HRH Grand Duchess Confirmed as Patron of Esch2022

From 20 to 22 February 2020, the organisers of Esch2022 Capital of Culture gave representatives of the media, the municipalities, the cultural scene, the political arena, as well as project sponsors, partners and citizens, a multimedia preview of the project at the old covered market "Muart-Hal" in Esch-sur-Alzette.

For most of the approximately 500 visitors to the Muart-Hal last week, the event was a novel experience that gave them a preview of what will happen in 2022 on the territory of the European Capital of Culture in Luxembourg and France. Indeed, the project will lay the foundations for a change of image change for the entire region.

For the occasion, the former Muart-Hal was transformed into a multimedia information trail. Visitors received special headphones and first walked through a tunnel that offered them an innovative, multidirectional listening experience using “immersive sound” technology, literally immersing them in the room and in the "Remix" theme. In combination with professional lighting design, this spatial rather than channel-based approach, which was not tied to specific loudspeakers, helped visitors process information. The acoustic identity of Esch2022, which was played in a number of places, was written by the composer David Ianni.

The second station offered insights into the four selected projects along the four thematic pillars of Esch2022, which were presented in the form of video statements by the project sponsors or project managers of Esch2022. In the one-hour session, the four speakers - Nancy Braun, Director General of Esch2022, Sylvain Mengel, Cultural Coordinator for French Communities (CCPHVA), Françoise Poos, Programme Director of Esch2022 and Thierry Kruchten, Tourism and Mobility Manager - introduced their particular areas of expertise and outlined the objectives, current situation and milestones for 2020 and beyond.

At the end of the multimedia information trail, virtual reality technology was used to provide a preview of the grand opening ceremony on 22 February 2022. The closing ceremony on 22 December 2022 will then be held on the theme of “Re-Start”. This is because the objective is not to organise a festival year, but to initiate a change together with the people in the region so that it can fully flourish and express itself over the years to come.

Among the 500 guests at this sneak preview event was Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, who visited the Muart-Hal on Saturday. Following her visit, the Grand Duchess today confirmed that she would be the patron of the Esch2022 project. She explained her decision on the grounds that, beyond its cultural interest, the Capital of Culture project represents a "resolutely modern and European Luxembourg". 

Starting in March, the theme of Sponsorship will be at the top of the agenda of those responsible for the project. To assist the project sponsors beyond the financial support of a maximum of 50% from Esch2022, the team will work with the strategic communications consultancy Binsfeld and the Ernst & Young corporate network to develop a concept for the possible financing of the submitted projects and implement it as quickly as possible. Using the matchmaking principle, the aim is to connect creative people with companies that could become suitable investors. In pitch presentations, as is customary for contractors in the private sector, the project sponsors will also be given the opportunity to present themselves to potential sponsors and win them over to their idea. In this way, Esch2022 aims to help to create a win-win situation for all sides.

Starting in April, media representatives will be informed about relevant topics and invited to a general discussion on the last Thursday of each month at a press breakfast that will take place at different locations in the Esch2022 region. The first meeting will take place on 30 April 2020. At these meetings, the organisers will provide more detail on their own analyses and surveys or those commissioned by Esch2022, and will present measures to ensure the success of citizen participation. In addition, information will be provided on the current status of the aforementioned issues of sponsoring and financing.