Fans of the Eurovision diary (www.eurovisiondiary.com) will be happy to know that the famed chronicle begins a new journey on March 1, describing the daily activities of the technical crew for Eurovision 2007 and covered exclusively by Live Design and livedesignonline.com. The site was launched by Stockholm-based Spectra Stage and Event Technologies during the production of Eurovision 2002 in Estonia as a way for families to keep up with the daily lives of loved ones involved with the event. It soon became popular with industry professionals worldwide, who enjoyed the entertaining musings of production manager Ola Melzig. During Eurovision 2005, the diary surpassed 60,000 hits in four weeks.
The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is an annual competition entering its 52nd year and with a television audience in excess of 200 million. The winner is chosen through votes cast by participating countries' viewers via phone and Internet. Last year, a rock band from Finland called Lordi won, and because the country that wins becomes the host for the next year, ESC 2007 will be held at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, with semifinals on May 10 and finals on May 12. This year will hold the record for the most participating countries — 42 — in the show's history.
Spectra Stage and Event Technologies with Eastway Sound and Lighting from Helsinki will supply crew, lighting, and video equipment. Finnish LD Mikki Kunttu will deliver his vision for the show, working closely with Melzig, who has managed Eurovision five times in the past.
“We have a few things planned for the diary this year that I always wanted to do, but never had time for in the past,” explains Melzig. “I would get emails with technical questions or see things posted on Light Network, so we decided to add links to technical info from diary entries, so people can easily get product details if they want them.” Another new feature will be guest blogs from technical partners, including the gear suppliers, who will also address new products and their uses on the production.
The diary will still retain its familiar casual approach. Keep an eye on eurovisiondiary.com for continuing coverage.
Live Design is the exclusive publication of the creative team of Eurovision 2007.