As we have previously reported, four cities are known to be in the game of potentially hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. These cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Örnsköldsvik, have all received a pretty extensive (123 points) confidential list of demands by SVT, placed on the city that receives the task of hosting the world’s largest live music competition and Aftonbladet‘s Torbjörn Ek reveals the most important parts of it!
Which city Loreen wants
Loreen has openly expressed her wish for the contest to be held in Stockholm, next year, answering a question to our own Andreas Papayiannakis, at the winner’s press conference in M&S Bank Arena, immediately after the end of the Final show back on the 13th of May, in Liverpool!
“It has to be Stockholm man, we need to talk about this, but it better be Stockholm!”
ESC 2024 executive producer, Ebba Adielsson, sends out the list to potential host cities around Sweden
Ebba Adielsson , who is the program director for entertainment at SVT, will also be the executive producer for the Eurovision song contest 2024. She was in Liverpool and participated in the press conference held after Loreen took home the victory with “Tattoo”. It is also Adielsson who has signed the request for information that has been sent out to the municipalities and regions around Sweden that could possibly host the competition. The document, which is 14 pages long, is marked “CONFIDENTIAL” on each page.
The most important requirements already appear in the initial cover letter:
- “Unless otherwise stated, the host city is responsible for implementation and funding for the various components. This also applies to the parts that touch the Arena. SVT is responsible for carrying out the television production and the television broadcasts.“
- “SVT intends to conclude an agreement with the host city for the project commitment as a whole and foresees that the host city in turn enters into agreements with the arena, subcontractors and others where required for the host city’s commitments for the implementation.“
Long story short, this means that SVT intends to pay for the television production, but expects that the host city will carry out the rest of the expenses. And that SVT expects to only sign an agreement, solely with the city that is selected. The city can then in turn sign agreements with all the subcontractors required, including arenas, hotels, transport companies etc.
Potential dates for the contest and availability
From the 14-page long document it appears that the date for next year’s Eurovision final is not yet completely sorted out, but that there can only be two most probable dates for the contest, either Saturday May 11th or Saturday May 18th. The arena to host the contest must be available in its entirety “preliminarily for seven to eight consecutive weeks“, including the week after the final when the entire stage rig is to be demolished.
At least 3.500 hotel rooms must be available
A Eurovision host city also needs to have more than 3.500 available hotel rooms during the contest week. More specifically:
- Good hotel room capacity in the city center and around the arena, with up to 3,500 hotel rooms available during the competition week itself, already two weeks before the competition week 1,000 hotel rooms must be available.
- Description of a comprehensive solution, within the sponsorships of the host city organization, for booking management, including online booking portal with payment functions that can be adapted to all participating countries.
- Hotel prices must be reported and guaranteed for the entire period.
- Proposal for how hotel room capacity of this magnitude is reserved until the city/region is selected.
Arena prerequisites
The arena must be with a neutral name that is not linked to a third party’s company name, product, trademark or other names linked to this third party’s business operations. All such names must, to the extent possible, be covered at the arena’s expense. That possibly means that Tele2 Arena is already out of the game, as Tele2 is one of the biggest telephony companies in Sweden!
In addition to the audience and stage space, the arena needs to be able to offer:
- Place for greenroom where 26 delegations of 10 people can sit. (Greenroom does not have to be in the arena room).
- 40 to 50 soundproofed and air-conditioned commentator booths.
- 27 furnished lodges of approximately 30 square meters for the various delegations.
- Area for hair and makeup, approximately 250 square meters.
- Area for main sponsor, approximately 1000 square meters.
- Offices for the delegations to be able to work in and backstage staff, approximately 30 to 40 office spaces spread over a number of rooms.
- Office for SVT’s editorial and production staff, 200 to 250 office spaces divided into several rooms, a larger meeting room for up to 50 people and also four smaller meeting rooms for up to 10 people.
- Dining room or catering space for staff with at least 350 seats.
- Areas for VIP events and specially invited guests (about 1,000 simultaneous guests).
- Lodging spaces for presenters, approx. 4-6 rooms with separate toilet and shower (with proximity to the stage).
- Lodge spaces for artists (not delegations), up to 20 lodges.
- Seating areas for larger groups, at least two larger dressing rooms with access to a toilet for groups of up to 50 people (think opening and intermediate acts with many participants).
- Props and scenography storage directly adjacent to the stage for the various stage shows (approximately 1.500 square meters).
- Soundproof spaces for sound check, two so-called viewing rooms, where proximity and logistics are of great importance. (a total of four to six rooms of 50 to 100 square meters).
- First aid room including medical staff.
In connection with the arena, there must also be:
- Premises for accreditation management as of an accreditation centre, located so that it is accessible to visitors outside the security controlled area, with workplaces for 15 people and a waiting room for up to 50 people.
- Press center for up to 1.200 people with workspace for press (approx. 650 seats), workspaces for accredited fans (approximately 250 seats), office space, interview room and cafeteria. In addition, a large room for televised press conferences.
Additional requirements for the arena:
- The arena must propose a solution/solutions for a backup system for electricity supply, with the required connecting areas, approximately 1,000 square meters.
- The electricity supply required for demolition and rigging as well as for the non-TV production-related needs (offices, surrounding areas, etc.) must be borne by the arena.
- The arena must be able to be responsible for ensuring that the standard of air conditioning and cooling is met in all rooms proposed in the proposal and that it is maintained during the period without increased costs for SVT.
More contest requirements
The list of requirements also reveals that it is not enough to have a large arena offering all the required amenities. In order to be able to carry out a Eurovision Song Contest, roughly 1.500 square meters of space is also needed to store props and scenography, 200 office spaces for SVT’s editorial staff, around 30 lodges, a dining hall with 350 seats, a press center with room for 1.200 journalists. Also there’s need for space to host an opening ceremony with 200 to 300 meters of turquoise carpet and a venue for the Euroclub, the official meeting place and nightclub to host Eurovision parties.
Transport and traffic requirements
Solutions for how traffic chaos is avoided to and from the arena need to be ensured by the selected host city. Proposals for shuttle services for the delegations, including access to buses for the occasions when the entire delegation is gathered as well as car pool or taxi checks for free use by delegation members on other occasions. Eurovision-appointed taxis with fixed tariffs for everyone’s use (that is, even those not covered by the service provided above, journalists, traveling public etc).
Security
The host city needs to ensure that solutions in collaboration with the region for security for everyone involved as well as the audience and specially invited guests of honor with high security requirements must be in place. At least 600 volunteers, suggestions for local voluntary organizations where these can come from, propose an organization for and be responsible for project management and related costs for this should additionally be provided.
Other arrangements and premises
- The city will carry out an event with a so-called allocation draw and city handover in January 2024. The event will be broadcast by SVT and there will be a draw for which semi-final the entries will participate in, as well as a ceremonial handover of the key to the host city, where around 200 people will participate.
- The arena must also be available for visits by those responsible for the participating delegations, the so-called Head of delegation meeting, on one occasion in mid-March, for around 100 people.
- The city will conduct a televised opening ceremony, the Turqouise Carpet, on the Sunday before the show’s week. It falls under the responsibility and expense of the host city, and needs 200 to 300 meters of turquoise carpet for participating artists and more and space for a total of about 1.500 to 2.000 people, as well as a private reception ceremony for the same number of guests.
- Proposal for venue, organization and implementation force under the host city’s responsibility and expense, for a possible after-party after the final, if the host city wishes to invite people to it.
- As mentioned above, proposal for resources for premises, organization and execution power for so-called Euroclub, a meeting place/nightclub with a stage. Preliminary opening hours should be daily between 23:00 and 03:00.
- Proposals for locations and organization of the sponsor village, a commitment from the EBU and intended for international as well as national sponsors with exposure space for sponsors. In addition to this, the Eurovision Village is an excellent location for the city’s hosting with a stage that the city disposes of and programs with daily live performances.
SVT has also requested that the applicant cities:
- Describe the necessary contacts with local authorities and organizations to ensure the specifications given in this document to enable the successful hosting of Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
- Present contacts with police authorities, local transport organizations and traffic and road authorities, as well as local licensing authorities (including but not limited to extended alcohol service licenses) regarding necessary permits, etc.
- During the hosting, in cooperation with the relevant authorities (police, rescue services, etc.) and in consultation with SVT, be responsible for establishing a detailed security plan written in Swedish and English. The security plan must be able to be presented to the EBU.
- Provide a description of how the host city intends to organize and establish the required security organization. SVT will have to approve all security arrangements.
Extended serving permit
SVT has also requested the interested municipalities to come forward with established contacts with local licensing authorities in order to be able to guarantee extended serving permits. This is so that the party can last later than is usual in most smaller towns around Sweden.
Aftonbladet has searched for Ebba Adielsson, so that she would comment on the above points, however they could not reach her. In a text message via SVT‘s press manager, Camilla Hagert, she said:
“Talks with interested municipalities are ongoing. We cannot say more at the moment. The hope is that the host city will be ready at the beginning of July.”
This partially confirms, what we have already reported that the possible city announcement date, could be somewhere in the first week of July, potentially Friday, July the 7th! Three weeks left till July kicks-off and then it remains to be seen whether we will have new updates regarding the 7th Swedish Eurovision Song Contest, or not.
Sweden will host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest after Loreen’s iconic second win with the song “Tattoo“:
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!
Source: Aftonbladet
