For this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, MyHeritage was announced as one of the main partners of the event. It turned out to be a superbly inspired choice, with the values of MyHeritage enriching the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest experience for participating artists and visiting press members and fans alike!
An unprecedented level of commitment
At the Expo Tel Aviv, MyHeritage set up a special booth that was open to participating artists and delegations as well as accredited press and fans. Their level of commitment to the event was unlike anything else I’ve seen from a Eurovision partner in the three years I’ve been on the ground at a contest. From creating Eurovision-themed DNA kits, to DNA-testing endless Eurovision artists from both 2019 and the contest’s history, to allowing fans and press to get once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to delve deep into their DNA and family trees.
British? No, I’m proud to be European
Being able to submit my DNA for testing with MyHeritage was a quick, effortless and fun experience thanks to the team in the Expo Tel Aviv and I was thrilled to find my results placed MyHeritage all over Europe and beyond. At a time where I don’t find being British something to be particularly proud of (hey there Brexit!), it is wonderful to know that I am more connected to the rest of Europe than I ever thought I would be!
The values of MyHeritage and the Eurovision Song Contest are so similar, bringing different countries, nationalities and cultures together. Both of these entities perfectly represent to me that we are all people of one world as cheesy as that may sound.
Tim’s experience
Fellow Tel Aviv press member Tim Jumawan also experienced the same DNA testing. Here is his experience with MyHeritage:
Well, personally I believe MyHeritage was a great sponsor for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. With DNA testing, we were able to gain more insight into the participants, something that has never been done in the contest before.
When I did the DNA test, the process was really seamless and I was surprised with the effort that went into the Eurovision-themed packaging as well which shows how they really got into the spirit of the contest. I discovered to my surprise that, besides being Filipino as expected, that I was also part Malay and Indonesian! This news is something I’ll take forward into my future.
Tim Jumawan
Nick’s experience
And it wasn’t just as Tel Aviv itself where MyHeritage got involved in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. There were presented at several of the pre-parties in April with their MyHeritage bus! One of their stops was at Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam whereas fellow ESCXTRA editor Nick van Lith was able to experience the benefits of the partnership between MyHeritage and Eurovision 2019.
I won the MyHeritage DNA kit at Eurovision in Concert and I can honestly say it was a brilliant item to win. With a last name that originates 10km from where I live, I expected the outcome to be all Dutch and nothing else, but to my surprise, I turn out to have British, mostly English roots. Never in my life would I have guessed that!
It has led me to use MyHeritage more to find out who in my family is responsible for all that English blood. With many interesting names and stories now added to ‘my story’, I think it’s fair to say MyHeritage was a wonderful partner for this year’s contest. With Israel as the host country, a country where migration is key, the organisers provided a great sponsor and partner for the event.
Additionally, it brought us all closer to the artists, finding out who they are and who we all are. I was not convinced at first, but I am totally on the side of MyHeritage now. It’s a brilliant partner and gave great new detail to the contest.
Nick van Lith
What is MyHeritage?
For those not too aware of what MyHeritage is all about, MyHeritage is Europe’s leading service for family history and DNA testing, with over 100 million registered users worldwide. On the MyHeritage.com website, you can easily build your family tree, find historical records about your ancestors, and order a DNA test that will reveal where your family comes from and find new relatives.
- With over 100 million MyHeritage users around the world, they are the most global family history and DNA company.
- Because we are so global, MyHeritage DNA kits are being sold around the world, and the chance of finding relatives in other countries are higher compared to other DNA kits.
- Only 0.3% of MyHeritage DNA users have one ethnicity. This means that 99.7% of us is a unique blend of ethnicities allowing us to appreciate other people and cultures.
That final sentence is the exact reason why MyHeritage and the Eurovision Song Contest were perfect partners. Thank
