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2020Plus Civic Event In Ryder Cup Territory
31 October 2010
The recent 2020Plus event in south Wales was a resounding success. The leadership event, co-hosted by the 2020Plus think tank and Kings Church, took place in Newport just prior to the Ryder Cup golf tournamnet.
Invited leaders from civic authorities, local and regional businesses and community organisations came to hear lecture by Mal Fletcher, chairman of 2020Plus and director of Next Wave International, on shaping the urban future through civic engagement.
Watch a clip from the event below (and more clips at youtube.com/malfletcher).
The event, coupled with Newport's Night of Honour, drew very positive responses from the regional press and media. Wales' Argus newspaper featured a two-page spread on the two events, giving a resounding thumbs-up.
In the days immediately after the 2020Plus event, the Kings office received almost 50 emails from leaders thanking them for running such a world class leadership event in Newport. Ray Bevan, lead pastor at the church, said: 'We've had such a great response, and such great favour, as a result of the 2020Plus event. Next year we will do it again, with a wider catchment area spreading to Cardiff and beyond.'
Mal Fletcher, who launched the 2020Plus civic leadership events earlier this year, said: 'From everything we're hearing, this is the first time any event of this calibre has focused on serving the civic leaders of Newport and this region.'
'We had a little negative press going into the event, basically because people were unsure what to expect. But the presentations and the general quality of things seem to have won people over.'
Mal addressed the leaders in two sessions on building cultures of confidence and engaging the future through the Millennial generation. Mal was also guest speaker for Newport's Night of Honour which featured popular comedian Bobby Ball and honoured people in the community who had made a significant contribution to the city.
The 2020Plus events will be on tour across the UK and parts of continental Europe in 2011-12.
For more on the 2020Plus think tank, including loads of great resources, visit 2020Plus.net.
For more on how churches can get involved in the 2020Plus tour project, visit Change2020.net.
www.nextwaveonline.com