there were three main categories of players at the reception : a select group of established investigator 's like john antwhistle and richard beadle used such occasions for forays into one anothers camps to garner valuable intelligence clues concerning enemy operations , or to conduct raiding parties on promising junior faculty members ; an aspiring cohort of the latter eagerly displayed their scientific wares to would-be employers ; an amorphous buffer group came with the delusion that the reception was merely a social event , or an opportunity to consume as much free booze as possible courtesy of the sponsor biotechnonics supply co .