With less than a year to put on a world-class event, is it time to move away from the winner automatically hosting to help address those challenges? Dale from the Aussievision team takes a look.
When watching the Eurovision 2015 Contest, I knew I was going to go the following year.
I had wanted to be in that flag-waving crowd for so long and with Australia now competing, it felt like I just needed to make it happen.
When it became clear Australia wouldn't win (despite our amazing 5th place on debut), my attention was not just on which song would win, but who would be hosting.
It was a battle between Sweden and Russia, and for a far less complicated trip, I was cheering for Måns.
My wish came true and my first trip was to Stockholm the following year.
It's a process Eurovision fans know well, we hope for somewhere not too expensive, somewhere with great facilities and who knows, maybe a little sunshine.
The issue
Despite the novelty of finding out the host on the night, the process is somewhat of a lottery.
Whichever nation brings their best that year, has to scramble quickly to pull together an appropriate city and venue.
This leaves us with a mixed bag of experiences. Liverpool went all out, Malmö brought it back a little and let's not talk about the Eurovision village or kinetic sun of Turin (despite the city being beautiful!).
Even this year, local conservatives are trying to stop funding for events in Basel with a citizen's referendum.
Is there a better way?
Should we choose a host city in advance?
Is it time that Eurovision follows the lead of other major events and chooses a host city/nation well in advance?
Major events like the Olympics and World Cup do this but also smaller events do as well.
World Championships in sports like athletics and swimming, the Champions League Final as well as other events like European City of Culture, all choose their hosts years before the event.
And there are a lot of benefits that Eurovision could take from doing the same
The venue
For any Eurovision Song Contest, the venue isn't needed just for the week of the Contest. It is also required for rehearsals and for many weeks before that to set up the stadium and build the stage.
This requires a large gap in the schedule and for a lot of Europe's major indoor arenas, they are booked out before a winner of Eurovision is chosen.
Stockholm's Friends Arena already had Taylor Swift booked at the time of Eurovision 2024. In addition, many UK venues were also busy at that time.
Choosing a venue several years out means the best arenas that want to be part of a bid can plan accordingly.
This could lead to bigger capacities (which helps with tickets) and better facilities for fans.
Accommodation
Getting affordable accommodation is one of the biggest issues for Eurovision fans when attending.
Some cities have previously floated ideas of cruise ships and tent cities to help accommodate fans, though these plans never eventuated.
Qatar had a shortage of accommodation for the World Cup in 2022 and with the extra time they had, they were able to come up with a huge amount of temporary accommodation.
For any city that wanted to bid for a future Eurovision, a plan for how they would supply enough accommodation could be part of a selection process.
Eurovision village and other events
It's been a mixed bag when it comes to Eurovision villages and events for fans.
Liverpool went all out and not only attracted fans in the arena but thousands upon thousands for a day trip to the city.
Other villages have often been either low-budget or not particularly fan-friendly.
With a bid process and more time to prepare, proper plans can be put in place to allow for an amazing fan experience whether you have a ticket for a show in the arena or not.
Branding
Although many would like to see less commercialisation in Eurovision, it is the reality of modern major events that is needed.
And for one of the world's most-watched events, the amount of sponsors involved is really quite low and at times, confusing (a pharmaceutical company is the main partner of Eurovision 2025).
With more time and potentially more events, this can generate more sponsorship at every level of the Contest from the broadcast, to the venue and all associated events.
In addition, a broadcaster can not only get more money towards the show but they can budget well in advance of hosting rather than just 12 months out.
Diversity of host nations
The 2000s saw a range of new nations host Eurovision for the first time including Latvia, Estonia, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia and Russia.
However, in the last 13 editions, the Contest has only been hosted outside of Western Europe twice (Tel Aviv and Kyiv).
A range of Eastern European nations have also left the Contest in that time.
Sharing the hosting around to different parts of Europe can only be good for Eurovision and its fans.
It's already had a trial run
Junior Eurovision has for many of its years chosen host cities that didn't win. (Although from 2014 to 2021, the winner still had first refusal).
This has seen it hosted in places like Romania, Cyprus, Belarus and Armenia who have never hosted Eurovision.
The downside
One of Eurovision's unique selling points is its tradition. The length of the show and voting is something that would never be designed today, but it works.
The right of the winner to host is one of those cute little features, that I personally love.
It's a joy to see the winner showcase their artist and nation to the world the following year, even if it does have mixed results.
The more we take away from those traditions, the more that Eurovision becomes homogenised and loses its special place in people's hearts and minds.
Evolution
But over time, Eurovision has always evolved. Orchestras going, semi-finals coming in, and voting changes have all occurred and the Contest keeps marching forward.
In a more global world where Eurovision is more popular than ever, it's becoming untenable for nearly all Europeans to even think about going through cost or distance.
In the Top 10 countries buying tickets for semi-finals and the Grand Final in 2024, Poland was the only Eastern nation to make the list (and that was only for semi-final 1).
I don't think changing the host city selection will happen anytime soon, but it is a conversation we need to start having.
Because it can't be an event only for fans and broadcasters who can afford it at the highest price.
Increasing access to the Eurovision Song Contest is a way we can ensure it remains relevant to everyone now and into the future.
As the divide in Europe becomes larger, the Contest needs to do all it can to keep all fans United by Music.
For continued updates on all the Eurovision news follow Aussievision on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
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