Two ladies from the Oman NREN, OMREN: Marwah Alisaee and Fatema al Rashadi

In the garden/courtyard, it is possible to have private meetings. Here, we have Jari Miettinen from CSC having a meeting for one, or maybe more people join him online

We have a meeting with some colleagues from SURF. From the left: Bo Bai (DeiC), Ron Augustus and Christien Bok (SURF)

The opening session this time features a 3D experience, where the guys from PSNC have restrained themselves and made a moderate length film combining the local architecture with the main topics of the conference

And as most of the audience will have guessed, Erik Huizer, still CEO of GÉANT, appears on scene.

Just as naturally, we will have the head of the local organizer, Boris Dintrans, CEO of RENATER

An official welcome from Laurent Crouzet from the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research

The keynote speech is about brilliant failures, done by Paul Iske from Maastricht University

Gille Massen (CEO of RESTENA and Chairman of the GÉANT board) takes the stage to say a short epitaph about Sarah Jones.

On a more merry note, the programme continues with the GÉANT Community Award. Four very good nominees are presented.

The winner is motivated by Caudio Allochio from GARR

And it turns out to be Marina Adomeit from Sunet for her work in T&I.

A few announcements...

about sponsors...

...social event...

---and the galla dinner.

This year a lot of sponsors also have booths

People@TNC: Thomas Woodward and Christopher Walker from Jisc

The TNC photo booth from last year is as popular as ever

THe coffee breaks (on two floors) are the place where the networking really takes place - also with the sponsors and exhibitors

Anastas Mishev and Sonja Filiposka from MARNET

Maria Ristkok from EEnet (aka Ministry of...), Jakob Tendel (DFN) and Eva Nestorovska (PSNC)

Andrijana Todosijevič, Bojan Jakovljevic and Katarina Simonovič from AMRES

Eoin Kenny and Garvan McFeely from HEAnet

Here, we have Harold Teunissen (a real SURF'er) and then we have Guido Aaben (one of the truly trans-national phenomena in the NREN world, currently with Sunet).

Rogier Spoor (SURF) and Tangui Coulouarn (DeiC)

Ready for the next session in the soft seats, we find Per Nihlén from Sunet and Ieva Muraskiene from NORDUnet

This session is chaired by Esther Robles from RedIRIS

Enzo Valente, Director Emeritus of GARR, poses a question

People@TNC: Charlie van Genuchten from SURF

Jože Hanc from Arnes

Marina Adomeit from Sunet, this year's awardee of a well-deserved community award

Another well-known face from many TNCs: Laetitia Lagneau from Belnet

At the GÉANT booth there is a gathering to honour and thank David West as he retires. Tom Fryer calls him "The Lord of the NREN Rings".

People@TNC: Mandeep Saini from GÉANT

My next session was on other uses of the dark fiber than IP traffic, starting with Guy Roberts (GÉANT), ...

...talking about distribution of time signals

An optical precision clock - not your standard wrist watch

The session chair, Ivana Golub (PSNC) thanks Guy Roberts and as there is no more time for questions, she introduces the next speaker...

...at which time we have a genuine Enzo moment: Enzo Valente grabs hold of Guy Roberts, walks to the screen and starts asking him questions.

Nadelina Sandu from GÉANT

Mario Reale (alto GÉANT)

Some of the cheerful colleagues from SWITCH

The faithful operators of the conference reception: Neringa Jakevice (from KTU - Kaunas Technical University in Lithuania, but working for GÉANT and EOSC) and Anna Everitt (GÉANT)

Our finnish colleague Matti Laipio (CSC)

Rob Evans (JISC) and Mirjam Kühne (RIPE)

Tania Maier and Veronika di Luna - both from GÉANT

There are several manifestations in the streets of Rennes while we are here. If this is due to the recently announced parliamentary elections, or this is just normal in France, I am not sure.

This evening's party takes place at Delirium Café

Francois Kooman from DeiC who does eduVPN development and other brilliant stuff

Colleagues from SIKT, the Norwegian NREN: Kurosh Bozorgebrahimi and Olaf Schjelderup

Gilles Massen (RESTENA) and Tangui Coulouarn (DeiC)

People working with federated T&I federate at TNC: Pål Axelsson (Sunet), Mikkel Hald (DeiC) and Guy Halse (TENET)

Our chief architect at DeiC: Bo Bai

From Ecuador, we have a quite large delegatio at TNC: Here, it is Carlos Guzman