The range of Parliamentarians was much broader than I've seen at other non-London 2012 receptions, and the calibre was very high – we had 100 MPs and Peers, and I soon lost count of the numbers of Ministers and spokespeople that popped in. This proved to me that the fascination with the Games since Team GB and ParalympicsGB's inspirational performance in Beijing still remains, four months on.
The key aspect of all of London 2012's work with politicians is that our Games enjoy cross-party support. Last night, this support was obvious just by looking at the platform – the crowded room listened and laughed to three inspiring and funny speeches from Tessa Jowell for the Government, Hugh Robertson for the Opposition and Don Foster for Parliament's third-largest party. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat – and all three expressing their passionate support for London 2012. All three also spoke exactly to time – which anyone involved in organising political events will understand as being no mean feat. 
Of course, the event looked and felt impressive – professionalism, colour and a sense of fun all in equal doses. This was, of course, the result of months of careful planning - but it was not the whole story. Our plans had to adapt when the Commons division bell rang and half the room ran out for 15 minutes to vote and then rushed back. But underneath the smooth organisation, there were a couple of incidents you couldn’t predict. Huddled at one point with the catering staff, the Head of Refreshments for the Commons sprinted past in his immaculate suit shouting "I’ve lost my pheasant! Has anyone seen a pheasant?" In equally immaculate Queen’s English. I had to promise that we hadn't sneaked a pheasant into our event – our Paralympic Shooters or Archers might have been accused of borrowing it for target practice.
