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Pittsburgh as summit host will be hard to surpass
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As we wrapped up the One Young World Summit on Monday, we are brimming with Pittsburgh -- a city and its people that have just stunned us every moment of every day for the past week.
The beauty, the efficiency, the energy, the optimism of life in a 21st-century city -- this is how it should be and Pittsburgh shows it can be.
We leave with full hearts and overwhelmed by the people of Pittsburgh. We've experienced creativity and delivery in abundance and generosity that can't be put into words -- our gratitude seems so small and inadequate that we want to shout it, worldwide, from the rooftops.
How will any city we ever visit surpass Pittsburgh? How can they?
From the Bayer signs at the airport and the spectacular poster on Mount Washington to the beautiful Burton Morris street posters and the banners on the bridges -- you told us everywhere that you welcomed us. With the One Young World flags flapping proudly over the David Lawrence Convention Center, which is definitively the best one in the world; the special performance at Heinz Hall by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Manfred Honeck, whom we proudly call a One Young World counselor; the performance by the Children's Festival Chorus; the thanksgiving dinner for all the counselors with Henry and Elsie Hillman; the tirelessly cheerful volunteers in every venue, on every corner we turned ... there were too many great moments to name them all. When the Saturday evening home dinners were mentioned at the closing ceremony, the biggest cheer of the summit went up -- Pittsburgh families had opened their homes and made the delegates their own.
To every person who gave us a smile and a wave, every person who helped us and the people who made handwritten versions of our logo outside their cafes and restaurants: The delegates, ambassadors, counselors and the whole One Young World family extend our heartfelt thanks and admiration.
DAVID JONES
KATE ROBERTSON
Founders, One Young World
Mr. Jones is CEO of Havas, a global communications firm based in Paris, and Ms. Robertson is group chairman of Havas UK in London.
First Published October 24, 2012 12:00 am
