While BD entertained his colleagues at the conference by prancing around in a pair of pink gift-tie ‘ear-rings’, I sought the stairs to return to my hotel room to pack.

The only set of stairs that I could find comprised four steps up to a lift. If I wanted to reach my second floor room, this was the only route up the building.

The lift arrived soon after I called it. I was surprised to find a tiny lift operator inside. Now I had two problems (1) containing my claustrophobia in front of a stranger; (2) reaching down to give this 3-foot tall man a tip when my arms were full of conference bumph.