At first it was flattering when delegates approached me to say how much they admired my work, but soon it became obvious that they were mistaking me for someone else. I had never written a single word of research related to the shipping industry.

So far the only person who had any idea of my true identity was a little, old, white-haired lady. From her handbag she shook out an ancient business card. Although I couldn’t remember our previous encounter, the old logo and address dated it to over a decade ago.

I was more interested in two delegates at the back of the lecture hall. One was LP, a star of the knowledge management world. It was wonderful that he recognised me. The bearded stranger behind LP was my next target. This would be really interesting. Never before had I met anyone who had come to a conference accompanied by a 6 foot tall monkey, let alone an academic who wore his facial hair in the same style as his pet.