Welcome to a live in Vienna edition of the ESC Insight Newsletter. It’s here to bring together the best insights that we offer along with the best news and articles we uncover around us in the Eurovision Press Centre. Read the latest edition of the Newsletter on this link.
Today was the first day we were able to get inside the arena, every bit the Eurovision modern classic but unique and quirky in its own right. Robertson’s Reflection, our column by Newsletter Editor Ben Robertson, is today about what you can expert if you arrive in the arena next week.
Yes we have the same old set ups as usual, but there are subtle differences that I’ve certainly attract my attention. Firstly the Wiener Stadthalle is an odd shaped venue. Much noise has been made about the Kinetic structure on the ceiling, although it’s use has not yet been made clear (we may guess it’s going to show the flags and be used in the interval acts in some way, but none of the songs are utilising it). However most of the seated audience won’t be able to spot this, as the banking on the sides of the arena is much higher than the top of the stage in the middle of the hall. For a similar idea, imagine the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics, where the middle section of roof was so low there were viewing difficulties for the platform diving.
Also the Green Room is officially behemothic. A good few metres up at the back of the arena there are steps up to it from the stage floor suggesting there will be moving up and down from the chaos of the fan zone. Now this is interesting. Does it mean our fan zone will be split in two either side? Or does it mean instead that they will have to, gulp, build a bridge between the stage and the Green Room. We await with wonder.
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