It opened with morning prayers and closed with God Save The Queen, but in the four hours in between, the future of both David Trimble and the Belfast Agreement hung in the balance.
A total of 825 members of the UUC gathered in Belfast's Waterfront Hall on Saturday to decide their party's political strategy. Mr Jeffrey Donaldson was the first speaker.
His main proposal - to effectively withdraw from government with Sinn Fein if the Provisional IRA didn't begin decommissioning by November 30th - had been published earlier so delegates knew the details.
He said the Provisional IRA had already had two years to decommission since the signing of the Belfast Agreement. If it still refused to do so, firm action had to be taken.
Mr Donaldson raised his voice during the speech. He said it was disgraceful that some elements in the party were criticising him for calling the meeting. It was a grave situation. The Provisional IRA had killed three people in recent months, and the UUP was facing electoral ruin.
Referring to his party's defeat in last month's South Antrim by-election, he said unionists whose families had voted UUP for generations were refusing to do so because of the leadership's policies.
Mr Donaldson's speech was described by pro-agreement delegates as "a long whinge". His supporters said they couldn't have hoped for a better performance.
The motion was seconded by Belfast councillor, Mr Jim Rodgers. Adopting a conciliatory tone, he called for a compromise resolution which both Mr Trimble and Mr Donaldson could support. His side was prepared to be "flexible".
Mr Trimble was the next speaker. He said Mr Donaldson's proposals would effectively "crash" the Assembly and the Executive. He, too, wanted decommissioning but was against setting of deadlines. An ambush the enemy was aware of in advance would never work.
His motion offered the best chance of securing decommissioning and devolution. It was the first time delegates saw the resolution which proposed excluding Sinn Fein from North-South ministerial meetings until the Provisional IRA re-engaged with Gen John de Chastelain's international decommissioning body.
Pro-agreement delegates thought it clever. The No camp dismissed it as meaningless. "If the Provos have a pint with the general they stay in government," one complained.
Both sides agreed that the UUC meeting was free from the abuse of previous debates. A total of 24 speakers addressed delegates. Mr Barry Fitzsimmons warned that if Mr Donaldson's resolution was accepted, the UUP would be blamed for collapsing the Executive. The British government could also impose a worse deal.
Ms Pauline Armitage, an Assembly member for East Londonderry, said she had had reservations when the agreement was signed, but had supported her leader. However, while she still believed Mr Trimble was the best man to lead the UUP, she couldn't continue backing his policies.
Neither of the leading anti-agreement MPs, Mr Willie Ross nor Mr Willie Thompson, spoke. The Donaldson camp believed they would alienate soft Nos. There was also a deliberate decision to have as many grassroots voices as possible.
Mr Tom Robinson, who originally supported the agreement but now opposes it, said the leadership did not realise that disaster loomed at next year's Westminster and council elections.
Mr Jim Nicholson MEP voiced doubts about the current process and warned Mr Trimble to concentrate more on being UUP leader than First Minister.
However, he said he was still behind his leader. "It was a very smart speech," said a delegate. "The line of `reluctant support' helps sway the undecided."
The Rev Martin Smyth's speech was poor. The anti-agreement MP for south Belfast questioned the democracy of the new Stormont institutions. Both pro and anti-Trimble delegates said he was "all over the place".
One of the strongest speeches for Mr Donaldson was from the Young Unionist chairman, Dr Philip Weir. He said the UUP's present policies had secured national and international recognition but at the price of losing influence in its own back-yard.
Pointing to the South Antrim by-election, he said it was unfortunate that the UUP which had taken so many risks for peace was suffering electorally, while the DUP which had sacrificed nothing was thriving.
Sir Reg Empey's speech was widely praised. He outlined his progress as Enterprise Minister. He was "delivering the goods" in terms of attracting investment to the North and it would be a shame to throw it all away.
The Arts Minister, Mr Michael McGimpsey, listed the constitutional gains of the Belfast Agreement for unionists. The Anglo-Irish Agreement and Articles 2 and 3 were gone, and the consent principle had been recognised,
Mr James Cooper accused Mr Trimble's critics of effectively mounting a leadership challenge. Ms Arlene Foster, a Fermanagh delegate, was one of the most eloquent anti-agreement speakers.
She accused the leadership of not being open with grassroots and of demonising dissidents. It was impossible to criticise party policy without being accused of being anti-leadership.
Ms Foster said even the former SDLP leader, Lord Fitt, believed the Patten proposals on policing humiliated the RUC. She reminded delegates that RUC officers lived and voted in unionist constituencies. On decommissioning, she said inspections of Provisional IRA dumps were useless. There had to be an arms handover.
Mr David Burnside, the defeated South Antrim candidate, said bad weather had not been to blame. The leadership's policy was unpopular on the ground.
No compromise motion emerged between the sides and, after nearly four hours, delegates voted.
Mr Trimble triumphed by 445 to 374 votes. His supporters were ecstatic. They believed the victory was decisive. The anti-agreement side would never win a UUC meeting.
The No camp looked deflated. They had forced their leader to partially move on to their territory but had failed to collapse the agreement. They also believed the UUC could be permanently lost to them.
One senior source said their only hope was next year's Westminster elections. If the UUP was decimated at the polls, Mr Trimble's position would be untenable. "We have taken the fight as far as we can. It's up to the DUP to do the rest now."