More than 400 mayors from around the world meet in Florence, which for the first time became the capital of the municipalities in the world: from December 9th to 11th, our city will host the 2011 World Council of UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments), the largest international organization of local governments, representing nearly half the world's population, present in 36 countries with more than 1000 cities and 112 associations. Three days of meetings, debates and events in the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo dei Congressi, involving administrators from all over the globe to discuss the future of their city comparing experiences, ideas and proposals from Jakarta to Barcelona from London to Washington, from Istanbul to Dakar, from Helsinki to Belgrade and New York.

The organization and management of the event seen the collaboration between the City of Florence and the Firenze Convention Bureau, a consortium with public participation (majority of the Province of Florence) with more than 70 local companies operating in the events planning field. The organization have been directly planned by the FCB members ENIC Meetings & Events, with the involvement of Firenze Fiera, the catering Gerist and Tecnoconference - TC Group for technical assistance.

"This is a great opportunity for Florence, who for three days will be at the center of the world - said the Deputy Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella, explaining the initiative today at the City Council - This is the result of a commitment that lasted over a year by the municipal offices. This work began with the selection of Florence to a path term competitive with other cities, candidates within the UCLG World Assembly 2010 in Mexico City, and later developed throughout the year in partnership with local stakeholders and the Secretariat of the World UCLG in Barcelona".

"We are delighted that Florence was chosen to host such a prestigious event - said the Councillor for Tourism of the Province and President of FCB Giacomo Billi - I really hope that this UCLG meeting can be a starting point for an effective exchange of ideas on the future management and development of local governments, now in the middle of the current period of crisis, a global phenomenon and not related only to our country".