Tonbridge School was packed for the first Kent Area Conservatives Conference for many years.
Association members from around the county and beyond were treated to a star-studded line-up of speakers including Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark and social media gurus Iain Dale and Tim Montgomerie.
Following Ben Patterson's and Steve Bell's stirring introductions, Conservative MEPs took the floor beginning with European Group Leader Richard Ashworth, swiftly followed by Dan Hannan, Nirj Deva and new recruit Marta Andreasen. Questions and answers focussed on support for David Cameron's Referendum pledge.
KCC Leader Paul Carter and Deputy Alex King then followed with senior members of the KCC Cabinet, recording the County's considerable successes over the past 4 years - council tax freezes, Grammar schools, business support, apprenticeships and much more - and its priorities for the next. With a coalition nationally, KCC remains the largest seat of Conservative Government in the country - one which we intend to keep!
Party Vice Chairman Bob Neill and Greg Clark then gave lively and welcome presentations on the national context, while reinforcing the importance of Kent, the critical role of local government and the need for a Conservative victory in May.
After break-out groups at lunch, social media was the order of the day with excellent contributions from Iain Dale and Tim Montgomerie charting the growing role of digital communications in local national politics and its influence in elections.
The conference ended with a wide-ranging Question & Answer session with members of the National, South East and Kent teams.
Members left the conference in no doubt of their task ahead - with 2nd May both vital in its own right and as a major milestone on the road to 2015.
Our Conservative county campaign is well underway!