Some five months before Israel is set to host the Eurovision Song Contest for the third time, Israel Hayom got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the preparations underway at Expo Tel Aviv, the convention center where the competition will take place in mid-May.
The Eurovision contest is organized by the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public service broadcasters.
At last year's event, held in Lisbon, Israeli singer Netta Barzilai defeated a strong field of contestants with her catchy techno-dance tune "Toy," snagging the honor of hosting the 2019 competition in Israel.
Tamir Dayan, the CEO of Expo Tel Aviv, conceded that he was "scared to death" because of the enormity of the feat he has been tasked with. He recalled that when the EBU announced that Tel Aviv had won the tender to become the host city, he was elated.
"All of us danced in our office, we wanted to appear nonchalant about it but we felt a heavy weight on our shoulders. Wow, this is actually happening, we told ourselves. What do we do now?" he said.
After thanking the Tel Aviv Municipality and other agencies for backing his bid, Dayan called all the employees and told them: "Our wishes have come true! We have been given the right to host the Eurovision Song Contest, and it is going to be life-changing."
Dayan became the CEO of Expo Tel Aviv two years ago, having previously served as a the head of the Jerusalem Economic Development Administration.
"If I were still in that position, I would have fought like a lion for the city to host the event, because of the boost this gives the host city: It revitalizes business, it fills up hotels and creates amazing branding and publicity for the city," he said.
"Jerusalem would have been the natural host city, as it is the eternal capital; it has several venues where it could have taken place," he added.
Dayan appreciates the enormity of the endeavor. "The EBU warned us that many people will want to come work for us now that we won the bid, and they were right: We are being flooded with applications from people who want to take part and volunteer; we are talking about some of the best producers, or even people who want to be ushers and just enjoy the stardust."
One of the first things he did after winning the bid was to meet with the CEO of the Israel Electric Corporation. "Just imagine, in the middle of the contest, with some 200 million viewers worldwide, there is a power outage. There is no room for error here. Then I was told that the EBU will bring massive generators, so I relaxed," he said.
The contest will take place in Pavilion 2 at the fairgrounds, which has a seating capacity of 9,000 people (that could change depending on the size of the stage). This means that the contest venue will have room for fewer than the typical number of revelers, but Expo Tel Aviv organizers stress that an additional four pavilions – each with a capacity of holding several thousand guests – will also be open for the event.
The entire complex will be cordoned off starting March 24, 2019, and will only be accessible to those carrying a special permit.
Chief Marketing Officer Iris Mazel said that the event will prompt local authorities to spruce up the city of Tel Aviv. "The bridge leading to the fairgrounds will be decorated ahead of the Eurovision contest," she said. "Some 100 lighting fixtures will be replaced in the area so that they are more energy-efficient."
"Pavilion 2 is amazing. It was opened two years ago at a cost of 400 million shekels ($160 million). It has many advanced technological features, including a control room and a special level with 260 bathroom stalls," she added.
Expo Tel Aviv recently issued a tender for new electronic signs in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The organizers are also going to give employees English lessons so that they can properly greet the many foreign visitors. A central plaza will also be built on the premises of the fairgrounds.
"We are under enormous pressure. Some 200 million people are going to view the event; people will need to eat, breathe and sing. Some 1,500 journalists from around the world will arrive in Israel to cover the event, dozens of shipping containers with communications equipment and other stage equipment will also be sent to Israel. This event involves much more than just the final round – there are two semi-finals, there will be live rehearsals, so we have to prepare for a total of nine events in Pavilion 2, apart from the many small events in the complex," Mazel said.
"We must tap into our creative spirits to the fullest and make this a success story for Israel. We cannot wing it, we have to abide by the European standard and it is going to be one of the most successful Eurovision contests ever."
