3:45 PM -- I know Broadband World Forum is a serious event and not to be taken lightly, but ... any chance of a bit more fun this year?

Full days of discussions, product demonstrations and meetings are good for productivity but not so good for the soul, so there needs to be a balance at the Paris-based event, n'est-ce pas?

Of course, there's a lot of important stuff to check out. (See BBWF 2011: Hot Techs on the Show Floor and Stakes, Chips, Beans & SPIT.)

But we need some entertainment too, which can sometimes (but not necessarily) be helped along by some liquid refreshments. To be fair, those were in evidence last year on the show floor, particularly at the ADVA and Lantiq stands. (See BBWF 2010: Show Floor Drinkathon and BBWF 2010: Paris in Pictures.)

So if you're at the show, do your best to lighten the mood a bit, even if it's just on Twitter (use the #BBWF hash tag) and see if we can make the final year in Paris a good one for business and a great one for the F word. (See Amsterdam Trumps Paris.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading