Ten Years of Let’s Make It Happen: An Evening Celebrating the People Behind Luxembourg’s Story

An evening at Encore Luxembourg brought together almost 400 people to celebrate a decade of LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen, highlighting the people, ideas, creativity and diversity that help shape Luxembourg’s image around the world.

On 1 October 2026, Encore Luxembourg in Hollerich became the meeting place for an important milestone in Luxembourg’s nation-branding story.

Almost 400 representatives from public institutions, the diplomatic community, promotional agencies, businesses, associations and the worlds of tourism, culture, research and innovation gathered to celebrate ten years of “LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen” (LMIH).

And Luxembourg Global Radio was delighted to be among the invited guests, joining representatives from across Luxembourg’s cultural, business and institutional communities for an evening that was as much about people as it was about the country itself.

Ten years of telling Luxembourg’s story

Launched in 2016, LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen was created to bring together the many people and organisations involved in promoting Luxembourg and to give the country a more coherent and authentic voice internationally.

Over the past decade, the initiative has developed into a much broader community. Today, around 45 organisations and projects form part of the LMIH brand family.

The anniversary evening was therefore not simply a celebration of a campaign. It was a celebration of the people who have helped build and communicate Luxembourg’s identity over the last ten years.

The evening featured speeches from Sasha Baillie, a member of the founding team of LMIH and Marshal of the Grand-Ducal Court, and Beryl Koltz, Head of Luxembourg – Let’s Make It Happen.

Their contributions looked back at how the initiative has evolved and at the role it can play in Luxembourg’s future.

The evening also welcomed Eric Thill, Minister for Culture and Minister Delegate for Tourism, who delivered the closing speech.

Luxembourg in ten letters

One of the central moments of the evening was a special presentation entitled “LUXEMBOURG – Ten Years. Ten Letters.”

Rather than presenting Luxembourg through statistics or traditional promotional messages, the anniversary programme gave ten individuals – and, in some cases, pairs – the opportunity to tell their own stories and share their personal connection with the country.

Each was associated with one of the ten letters of LUXEMBOURG.

L – Lëtzebuergesch was represented by Jonny Rodrigues Ramos, a multilingual globetrotter, Japan enthusiast and rapper.

U – Unique brought Sasha Baillie, from the founding team of LMIH and Marshal of the Grand-Ducal Court.

X – X-tra featured young technology talents and entrepreneurs Avanti and Atreyam (Leo) Sharma.

E – European was represented by Mads Nyegaard Outzen, Head of Strategy and Innovation at the European Parliament’s Translation Service.

For M – Multicultural, the stage welcomed Maya Balam Meyong, dancer, choreographer and director.

B – Beautiful was represented by photographer, editor, globetrotter and journalist Jorge Valente.

For O – Open Innovation, entrepreneur and Partao co-founder Virginia Baillie Strong shared her perspective.

U – Unexpected brought actresses Niamh Huggard and Chris Wilson, known from A Bubble Full of Life.

R – Revelations featured Luxembourg pianist and composer Francesco Tristano.

And finally, G – Grow Better was represented by young researcher and science communicator Olha Kiriakova.

The result was a very different kind of portrait of Luxembourg – one built through individual experiences, creativity, ambition, culture and personal stories.

Stories, music and performance

The programme also brought an artistic dimension to the anniversary celebrations.

The ten-letter concept incorporated performances as well as personal testimonies, reflecting the idea that Luxembourg’s identity cannot be reduced to a logo or slogan.

Jonny Rodrigues Ramos brought his experience as a rapper and multilingual traveller, while Maya Balam Meyong represented Luxembourg through dance and choreography.

The appearance of Francesco Tristano, one of Luxembourg’s internationally recognised musical talents, added another artistic dimension to the evening through his work as a pianist and composer.

The actresses Niamh Huggard and Chris Wilson also brought the world of film and storytelling to the programme through A Bubble Full of Life.

Together, the contributions demonstrated the remarkable range of ways in which Luxembourg can be represented – through language, music, dance, technology, European identity, photography, entrepreneurship, science and personal experience.

A look towards the next ten years

The anniversary was also an opportunity to look beyond the first decade.

LMIH’s new 2026–2030 roadmap includes plans for a new LuXembourg House, the creation of an LMIH Think Tank and a dedicated dashboard to monitor the international promotion of Luxembourg.

The initiative is also looking ahead to major international opportunities, including Luxembourg’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2029 and the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2029.

During the evening, the winner of the LuXembourg 10-Letter Challenge, Laure Lanners, was also announced. The summer campaign generated more than 10,000 scans, with more than 600 people successfully finding all ten letters.

Faces of Luxembourg

Another highlight was the official launch of the second volume of “Faces of Luxembourg”, the LMIH project celebrating individuals whose lives and achievements reflect the country’s values, diversity and international outlook.

It was a fitting addition to an evening whose central message was clear: Luxembourg’s image is ultimately created by its people.

As Minister Eric Thill put it during the celebrations, promoting Luxembourg is not the responsibility of one ministry, institution or team. It is something to which everyone can contribute.

That idea was particularly visible at Encore, where people from very different backgrounds came together with a shared connection to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg Global Radio at the celebration

For Luxembourg Global Radio, being invited to attend the tenth-anniversary celebration was particularly fitting.

LGR shares many of the same ambitions at the heart of the LMIH initiative: telling Luxembourg’s story, highlighting its culture, connecting local and international audiences, and showcasing the people, places, events and ideas that make the Grand Duchy unique.

From its base in Luxembourg, Luxembourg Global Radio broadcasts to an increasingly international audience, bringing Luxembourg’s music, culture, events and identity to listeners around the world.

Being present at an evening dedicated to the people shaping Luxembourg’s international image was therefore a special opportunity for LGR to meet many of the organisations, personalities and creative voices contributing to the country’s story.

The atmosphere at Encore reflected the diversity that has become such an important part of Luxembourg’s identity – a mixture of languages, cultures, professions and generations, all gathered around a common connection to the country.

Ten years completed – and another chapter begins

After ten years, LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen has developed from a nation-branding initiative into a network connecting many of the people and organisations working to promote Luxembourg.

The anniversary at Encore offered an opportunity to look back, but perhaps more importantly, it provided a glimpse of what comes next.

The ten letters of LUXEMBOURG became ten stories. Those stories became performances, conversations and personal perspectives. And together they offered a reminder that the image of a country is ultimately made by the people who live in it, work in it, create in it and share its story with the world.

For Luxembourg Global Radio, it was a pleasure to be there to witness and celebrate that story – and to continue playing its own small part in telling it.

Happy 10th anniversary, LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen.