The fifth “Eurovision Workshop” took place in Berlin

The fifth “Eurovision Workshop” took place in Berlin recently. The workshop was attended by delegations from Europe and beyond.
The delegations discussed a variety of topics which ranged from politics to performance.  The workshop also gave a chance to gain some more information about the upcoming contest in Lisbon.

Passing the torch to Lisbon

Jon Ola Sand, the Executive Supervisor of the EBU, started the session by thanking Pavlo Hrytsak and his team for their hard work.
Despite the well-documented controversies and challenges earlier on, the Ukrainian broadcaster has managed to create three successful broadcasts.
Pavlo Hrytsak, the Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, was also at the workshop in order to complete the handover for the team who will oversee the 2018 contest in Lisbon.

Improving on Experience

A number of broadcasters have also talked about their experiences being HoD’s for the contest. The speakers of the workshop included:

• Joanna Levieva-Sawyer (Head of Delegation from Bulgaria) shared her experience on how she was able to turn around Bulgaria’s fortunes. She managed to bring the country back to the final and give them their best results for the past two years.
• Paul Clarke (Head of Delegation for Australia) has given some more insight into Eurovision Asia Song Contest. He has mentioned that there is ‘considerable interest’ in the format and how it is being developed for the Asia-Pacific region.

Updates on Eurovision 2018

During the workshop, RTP went on to discuss how the preparations for next year are going. They also shared their vision for Lisbon 2018.
After the Eurovision Workshop, the ‘Reference Group’ met up with representatives from RTP where they gave them detailed plans for 2018.
The plans that were given included:

• Proposed Venues for Euroclub and Eurovillage
• Theme and Artwork
• Competition for the slogan

With the plans given, it looks like Eurovision 2018 is right on track.
The deadlines for broadcasters to submit their applications has now passed. We will know the participants for next year’s competition by the end of the year.
What do you think of what happened in the Eurovision Workshop? Do you think 2018 will be an even better contest than 2017?.
Let us know your opinions and thoughts below or at social media @ESCXTRA