a variety of different sized businesses and a diverse range of sectors, everyone wanted to learn the same things.

All of a sudden it was 12.30am and I was no longer so scared, and went to bed optimistic about the next few days.