I have signed up as a newbie to attend the London Screenwriters' Festival later this week (28-30 October) in sunny Regent's Park. Having read the agenda I have begun an intensive pre-event infusion course of Red Bull, double cappuccinos and full-fat Coke.  The agenda looks wide ranging and the opportunities for networking look good.  The networking aspect made me chuckle as I've happened upon a couple of blogs already with sound post-teen advice, like "It's OK to talk to strangers" and, have your "18 second pitch ready, memorised and rehearsed at RADA for three months in advance…"  Still, all the mood-music and the not unimportant admin ahead of the event seem good; with the organisor Chris Jones having managed to break through every spam filter protocol, supplying regular goodies including the shooting script for Brighton Rock and a terrific schedule of "speed pitching".  Interestingly, you can see not just who you are pitching to (typically an agent, a producer and film-maker), but also see who else is pitching to them as well.  Surely, some saloon style tip-trading an option there?   Perhaps with this in mind, the guidance notes ahead of attending recommend "stalking" other delegates on-line through the useful 'Festival Network'.  I have put the lack of hits on my own profile down to my deliberate choice of a moody-Photoshoped headshot; not my lack of competition wins, or some other troubling aspect of my profile (or indeed, this BLOG).  I do though probably need to heed the advice and head over there soon.  So I am packing my business cards, one-pagers, and my favourite pen (plus a back-up spare) with a sense of excitement about what I might learn, who I might meet and who else has given three days to share this strange addiction to Final Draft and Courier 12pt.  I wrote at length about the experience of pitching in Cannes in 2010 and 2011.  While wonderfully entertaining, a great experience spent with some special friends, the Festivals were held amidst a dearth of development cash and it seemed tough work for the those trying  to pick up the scraps of funding that were not pre-signed before the Festival and announced in the Variety dailies.  This event looks more positive, more human and in its format, hopefully much easier on the liver.  I'll let you know.