Five years ago, I had the honor of joining the Official Economic Delegation during the State Visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Luxembourg, where they met with Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. 👑
Thanks to the recommendation of Minister-President Oliver Paasch, I was invited by the Palace as one of the two CEOs of our - at the time - growing but still small company, Paperplane Productions. 📩
I was both excited and a little nervous about the magnitude of the event. 😬
One of the unexpected challenges? The dress code! White Tie, Uniform, Decorations, and Long Dress. 🎩👗 Now, I don't know about you, but navigating the strict etiquette of an official state visit isn’t something I do every day! After mirror checks in the royal restrooms and perfecting my bow tie, I finally got it right.. .(Fancy, huh?! 😎)
The reason for all the preparation? As a multilingual Belgian, I had been selected to attend the distinctive State Banquet at the Ducal Palace of Luxembourg. Sitting at one of the ceremonially set tables with Rafike Yilmaz, then-Deputy Director of Media & Communication at the Palace, and Olivier de Wasseige, then-President of the Union Wallonne des Entreprises, led to thought-provoking conversations. 🍲
With them and other guests, we exchanged ideas about leadership, cross-border networking, Fukuyama's new book "Identity" (and his warnings about the rise of new nationalisms and new religious fundamentalism), as well as the possibility of shared spirituality without religion. I’ll carry that memory with me always. 👓
The following day brought another humbling experience: participating in high-level meetings on topics like 🚀 Space Technology, ♻️ Circular Economy, 💻 FinTech & InsurTech, and 🎥 Audiovisual Industry.
And as if that wasn’t enough, I met Christian Pirali, CEO of MEGAFORM SA. What started as informal small talk during a shuttle ride from the castle of Bourglinster to the abbey of Neumünster has since grown into a trusted business partnership—not only with him but also with Jessica Pirali and Yannick Pirali. 🎯
To top it all off, we were invited to the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, where we shared a memorable evening with my guests Rainer COOL and SERGE FOERSTER. 🎻 🎵 🎺
But just a few days later, life brought me to the Aachen Region, where we produced a couple of documentaries with long-term unemployed individuals. Listening to their life stories reminded me of the value of genuine human interactions—whether in grand banquets with dignitaries or in personal stories of resilience😶
And half a year later? Together with Achim Nelles and David Mollers, we founded our second company, the Social Media Agency shift digital
in ... LUXEMBOURG. 🎉
(Lisa Chavet, Lothar Faymonville, Peter Baumgarten)
Here’s to many more inspiring moments! 🥂
#StateVisit #BusinessConnections #RoyalBanquet #Belgium #Luxembourg #Innovation #HumanConnections #CrossBorderBusiness #GrowthJourney