Local companies promote the European Capital of Culture Esch2022

Exchange, visibility and long-term development of culture and tourism in the region are important elements to economic partners

Economic partners can support the European Capital of Culture with expertise, material contributions or financial support. Within this framework, they actively shape the region in their own way in the long term. Esch2022 accompanies the companies through this process and simultaneously builds up a network, the Business for Culture Club. This is intended to offer the companies a permanent platform for exchange among themselves.

Whether it’s know-how, advice, material contributions or financial support, there are numerous ways of supporting the European Capital of Culture Esch2022. With the help of partners, a total of €3 million is expected to be raised. Through its own digital campaign, Esch2022 is once again drawing attention to the partnership programme.

For companies that choose to partner with Esch2022, the collaboration will not only bring instant visibility to the region, but will bring it prominence throughout 2022. Moreover, this strategy enables new and small companies to increase their market presence and acquire new customers. Esch2022 is also planning to support regular exchange between economic partners that are strategically interested in promoting culture in the broader sense. The Business for Culture Club meetings will start this year and continue beyond 2022. The partnerships that are being formed now are intended to last in the long term.

"As an Esch2022 partner, the companies help us and the project partners, launch an extremely comprehensive programme. In addition to this, they also support the region in the long term as Esch2022 is only expected to be a lead-in to medium-term cultural and tourist development," explains Anne-Catherine Richard, Head of Partnerships at Esch2022. Existing partners include CFL, Tice, Domaines Vinsmoselle, Bofferding and Accor. Meetings are currently in progress with other businesses.

Another possibility to support individual projects can be provided with non-financial support like services and know-how for an individual project in the 19 municipalities such as material, machinery or expertise. Gérard Thein, General Director of Bonaria Frères in Esch-Alzette, will for example provide with his company technical support to L'heure bleue project in the Ellergronn Nature Reserve. "I am originally from this town. I think we have a social responsibility as a company, not only for our community, but also for society. That's why I think it's important to support this region and the Esch2022 projects, especially in the context of the current crisis," explains Thein. Together with three other companies in Esch, Bonaria Frères borrows vehicles for the transport of materials to the projects, laying the foundations but also donating the working hours of its employees for the projects. For Sergio Carvalho and Dimitri Mallet, partners in the L'heure bleue project, the collaboration with Esch companies is one of the major strengths of the "social museum": "More than partnerships, these are real collaborations: in addition to the construction, part of the project consists of guided tours, some of which are organised and led by the partners. Without them, companies and institutions, the project would simply not exist.”

Anne-Catherine Richard often brings companies and specific projects together. The regular match-making meetings, where artists and municipalities present projects to potential sponsors, provide a unique opportunity for these partnerships. Since she began her work in the spring of 2020, Richard has conducted webinars for around 300 persons working on the different projects. Right now, the partnership team is contacting all project partners in order to secure the right support for the project teams. "The feedback that the project partners give us is consistently positive. It’s often just about a little bit of help and support that will enable the project to move forward to the next phase.” says Richard.