No party is complete without the video record of what happened and so it is with the vital rural area policy forum.

We’re still uploading the video shot on Thursday to the site. ¬†We’re about halfway through as I write. ¬†You can see the videos from:

• Arie Aalberts’¬†Welcome
• Neil Ward on developing resilience in Europe’s rural economies
• Torben Rune, live from Copenhagen on the potential of broadband in regional areas
• Christian Noack speaking about Holstein shire – a branding example of a rural area
• Dirk Strijker’s keynote speech on rural areas in transition
• Gerard van Keken’s workshop entitled the rural idyll: myth or reality
• Flemming Just’s workshop on regional development and broadband

More will appear during the week and we’ll let you know here.

This is a selection of the photos taken at the Forum on Thursday.  Enjoy.

Please leave a comment with any names of people who feature in the pictures.

To me as an observer Thursday’s forum seemed to go very well. The speakers spoke with passion, with knowledge, with understanding. The workshops were well-attended, insightful and with Willem Foorthuis’s particularly invigorating. The technology did not let us down, after the airline did, and Torben Rune was able to give his presentation via Skype from Copenhagen. Marcel Bullinga chaired the forum with charisma, precision timing and a fine sense of humour.

One of Marcel’s aims was to get delegates networking and setting up coffee dates with each other. But it’s difficult to get everything said and heard in one day.

That’s where this website comes in.

Over the next day or two we will be uploading the video that was shot on Thursday. Each speaker has their own page. On it you’ll find the video of their presentation and their slides where available. Use the comments section on each page. The speaker will be emailed to let them know you’ve asked a question or left a comment. It is our hope that a few more “coffee dates” can take place online to continue the conversations that started at Dunston Hall.

You can access the presentations by clicking on the programme and then the speaker name.

Gijs van Hesteren from MAKE HASTE, SLOWLY has been busy blogging throughout the morning. He’s given permission to cross-post his material here.

There is now a list of delegates on this site so you can see who is coming.

This website was launched today.  It is a developing website so please subscribe to our RSS feed to keep updated.

Over the coming days we will be adding a list of delegates and updating you on developments relating to the Policy Forum in Norwich.