This week’s edition of course focuses on Kyiv’s finally victorious announcement as Eurovision Song Contest host city for 2017, but that’s not the only news going on. September 1st has passed meaning we are now well into Eurovision season and as some countries close their selections already many more opportunties for are opening up.
In Robertson’s Reflection this week, Newsletter Editor Ben Robertson looks at what happens next in the 2017 pipeline, namely a visit from the EBU to Ukraine’s capital with many people from Stockholm’s 2016 organisation coming along with. What should Kyiv be looking to learn from Stockholm, and where can they go from here?
The fan activity in town is also incredibly important to pass over. The proposed capacity for EuroClub at 3,000 people would suggest that extra capacity for OGAE members like in Stockholm will almost certainly not happen. Yes less fans are going to attend but not by those quantities. Should EuroClub be that small, more of the official and accredited venue we are used to, then a quality secondary venue is a must. One could say that this is organised as usual through the local OGAE branch, but a more progressive approach could be for it to be organised through the host city instead. Hopefully Stockholm can regale tales to their Ukrainian counterparts about the successes of the fan community in Sweden’s capital and can encourage them to take the lead of the process. After all the city will have far better access to booking this year’s acts, finding the best locations in town and setting up any advance payments and deposits far better than anybody else. What Stockholm taught me most was that the fan experience at Eurovision is now so big it can not be left to chance.
Make sure to read the Newsletter in full for all of the Reflection and the rest of the Song Contest news.