The madness is over! The biggest conference that ICLEI has ever organised is now talked about in the past tense. It was crazy, it was big, it was chaotic, it was not too bad. Yay for past tense, I am no longer tensed.
For the last couple of weeks I have been too busy preparing for this event. Website (www.sevilla2007.org), print products, youth delegation, networking sessions, roundtables, they kept me busy.
The key element to remember here is that the event was planned for 1000 participants, 1600 showed up! We were short of food, programme, seats. Yet our team was fantastic. One participants refered to us as 'synchronized swimmers'. After our initial surprise he explained that we worked incredibly hard but keep a smile on. The image is still funny, but holds some truth. I feel particularly lucky to work with such qualified colleagues, they know so much and they are just plain good at what they do.
I guess my high point of the event was the Youth Delegation. 20 young people were invited by Sevilla to join the conference as part of the future generations. They were great! When four of its members made the opening statement I had the beginning of a tear in my left eyes. I had been convincing my team and the city of Sevilla about the worth of such delegation and I was really proud that they lived up to the expectations. One of my primary agenda is to promote within my organisation the role of young municipal councillors as champions of sustainability. Two joined us at Sevilla - I am even more certain now.
We had a bit of holyday time after this - was great. Do we seem happy?
Take care all of you!
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