We know hosting the Eurovision Song Contest is a demanding task for everyone involved. The host broadcaster has an immense job ahead of them, but the same goes for the venue and the host city. Dutch newspaper AD has now published part of the list EBU sent to Rotterdam. The full list consists of 171 (!) questions.
Public spending
AD have requested access to the list of 171 questions thanks to the Freedom of Information Act in the Netherlands. With NPO being a public broadcaster, they are required to release such information when they are asked about it. In their article, AD have picked five of the most surprising requests. This list may just have been the ‘extra information‘ EBU asked back in early August.
No holiday parks
We knew that at least 3,000 hotel rooms had to be available for the two Eurovision weeks. In both the Arnhem and Maastricht bidbooks, we read suggestions of holiday parks as accomodation for delegations, media or crew. However, AD have revealed that EBU and NPO did not want holiday parks or any form of shared accomodation. None of the accomodation could be temporary either.
The bare minimum standard for these hotel rooms is a three star accomodation. Spokesperson of the city of Rotterdam, Ingrid Adriaanse, has assured the newspaper that these rooms have been booked for the Eurovision Song Contest next year. In total, they’ve not booked 3,000, but 8,000 rooms in 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels within half an hour from Rotterdam. Within an hour from Rotterdam, they’ve even made 20,000 hotel rooms available.
Not the full price
When you need a venue, you need to book it. Renting a venue like Ahoy Rotterdam isn’t a cheap side of the event. Like with a house, you need to pay to live in it. The same goes for a Eurovision venue.
The venue needs to be free for a total of eight weeks. During those 56 days, no other events can take place at Ahoy. You can imagine the venue sending a major bill over to NPO. Recently, Mojo Concerts revealed that renting out AFAS Live costs approximately €28,000. Now imagine what Ahoy, four times larger than AFAS Live, would cost for a day. However, the price isn’t as high as they would normally be. Ahoy spokesperson Kees de Jong has confirmed that they have given a “major discount” to NPO. In return, they say the exposure is worth the discount.
Rotterdam not involved in ticket prices
For a concert, it’s usually the artist and the promotors who come up with a price together. It’s therefore not really a surprise that Rotterdam and Ahoy do not get a say in the ticket prices for the Eurovision Song Contest next year.
The decision about the prices is completely in the hands of the host broadcaster and EBU. Joachim Kost, spokesperson for Rotterdam, has said that they will discuss the prices with the organisation, but that they indeed do not have a say. All that’s in it for Ahoy, financially, is the rent for the venue and the profit they make from catering, which they will provide for the full eight weeks.
10,000 in delegations
In the questions, NPO and EBU have indicated that over 10,000 delegation members are expected to attend the event. They will all need a place in the Ahoy complex to do the jobs they’re there for. This goes from approximately 1,100 members in artists and the people surrounding them, to 1,550 members of the press. They also expect a crew of about 3,000 people. This will very likely include the volunteers during the event.
1,400 security offers and policemen are also expected. They will make sure no one enters Ahoy without a badge. Only those accredited will get access during the rehearsals. Security will be upped a notch for the shows to make sure the fans that have bought a ticket are safe.
The dressing rooms also have some requirements. Each dressing room needs to be at least 20 m2. Dressing rooms should be available for all acts, as well as the hosts, opening acts and interval acts. That means you’ll need more than 40!
Out of the 171 questions, AD considered these the most interesting to be published. Whether they will release the full list remains to be seen.
Do you consider the requirements set by the EBU reasonable or not? Let us know what you think!
