Look out Luxembourg: Trailblazer Commune of Strassen nails its launch of Hoplr

In the summer of 2021, the Department of Integration of Strassen approached us to launch our digital neighborhood network. With Hoplr, Strassen aims to stimulate social cohesion within its diverse local communities. In just a couple of weeks, a whopping 25% of Strassen’s households registered. Strassen’s team did an outstanding job of spreading the word and enthusing citizens to join. Consequently, the commune crushed multiple Hoplr records, and many Luxembourgish cities and communes are now following in Strassen’s footsteps.

“We are very proud of the successful launch of Hoplr in Strassen and to state an example for other municipalities in Luxembourg. Our fast-growing community on Hoplr shows the need of our citizens to exchange and get to know their neighbours.” – Nico Pundel, Mayor of Strassen

Strassen is paving the way for other cities and communes, inside and outside of Luxembourg.

The commune of Strassen has been a true inspiration, setting several Hoplr records:

• Very first launch in Luxembourg
• Fastest-growing community on Hoplr (25% of households in two weeks)
• Highest percentage of neighborhood helpers and volunteers (users who indicate they’re available to help the community, resp. 20% and 18.5%)
• Largest number of commonly used languages in one Hoplr neighborhood (English, French and Luxembourgish)
• Biggest banner to promote the arrival of Hoplr (5 by 5 meter)

Even in a heterogeneous population like Strassen with over 61% of non-Luxembourgish citizens, the willingness to help and support the local community is undeniable as each and every one of us can contribute, be it to lend a garden tool, help looking for a missing pet or provide childcare support. – Nico Pundel, Mayor of Strassen

Here’s how we launched Hoplr in Strassen.

1. Kick-off meeting

1 September 2021 The kick-off meeting is where the commune’s team meets its Customer Success manager with Hoplr, in this case, Jonas. Jonas helps make some important decisions, such as:

• what will the digital neighbourhoods look like;
• how will we perfect the invitation letters; and
• what promotional activities will ensure the highest conversion?

2. Launch promotional campaign

20 September 2021 Spreading the word on Hoplr is where Strassen’s team truly stood out. Together, we created several banners the commune put op along the side of the road, two large tarpaulins, posters, and images for the website, social media and a print ad.

Furthermore, Hoplr was thoroughly discussed in multiple national newspapers as well as one radio show.

3. Launch letter distribution

11 October 2021 Then came the fun part: inviting citizens to join their digital neighborhood network! Every resident received a letter with a unique code that allowed them to register. Strassen arranged for a local distributor, which got the job done in no time. Strassen has the second-largest community of expats in all of Luxembourg, which the board is hoping to give a platform through Hoplr. This led us to decide on an invitation letter in three languages, being Luxembourgish, French and English. (By the way, in Bettendorf, we’re adding Portuguese!)

4. Info session for citizens

26 October 2021 Soon after the completion of the letter distribution, we organized an info session for locals. Jonas and another colleague from Hoplr’s Customer Success team, Peter, went down to Strassen to do a presentation, answer questions and help attendees create an account. Still dealing with covid, we decided to do both a physical as well as an online presentation at the same time. The mayor gave a short introduction, after which Jonas talked to some 40 people who joined him at the site. Peter simultaneously did an online presentation.

5. Handover Service Dashboard

26 October 2021 That very same day (it’s a long drive), Jonas gave Strassen’s team access to their Service Dashboard. The dashboard allows the commune to publish messages into the neighborhood network, involve community development workers and set up participation projects, such as surveys and citizen budgets.

6. Introduction local government

27 October 2021 Six weeks after their initial kick-off meeting, the commune of Strassen was ready to introduce themselves to the thriving online Hoplr community.

Since then, the commune has posted multiple messages concerning the local community, such as neighborhood activities.

More Luxembourgish communes are joining the Hoplr tribe!

Soon, we’ll be welcoming many new Luxembourgish partners, of which the first will be Luxembourg Ville, Hesperange, Betzdorf, Bettendorf, Mertzig and Junglinster. Furthermore, we’ve been enjoying the support of Philippe Eschenauer, who has been a true ambassador of Hoplr in Luxembourg. In name of ASTI (Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs Immigrés), Philippe is currently guiding 14 municipalities in the Luxembourgish region surrounding the Moselle to onboard. Not to mention, ASTI helped us translate our entire platform into Luxembourgish! Big thanks to Philippe and his colleagues.

Conclusion

In short, Hoplr has had such a warm welcome in Luxembourg, by both its communes and communities. We’re thrilled to see what endeavours lie ahead of us, and have pioneers such as Strassen to thank for it!

Frequently asked questions

Why did Strassen launch Hoplr?

The commune wanted to strengthen social cohesion and connections between residents in a diverse, multilingual community.

What supported Strassen’s launch?

The case describes coordinated promotion, invitation letters, an information session and training for the municipal team.

How did language shape the launch?

Multilingual communication helped residents understand the invitation and the purpose of the network. The article also describes support for Luxembourgish.

Can another municipality expect the same registration rate?

No. Strassen’s figures describe its own 2021 launch. Local context, communication and follow-up influence results elsewhere.