Every year, a few days before Conference, my brain goes into complete meltdown as I try to juggle all the competing demands on my time. There are usually at least 37 things going on in each time slot that I want to go to. Actually, that’s 34 things that I want to do and 3 that I have to do. No wonder I look at Hermione Grainger’s Time Tuner in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabahn so jealously.

I shall try over the next few days to give you a flavour of what’s on offer in Glasgow this year. There’s so much, in the debating hall, in the training rooms, bars and on the fringe. And all it takes is meeting a long lost friend by chance in a corridor to put you off course because you end up talking to them for ages.

Sorting out our timetables has been made much easier in recent years with the smartphone App. It was supposed to have been ready yesterday, but according to Neil Monnery, there’s been a problem at Apple’s end and it won’t be ready until Monday. That company really hasn’t had a good week, has it? Next thing they’ll be announcing that Ed Miliband is their new CEO.

Anyway, let’s have a quick look at the training on offer. This is always an important part of Conference, but even more so in the run-up to a General Election. For a start, campaign teams need to know the legalities because the last thing we need is for an election agent to end up in jail. This year there are courses on election law and the new defamation law designed to keep us out of trouble.

There are courses for every conceivable aspect of the campaign from leaflets to social media to fundraising to membership. It’s worth your local party sitting down and splitting people up between all the sessions or if there aren’t enough of you, teaming up with others to pool the notes.

We have a good story to tell in terms of membership this year. Yes, I know, not as good as the SNP and Scottish Greens whose recent success comes on the back of the referendum, but we are growing as an organisation, unlike Labour and the Tories. Recruitment is alive and well and one session tells you how to do it, taking the best ideas from local parties who have successfully grown. There has never been more incentive to do it given the hugely improved payouts from HQ if you grow at all in any quarter. There is also a session on dealing with the new membership database. Some people have experienced some real problems with it so here’s the chance for the Membership Department to show that it is actually worthwhile and it does work.

When I was at university, all the SDP and Liberal students were welcomed into the local party in Aberdeen. That was how I managed to learn a lot of what I know from people like Sheila Ritchie. It was great to be part of something outside the university and to get an insight as to how we really could practically improve people’s lives. I also enjoyed being part of by-election and election campaigns. The local party gained as well from our involvement. That win-win is why one of the most useful sessions is being run, sadly at the same time as the One Member One Vote session in the hall, on local parties engaging with young people. I’d say to the Diversity Unit that this is one that should definitely go up on the online training system OSKAR.

There are a few training sessions that are for women only. I think this is a good idea because there are issues that tend to affect women more than men. I suspect the social media one will have a section on dealing with the sort of abuse you get if you are a woman in possession of an opinion on the internet.

One of the sessions I most want to go to is the one about the importance of telling real-life stories in your campaign. I’ve been banging on about this for years and it’s so important. New technology gives us all sorts of ways in which people can explain why they are supporting us and how our representatives have helped them.

For Scottish members, it’s unusual to have such a wide array of training on our doorstep, so if you haven’t registered already, please do so now.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social