Spread the word

One of the brand’s main aims is to demonstrate Wallonia’s openness to the world, reaching out beyond its borders to promote the development of the region with an emphasis on its competitive strengths and its outstanding features in terms of economy, culture and tourism. It’s no surprise, then, that the five dots making up the letter W of the logo represent the five continents, with Wallonia at the intersection. To help connect the dots to Wallonia and fulfil the brand’s mission, AWEX, Wallonia’s Export-Investment Agency, is building a network of wallonia.be brand ambassadors. 

"The kindness, openness, sense of hunour and humanity of the Walloons, together with the natural beauty of the region, have brought Wallonia closer to my heart."  (Vassil Kolarov, above)

 Anyone who has knowledge and experience of Wallonia can apply to become an ambassador. You may be an expat living in Wallonia, an international enterprise operating in the region, a Walloon living abroad or a non-Walloon living abroad who is familiar with the region. Jacques Jadoul, ICT manager at AWEX, reports on progress so far: “The programme is well under way across the continents, with some encouraging results, and we hope to multiply the effects with more recruits. With an intake of 38,000 foreign students in Wallonia’s universities each year, we believe university graduates have huge potential to increase the network.”

"Ambassadors share a common goal: to promote the strengths and the differentiating aspects of Wallonia"

Ambassadors share a common goal, which is to promote the strengths and the differentiating aspects of Wallonia symbolised through the four pillars of the brand: sense of sharing, accessibility, technical know-how and quality of life. Their mission is to promote Wallonia and its assets through their professional or private contacts and bring the brand to life through social media or the blog on the wallonia.be platform. The blog also enables them to share their experience of Wallonia and success stories and promote their own activities.

“Being a brand ambassador has a win-win effect,” Jadoul explains. “The region benefits from wide visibility while ambassadors can gain from the region’s reputation and the bonus of expanding their own network. While there is no financial cost or gain for either party, AWEX offers incentives to ambassadors such as rewarding their blog contributions with promotional materials and invitations to cultural or touristic events.”

"From Lima to Budapest, three ambassadors give us a glimpse of their activities in promoting the region."

Wallonia and Peru

Belgian-born Guy Olivier Vanackeren has lived in Peru for more than 20 years. Decorated with the Order of the Crown and with many Belgian strings to his bow, he is a permanent showcase for Wallonia and Brussels. He runs a travel agency in Lima, is the founder and managing director of Belgo Club, an association for Belgians living in Peru, and is president of the Chamber of Commerce and Culture for Belgium and Luxembourg until 2019. An active ambassador of wallonia.be, he recently took part in Festival Belga, held in Lima to mark the 50th anniversary of Belgian Technical Cooperation with Peru and comprising a host of stands representing Belgian interests such as AWEX, wallonia.be, the Belgian Embassy and the Belgian Chamber of Commerce. “Historically, Wallonia has strong economic ties with Peru,” Vanackeren says, “and in a country that is currently experiencing economic downturn after a decade of sound economic growth, now is the time for it to open its doors to foreign investors and leverage the huge potential that a region such as Wallonia has to offer. Festival Belga saw a stream of visitors and significant interest during and after the event in importing Belgian products with a strong emphasis on beer, exporting local farm produce, studying in Belgium, tourism and even conditions for getting married in Belgium.” Read Guy Vanackeren’s blog at wallonia.be

 Guy Olivier Vanackeren, founder of Peru's Belgo Club, at the Festival Belga in Lima.

Design Without Borders

Originally from Liège, Laurence Humier has lived in Italy for 13 years and is known on the international design scene for her many contributions to innovation. She first made her mark as a Belgian designer back in 2010 when her creation Meeting Chairs was selected for the permanent collection at the New York Museum of Modern Art, where it remains today, as well as at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, where it has been on show since 2014. Humier’s taste for industrial design has resulted in some highly innovative projects including an e-book, Cooking Material, through which she explores the link between edible and non-edible materials, and Alchemist Matter, an educational kit for children based on the same theme. A true 21st-century entrepreneur, she largely finances her projects through crowdfunding, and under the banner ‘Design without Borders’ she takes them on tour. She has given conferences and conducted workshops for adults and children across Europe and the US, including in Barcelona, Rome, Paris and New York.

Her most recent workshops took place at Expo2015 in Milan and the RECIPROCITY 2015 Design Triennial in Liège. Humier was among the prominent personalities to receive a Chevalier du Mérite Wallon at this year’s Festival of Wallonia, a distinction that recognises exceptional contribution to the region. Commenting on her achievement, Humier said, “I am extremely proud to have contributed to putting the spotlight on our region, which alongside the economic opportunities has more and more to offer in terms of design and creativity.” Follow Laurence Humier on Twitter at @humier

Liège designer Laurence Humier is proud to put the spotlight on her home region. (credit Michele Silvestro) 

From Budapest to Mons

Pascal Biras from Nîmes in France has lived in Budapest, Hungary, since 2010. A French teacher at the AKG Alternative Secondary School for Economics, he believes in breaking the mould of using clichés such as the Eiffel Tower and Paris in the classroom by introducing students to a wider scope of French-speaking communities such as Wallonia, of which he is particularly fond. Part of his French course comprises a weekly workshop in creative writing, which leads to the publication of a short novel in French and Hungarian. This year, he based the workshop on Mons 2015, opening his students’ eyes to the city’s geography and its status as cultural capital of Europe. The resulting novel, PS:et toi?, is a compilation of letters making up a fiction that takes place in the streets of Mons. After completion, he flew his students to Mons to get a taste of the real thing. “The kids came back with lots to tell and even left copies of their novel in Wallonia as a testimony of their trip. Summarising the experience, they described Mons as a beautiful city – albeit smaller than they had imagined when writing the novel – friendly and highly recommended for a weekend.” Find out more about PS:et toi? at www.facebook.com/PSettoiAKG and read Pascal Biras’ blog at wallonia.be

Pascal Biras from France lives in Hungary, where he teaches his students about Wallonia.

More information on www.wallonia.be