Merx, Flori Construction and Alba Flooring all in support of EWD flagship event in London

A sold-out night at London's Shaw Theatre brought Albanian heritage to the international stage — and Merx Marketing was proud to help make it happen.

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On the evening of 6 July, London's Shaw Theatre filled to capacity for Albania Through Byron's Eyes, a sold-out ethno-musical production that carried Albanian heritage onto one of the capital's most respected stages. Merx Marketing was proud to stand among the event's sponsors and partners, alongside Flori Construction and Alba Flooring, in support of a night that celebrated the very best of Albanian culture in the United Kingdom.

Staged by Empowered Women of Diaspora (EWD) in collaboration with the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet and Folk Ensemble (TKOBAP), and supported by the National Agency of Diaspora, the production was conceived as an artistic journey through history, poetry and tradition. Its inspiration was Lord Byron, whose travels through Albania between 1809 and 1811 left him captivated by the country and its people — an admiration he immortalised in his verse and preserved as one of the earliest and warmest European accounts of Albanian life.

For a British audience seated shoulder to shoulder with the UK's Albanian community, the show reached back to the Albania of the early nineteenth century, the land of Ali Pashë Tepelena and of a folk tradition passed down across generations. In a first for a London stage, Albania's National Ensemble of Songs and Folk Dances, the country's leading institution for musical and performing heritage, delivered a full programme of traditional song and dance.

Directed artistically by Sokol Marsi, the Ensemble moved through a vivid repertoire that included the Vallja Çame, the Vallja Devollite, the K'cimi i Tropojës and the Kabaja e Jugut, with vocal performances from the acclaimed singers Aranit Hoxha and Denisa Gjezo. At the heart of the evening was actor and poet Robert Wilton in the role of Byron himself, whose presence framed the performance as a dialogue between the poet's words and the country he came to love. Adding further colour, young performers from Lodra presented a parade of folk costumes, each piece crafted with evident care in Tradita.al workshop.

The result was something audiences described as a living museum of Albanian culture, a stage where music, dance, poetry and traditional dress combined to transport the room to an Albania rooted in land, family and community. For many present, it was an experience as emotional as it was artistic, with attendees praising the strength of the Albanian troupe and the way it carried the diversity and beauty of its heritage to an international audience.

Merx Marketing was represented on the night by team members Daniel Nikolla and Glen Vorpsi, who were joined by colleagues and friends from the HICL Builders team, the QV Construction team and the BES Accountancy Services teams, a reflection of the cross-sector spirit that made the evening possible.

That sold-out success was, above all, the product of a community coming together, and of partners from across industries willing to lend their names to Albanian arts and culture. More than five sponsors backed the production, among them Merx Marketing, Florenx Kullani of Flori Construction Ltd, Bes Lika of Alba Flooring, and other businesses spanning marketing, construction, flooring, and beyond, united by a shared belief in the value of the diaspora's cultural life.

For Merx Marketing, taking part reflected a wider conviction: that business, heritage and the arts are at their strongest when they stand shoulder to shoulder. Backing a flagship event of this scale is precisely the kind of partnership the agency believes in — one that honours roots while helping to build a global future.

The greatest credit belongs to EWD's two founders, Ensuida Keputa and Alda Muskaj, whose vision and meticulous organisation brought the production to life and delivered a night that will stay with everyone who attended. Their work set a new benchmark for how the Albanian community presents its heritage on the international stage.

Merx Marketing extends its warmest congratulations to the organisers, performers and fellow sponsors and looks forward to supporting many more moments like this in the years ahead.