1.   By the time the conferences actually began in December, it had realised that real interests were at stake.

2.   As is the custom, the annual Conservative Party conference begins with a brief religious ceremony followed by an official greeting from the local Mayor.

3.   As the conference begins its fourth season of competition, the task at hand is winning credibility.

4.   Barak, who will also attend the conference, will meet separately with Clinton before the conference begins Friday night.

5.   A House-Senate conference begins next week.

6.   Cindy Hoffman of Media Mentors, a communications training company based in Philadelphia, suggests sending out detailed reports or charts to meeting participants before the conference begins.

7.   Floyd recommends that you think about what you want to discuss before the conference begins.

8.   Last year many residents, alarmed that the conference began attracting violent protests against globalization, became fed up with the World Economic Forum.

9.   So are the House and Senate versions of the welfare bill, on which a House-Senate conference began Tuesday.

10.   Ten minutes before the conference began, all signatures were in place.