It was more than a year in planning but like all the effort that goes into Christmas Day the Wales Investment Summit was over in a flash.
Staged earlier this week at the ICC Wales in Newport it was one of the first announcements of First Minister Eluned Morgan after being appointed without a contest amongst Labour members of the Senedd, in August last year.
No doubt a number of civil servants might have hoped to be able to kick it into the long grass, but with the First Minister referencing it at every available opportunity - although I am not sure if she told her milkman - it probably seemed pointless to even try.
So, 300 delegates from around the globe showed up to hear what was so special about a little country on the western edge of Europe.
A little after 9am, having been introduced by presenter Sian Williams, the First Minister bounded onto the stage and like a Deep South televangelist - which seems fitting with the biblical-like storm outside and which a day earlier at one stage threatened to put the venue out of action - gave a pretty impressive address.
She enthused about wanting to “put a rocket booster under the Welsh economy,” the values and welcoming nature of the Welsh people and sectors where Wales has competitive advantage, such as compound semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. She referenced her government’s bilingual credentials and the aim of getting the number of Welsh speakers to one million from the current 700,000 by 2050.
She was in full flow and confident enough to get delegates to try a few Welsh words; so cue a pretty impressive group effort on bore da (good morning) and diolch (thank you). In the row ahead of me her words were being translated to one delegate. It might have been Mandarin, but whatever the language they seemed engaged.
She then told delegates that in every Apple iPhone there is compound semiconductor technology produced in Wales. She was of course referencing IQE, but I guess there was little point in mentioning the fact that the company’s share price has hit rock bottom, in part driving by investors shorting the stock.
Yes, she is a politician and the polls are looking pretty horrendous for Labour ahead of next spring’s Senedd election, but there is a likeable authenticity to Eluned.
As First Minister Mark Drakeford would probably have needed to be press-ganged to get him to a summit planned without his knowledge and then given a few stiff foundational economy made gins to get anywhere near the stage and looking down on such a gathering of capitalists.
It would have been a completely different story for his predecessor in the top seat, Carwyn Jones. He would have been happy to walk there, perhaps along part of a new M4 Relief Road - if he had remained in office long enough to push it through his cabinet. As for the short-lived predecessor to Ms Morgan, Vaughan Gething, well he was actually there and seemed in very high spirits.
On the eve of the summit the Welsh Government announced that since the First Minister confirmed it was being held, Wales had secured investment projects with a value of £16bn that promise to create 10,000 jobs.
Of course you always need a few pinches of Anglesey Sea Salt with such claims. Many of them will be construction-related - of course, still a job - in particular planned investment of £10bn from US firm Vantage Data Centers, for a series of data centres in South Wales.
Answers on a postcard from economists please on what the promise of £16bn will create in gross value added for the Welsh economy. If the summit hadn’t been held these investments would still have happened.
But delegates weren’t there to get under the bonnet of the Welsh Government figures, but what it had to offer in terms of investment projects. And to be honest here, what was presented by the Welsh Government in the off limits to media presentation rooms didn’t offer the potential of huge returns on investment that would have seen the likes of Warren Buffett and Masayoshi Son rushing to their private jets.
Projects pitched included property investment opportunities in Cardiff and Swansea and the Global Centre of Rail Excellence planned project in the Dulais - all of which have anyway been out there trying to secure private sector investment in the marketplace.
So, I am not sure in future years the summit will take on Max Boyce “I was there” status due to scale of investment secured that turned the Welsh economy into a Singapore of the northern hemisphere.
However, there was a genuine sense of delegate enthusiasm. We were told that around 60% of them were from companies and investment firms currently not invested in the Welsh economy. When I arrived just before 7am there were far too many familiar faces (and it is always great to see them) from Wales plc for my liking. But in fairness as we moved closer to the start of proceedings there were far more faces I didn’t recognise.
I wasn’t there, but delegates were in high spirits following a sumptuous dinner and light show the night before. Delegates were also softened up with the offer of peddling around the velodrome in Newport with Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and a game of golf at the Ryder Cup hosting 2010 course.
Eluned was also seen dancing with Newbridge-born tech billionaire Sir Terry Matthews. Perhaps there is a clause in the joint venture ownership deal for ICC Wales (between the Celtic Manor and the Welsh Government) that when possible a dance routine is performed by Sir Terry and the First Minister (and fortunately the current incumbent loves dancing).
No social media footage has yet emerged, but Eluned was working the room in the bar at the adjoining Celtic Manor late into Sunday evening with delegates.
The next day the Prince of Wales brought them flocking back into the Woodland Suite for his afternoon keynote speech to the summit.
He pitched it very well and you couldn’t have asked for better in terms of expressing his love of Wales and belief in its economic potential from tech to renewables. However, I am not sure how his pronunciation of the Celtic Sea - in reference to planned huge floating offshore wind farms - would have been received by royalist Rangers football fans.
The Chancellor also pronounced it like that other football team in Glasgow and arch rival to Rangers (Celtic FC if you need clarification). But nobody cared.
The Chancellor seemed preoccupied, perhaps from the continuing fallout from the Budget and claims that she had given the impression of a more challenging fiscal deficit. She was no doubt getting signals that Richard Hughes was about to resign as chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle, in his address and interviews with the media, was like a salesman just within reach of a bumper monthly bonus. I sense he would still be talking there now, if not dragged away by officials.
The delegates from 300 firms, including Middle Eastern investors, were drawn from 32 countries - a number that was revised upwards on the day by the Welsh Government. I was told in advance that 60% of the delegates were from companies and investment firms currently not active in the Welsh economy.
But on arrival in the foyer area there were too many familiar faces (but always nice to see them) from Wales plc for my liking. But as we ticked down to the official launch it became more populated by unfamiliar faces.
The summit wrapped up just before 4pm. As an exercise in showcasing Wales positively to delegates I would give it ten out of ten. But in terms of having the desired impact of lifting the Welsh economy, and yes it could take years for investment projects seeded at the summit to be realised, it is not going to change the dial.
However, it was high time the Welsh Government had staged such an event and it landed well - complementing discussions that continue all year round with potential investors.
