There’s something timelessly calming about flying in over the Alps and seeing the Med stretching out in front of you – although with the runway at Nice airport obscured from view you always, for a brief moment, think there’s a better than average chance you’re going to land in it.

Luckily for us, we landed safely and before you could say “ELP” had hopped in a taxi and made our way along one of the world’s most beautiful stretch of coastlines. Looming on Nice’s seafront is the Hotel Negresco – its neon lights guiding delegates towards the second ELP Forum of 2007. And with the event just hours away the excitement, both amongst my colleagues here at ELP and the attendees filing into the magnificent dining room for the networking dinner, is tangible.

Tomorrow brings presentations from some of the continent’s leading procurement figures and discussions around a range of topics that will strike a chord with everyone involved in the discipline.

It promises to be a great couple of days.