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Eurovision 2020: Hosts of the event selected | Two men and one woman

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Cornal Maas, the man who is the soul of Eurovision in the Netherlands and a commentator on the country’s public broadcaster, recently revealed that the Eurovision 2020 presenters,two men and one woman are selected.

In an interview with NPO Radio 2 and Gijs Staverman, he said that he will not be among the presenters, despite what has been written lately and that presenters will be announced in the near future.

Maas is preparing a documentary on Duncan Laurence‘s victory in Tel Aviv last May, in addition to playing a key role in preparing the next contest and his usual role in the Dutch selection committee. He talks about the needs of this documentary with Edsilia Rombley, Ruth Jacott, Ilse DeLange and of course Duncan Laurence.

The 65th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Ahoy, Rotterdam on 12, 14 and 16 May.

Source: televizier

The Netherlands: Searching for Eurovision 2020 representative begun

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In addition to preparation of the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam next May, Dutch public television has also begun searching for its next representative.

The Netherlands will choose its next participation by internal selection, as since 2013 with this system it manages to qualify for the final (except 2015) and is usually high on the scoreboard.

Jan Smit revealed to us through a post that the committee set up by Dutch public television to choose the next Eurovision representative held its first hearing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4KVqpMAfHZ/

The Committee consists of:

Coen Swijnenberg – Dj
Sander Lantinga – Dj
Joyce Hoydelmans – Member of the competition mission since 2014
Eric Van Stade – General Manager of Avrotros
Cornald Maas – Contest commentator
Jan Smit – Contest commentator

In recent days, it was announced that internationally renowned DJ Armin van Buuren rejected Avrotros’s proposal to represent the Netherlands in the 2020 Eurovision contest.

Duncan Laurence, with the song “Arcade”, managed to bring the event to the Netherlands for the first time since 1980.

Eurovision 2020: Rotterdam urges Europe to “Open up”|The official slogan of this year’s Contest

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We all watched this morning on the official AVROTROS twitter account, Songfestival, a mysterious post with a video-teaser featuring Dunkan, last year’s Eurovision winner in Tel Aviv, wondering “What is about?”

Of course, most of us immediately realized that the organizers of this year’s contest were simply preparing for the official slogan of ESC 2020.

Suspicion that it was not too late to be verified as just a few hours later Rotterdam revealed the coveted slogan of this year’s event, via a new post:

https://twitter.com/songfestival/status/1187424982005104640

So,Rotterdam tells us to “Open up”…Open up to music, Open up to new ideas, Open up to reality, Open up to Eurovision!

As Dutch broadcaster’s producer,  Sietse Bakker explained later:

“We have looked for a theme and slogan that reflect what the Netherlands stands for and which the Dutch can identify with; a country with an open mind to the world, where we speak our mind, with respect for each other. We also found it important to choose a theme that reflects the spirit of our times. People are concerned about increasing polarization and freedom isn’t as self-evident for everyone as it should be. With the slogan ‘Open Up’, we warmly invite people to open up to others, to different opinions, each other’s stories and of course to each other’s music”

Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest for the EBU, also, stated about the slogan:

“Open Up is the perfect slogan for the Eurovision Song Contest as it celebrates its 65th edition. In 1956, only 7 countries could watch the competition and since then we have opened up to the whole of Europe, to Australia and now, via streaming, to the whole world. The values of the Eurovision Song Contest are universality and inclusivity, and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music. Now we can add a new one – that of openness.”

Eurovision 2020: Who are the possible presenters of the show?

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Although we are still eight months away from the next Eurovision event, more and more information is coming to light about our favorite institution.

This time, the news is about Eurovision’s keynote presenters in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in May.

So, according to the Dutch songfestivalweblog website, the names of the presenters will be officially announced between late November and early December, with discussions expected to start and contract signings slipping within days.

Three people in the presentation?

According to the same website, although it has not been finalized, the number of presenters at the upcoming event will not exceed three, while there are currently 4 names that are the most prominent for the presentation, of which 3 will be selected.

The first name is Dionne Stax, who has just joined the potential of the Dutch channel AVROTROS and seems to have a significant lead in presenting the contest. Another hotly-debated name is Jan Smit, who has been a Eurovision commentator for the Netherlands in 2011, who said he would be honored to present the event. Also, the names of Herman van der Zandt and Winfried Baijens appear to have been put on the wish list, which are part of the NOS potential, one of the three channels that have taken over Eurovision in the Netherlands.

Other names that are rumored but less likely to present the competition and which belong to the country’s public broadcaster staff  are Amber Brantsen and Annechien Steenhuizen (NOS), Rik van de Westelaken, Tim Douwsma, Buddy Vedder and Romy Monteiro (AVRO) Witzier and Lucille Werner (KRO-NCRV), Nadia Moussaïd (VPRO) and Astrid Joosten and Emma Wortelboer (BNNVARA).

At the same time, Tooske Ragas and Nance Coolen do not belong to any television station, but have expressed their desire to present Eurovision 2020.

 Roos Moggré Press Conference Presenter?

Along with the names of the main presenters, the site also mentions the name of Roos Moggré as the presenter of the press conferences after each rehearsal of the missions, after the end of the semifinals and the grand final, and so on, as well has also presented other press conferences on Eurovision. Another name for the presentation of the press conferences is Koos van Plateringen.

Source: songfestivalweblog

Eurovision 2020: It’s official: Rotterdam will host the 65th Eurovision Song Contest

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Although rumors about the next Eurovision host city had been circulated since two days ago,actually today the official announcement from Dutch public broadcaster has come out.

The official announcement by the organizing committee

The announcement was made through the contest’s  official website, EBU social networks, and the Dutch public broadcaster .

When Duncan Laurence won the Eurovision Song Contest for the Netherlands earlier this year, a total of nine cities initially applied in the hope of hosting the contest.  But the battle proved difficult for many of them, after one withdrew its candidacy, starting with Leobarden, since the arena it had did not meet the height requirements set by the EBU.

Then Amsterdam, The Hague and Breda left the race on a variety of issues, with only five cities officially submitting their candidacy.  Eventually Rotterdam and Maastricht were left to arrive at today’s announcement that Rotterdam will be the city that will host the next Eurovision.

A city in the center of Europe

Rotterdam was the favorite to win the event and eventually it did it. It has easy accessibility and a wonderful arena, the Ahoy, where big music events take place every year, and it also hosted Junior Eurovision in 2007.

Rotterdam has Europe’s largest port and is well connected by ferry to the United Kingdom and France.  Travelers wishing to travel to Rotterdam from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport can be reached in about 20 minutes by train.  The city is 23 km from The Hague and 61 km from Utrecht.  In addition to trains, Rotterdam has various modes of transport, such as trams, subways and buses as well as water buses.

This will be the fifth time the Netherlands hosts the Eurovision contest on its territory (1958, 1970, 1976 and 1980), but the first in Rotterdam!

The dates of the three shows

At the same time, the announcement of the hosting city came the dates of the three shows also locked.  Specifically, the two semifinals will take place on Tuesday May 12 and Thursday May 14, respectively, with the Grand Final scheduled for Saturday May 16, 2020.

 

 

 

Eurovision 2020: Rotterdam or Maastricht: The long-awaited date revealed

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The two candidate cities, Maastricht and Rotterdam, had until yesterday  at 17.00 CET  the opportunity to send the latest details on the nominations for the Eurovision 2020 contest to the Dutch public broadcaster . As EBU announced yesterday, its final decision will be announced in Friday the 30th of August.

The anxiety for the two city staff and for all fans of the Eurovision is over.  After Rotterdam and Maastricht have submitted all the information they have requested, the Dutch public broadcaster(NOS, NPO and AVROTROS) having already visited both cities will come up with what they consider appropriate to host the next big event.  The decision will of course be made in co-operation with the EBU.

In the case  of a Maastricht win, the competition will be hosted at the 11,000-seat MECC Exhibition Center, while in the event of a Rotterdam victory then Ahoy’s 16,000-seat stadium will host the next Eurovision.

We’ll know in three weeks from now whether Maastricht or Rotterdam will host the 65th Eurovision Song Contest.

Stay tuned for the long-awaited announcement and all the details about out favorite contest.

Eurovision 2020: Rotterdam – Maastricht: the battle of the venues

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The battle of Rotterdam and Maastricht to claim Eurovision 2020 hosting has been culminated, with the visit of the Dutch public broadcaster , the so-called ”Eurovision 2020 Committee”, in the two cities, to look closely at everything they propose for the next contest , in case ,of course, this takes place in their city.
The focus of interest for the the Eurovision 2020 Executive Producer, Sietse Bakker, was of course the venues  visit proposed to host the next event.
The questions that concern the people involved are of course the size, the location in the city center, its accessibility, the lights that can be supported by the roof, the existence of space for journalists, delegations, dressing rooms, press room etc .

MECC – Maastricht:
What do we know about the MECC in Maastricht?
* Capacity: about 11,000 – 12,000 people
* Floor area: 10.225 m2
* Ceiling height: about 16 meters

As the Maastricht’s  municipality has revealed, the city has been preparing its candidacy for hosting the contest for five years since the Netherlands came to a breath near to victory in 2014 with Common Linnets and ”Calm After The Storm”.

During the Committee’s visit to MECC, the officials had the opportunity to see in virtual reality how the venue will be set up to for the needs of the Event.

Ahoy – Rotterdam:
What do we know about Ahoy in Rotterdam?
* Capacity: about 11,000 – 12,000 people
* Floor area: 3.300 m2
* Ceiling height: about 23 meters

Ahoy of Rotterdam looks more ready for such a big event, since it hosts many important concerts each year.

The final decision on the city that will host the 65th Eurovision Song Contest will be announced in August.

Source: NOS

Eurovision 2020: The Eurovision 2020 Committee also inspected Rotterdam

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Following the visit to Maastricht, yesterday it was Rotterdam’s turn to welcome the Eurovision 2020 Committee, consisting of the three responsible broadcasters for the organization of Eurovision 2020 (NPO / NOS / AVROTROS), to examine the city’s potential  to host the event, according to what it has submitted  in its candidacy bid.

The committee was welcomed by Mr. Said Kasmi (Rotterdam City Council) and Ms. Jolanda Jansen (Rotterdam Ahoy Director). And of course, their first and foremost station was Rotterdam Ahoy, the proposed venue for the event, where the members of the committee observed the excellent work done by the staff  while they are already in contact with the relevant venues of other cities which had hosted Eurovision events  in order to be prepared better.

The officials, of course, Committee do not forget that Rotterdam and Rotterdam Ahoy specifically have hosted the 2007 Junior Eurovision , which will be taken into serious  account for the final decision  in mid-August.

Ms. Jolanda Jansen (Rotterdam Ahoy Director) said:
“The meeting was incredibly substantive. First we went through the bidbook in great detail, we presented ourselves as a city and toured the premises. We spent a few hours discussing various ideas about the different spaces and halls.We have been doing a lot of homework lately, for example we have been in touch with some of the former Eurovision venues and host cities that have organized the contest in recent years, such as Stockholm, Vienna and Lisbon.
It was very good to discuss all these things with each other. A very important lesson is that all of this is greater than anything I’ve ever experienced. ”

Mr. Said Kasmi (Rotterdam Councilor for Culture) stated:
“We could soon host the biggest music competition, I suppose there will be 246 million viewers worldwide watching the show. All eyes will be focused on Rotterdam and we will have lots of visitors landing in the city. We are working hard so that everything falls into place ».
Finally, Mr. Sietse Bakker (Eurovision 2020 Executive Producer) concluded:
“The EBU has had a very good experience with the 2007 Junior Song Contest here. I think that certainly counts. Ahoy is a very nice location for three very spectacular TV shows. There are many spaces and halls in close proximity to the main hall that can house the press, delegations, production and technical teams etc ».

Eurovision 2020: NPO to visit the two candidate cities

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Just yesterday, following a thorough examination of the candidates’ bids for the organization of the next Eurovision contest, as we had mentioned in our previous article, the responsible  committee of the Dutch broadcaster NPO announced officially that only two cities of five candidates meet the EBU’s criteria for hosting the next Eurovision: Maastricht and Rotterdam.
As expected, and without losing time, NPO executives have begun today the  visits to the two cities to see and discuss in detail everything that each city has in its  bid as well as to look closely at the structures that will host the music contest.
Their first stop is Maastricht, where they will mainly inspect the Maastricht MESC, with a capacity of 20,000 spectators proposed by the city to host the contest, as well as the other necessary structures such as accommodation and easy transfer of delegation  and fans. Significant weight is also given to the other venues and location  of the side events such as Euroclub, Eurovision Village, Opening Ceremony, Red Carpet, Press Center, Delegation Bubble etc.
Tomorrow,  NPO travels to Rotterdam, heading mainly to Rotterdam Ahoy, the venue proposed for the contest, and the other locations proposed for all the side events.
In both cases, NPO  will also have meetings with officials from the two cities involved in organizing the event to gain a fuller picture of the potential of cities based on the files they have submitted and to inform EBU afterwards.

It is worth mentioning that Rotterdam strongly wants to host  the event, which is apparent from the intention of the Southern Holland province to boost the city with an extra 1 million euros if it takes over the organization. At the same time,Rotterdam claims  as its strong point a very good network as well as its excellent connection with most European cities through two airports (Schiphol International Airport and Rotterdam-The Hague Airport), a point that is lagging behind Maastricht.
Whatever the case, the on-the-spot review is in progress and we expect any information from these inspects.

Eurovision 2020: Rotterdam and Maastricht to be the official finalists for ESC 2020 hosting

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EBU,through its official website for the contest, announced a while ago what the Dutch media, but also what we had written a few days ago.  Rotterdam and Maastricht are the two remaining cities to claim Eurovision 2020 hosting.

This two cities had the most completed nomination bid and thus continue the fight for claiming Eurovision 2020. Next month, a team of the Dutch public broadcaster as well as EBU experts will visit the two cities in order to see and get up-to-date  , everything suggested by Maastricht and Rotterdam to organize the next contest.

« All cities and venues have made a great effort in their candidacies.  They impressed us with all their suggestions and I would like to thank all those involved so far for their positive contribution and commitment.  We are convinced that Maastricht and Rotterdam offer everything that a host city requires.  We hope the other cities will keep their enthusiasm for the song contest.  We would like to discuss the coming months how we can engage them in next year’s Eurovision. »

(Sietse Beker, executive producer of Eurovision 2020).

The cities that were considered inappropriate and had submitted a candidacy bid were Arnhem, Den Bos and Utrecht.

The final decision on the city that will host Eurovision 2020 will be announced at the end of August.