This was the first City to City event and proved to be both an exciting challenge as well as an amazing opportunity for insight. The event took place over three days during a local holiday festival. It was a new concept for both us and the participants, who came from many local spheres and communities in and around the city.
Our desire was to spark small conversation groups and give participants the chance to engage, listen and participate together. However, the event gathered such interest that we had up to 1,800 participants and small groups that ranged in size from 100–400 people!
We enjoyed this challenge and the gathering as a whole helped to pave the way for subsequent events that would take seriously the value and contribution of groups and individuals to bring real change in the main cultural spheres. Hyderabad 2008 was a unique and special moment, not only because it launched C2C but because it enabled us to realise that when the global connections of culture, ideas and cities takes place, incredible and life-changing outcomes can follow.
One of these outcomes was simply to be able to put value and equal status on the contribution of all people, whatever sphere or position in that sphere that they occupied. We have been back since to explore how we can help the church and communities in Hyderabad to grow a unique C2C conversation base that will encourage individuals and provoke change for the common good.