THE DATES  

As announced in Athens, the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest will be staged on May 12th, with the semi-final taking place two days earlier on Thursday May 10th. This date is earlier than recent contests and the earliest the contest has been staged since 2001, when the contest was also staged on May 12th in Copenhagen.

The earlier date of the Eurovision Song Contest also pushed forward the deadline for submission of entries, and the date of the draw for the running order. The last day for entries to be selected is March 10th 2007, and the draw for the running order will take place during the Heads of Delegation meeting which is scheduled for March 11th and 12th in Helsinki.

 THE FORMAT  

For the fourth sucessive year, there will be a semi-final to reduce the entries to a field for the final to just 24. As before, the "Big 4" of France, Germany, Spain and the U.K. are automatically qualified for the final, as they make the biggest financial contribution to the costs of staging the show. Once again, the Top 10 countries from the previous will also be automatic finalists; Finland (2006 winners), Russia, Bosn-a Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden, Lithuania, Ukraine, Armenia, Greece and Ireland.

The other 28 countries will compete in the semi-final, making that the biggest ever single contest in Eurovision history, overtaking the 26 countries that cometed in the final in Riga in 2003.

The list of participants now seems set at 42, making it the biggest Eurovision Song Contest ever. All the 37 countries that competed in Athens in 2006 are back with the exception of Monaco, which withdrew in December, believing it had little chance of success in such a big field.

Two countries return to the contest, after taking a break in 2006; Austria and Hungary. Two countries compete for the first time as separate countries having competed as a single entity in 2004 and 2005; Montenegro and Serbia. Finally two new countries join the Eurovision family; the former Soviet republic of Georgia and the Czech Republic. You can find details of the selection process in each country further down this page.

There is a minor change to the draw procedure for the 2007 contest. Instead of the traditional draw, where the first country drawn sings first and so on, this year the first five countries drawn in the semi final and first three drawn in the final will get a "wildcard" option. The Head of Delegation of these countries gets to choose where they will perform in the running order by selecting their starting position. 

It is believed that performing later in the running order is to a country's advantage, so it is currently a disadvantage to be one of the first countries to be drawn. To balance this, countries drawn first will get to select the position from which they start. It also gives the countries drawn first a chance of positioning themselves away from a country with a similar entry. Once these countries have selected their position in the running order the draw will then continue in the normal way, where each country drawn fills a remaining space from the beginning down.

It is very likely that this will be the final Eurovision Song Contest with the current qualification process. The Eurovision reference group are believed to be working on a formula to put to the Heads of Delegation in March, which will change the qualification process from 2008 onwards. The new format would involve two semi-finals rather than one and all countries bar the previous year's winner would have to qualify for the final.

The status of the "Big 4" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) is believed to be still under review, as it is unlikely that the BBC or TVE would be keen on the idea of having to go through the qualification process, or more critically giving their primetime Saturday night schedule to a contest in which they wouldn't be participating. However giving four countries an automatic place in the final when everybody else has to qualify will very likely upset other countries.

The two semi-final shows are likely to take place on the same evening (probably the Thursday night before the final) and will use the same venue and stage as the final.

The semi-finalists are likely to be divided by timezone. Countries using the Eastern European timezones (coloured orange and purple on the map on the left) will take part in the first semi-final which would start at 19.00 BST.

Countries in the Central and Western timezones (green and yellow on the map) would take part in the second semi-final starting immediatly afterwards at 21.00 BST.

Some of the countries in the Central European timezone, like the former Yugoslav states, Poland and Hungary may be "moved" to the earlier semi, so equalise the numbers participating in each show. 

Twelve countries will qualify from each semi, or ten if the "big 4" remain outside the qualification process. This change obviously takes the pressure off this year's entrants to finish in the Top 10 in Helsinki, as there is no advantage in terms of the following years qualification.

UPDATE : A month after we broke this story, several other websites are now now catching up with it. The latest information we have is that while the plan has yet to be finalised, one element has been resolved. Irrespective of what format is used from 2008 onwards, the status of "The "Big 4" as automatic finalists, remains as it is today, apparently after there were threats to withdraw if they had to qualify through a semi-final.  

General reaction to the change has been very positive with many emphasising the benefit of the time-zone split, which should ensure a more geographically balanced final. Many people feel that it's the best way of making sure the best songs have an equal chance to get through to the final, and while many feel that having four of of five autmatic qualifying slots effectivly bought by "The Big 4", their participation in the final secures revenue and increases overall viewing figures. 

  GOING TO THE SHOW    

For those Irish fans wishing to go to Helsinki for the 2007 contest, the only currently available option for a direct flight is with Finnair from Dublin to Helsinki. Ryanair fly from Dublin to Tampere, but this is a two hour rail trip from Helsinki. Other options involve transfers through London with several carriers, through Copenhagen with SAS, and through Vilnius in Lithuania, Riga in Latvia or Tallinn in Estonia with various budget airlines. Currently the cheapest option seems to be going through Amsterdam with Aer Lingus and KLM.

The delegate hotels were announced on Januay 24th. You can find information on these hotels, including prices here.  Those wishing to stay close the the arena have a choice of two nearby hotels; The Sokos Helel Pasila and the Holiday Inn. Most hotels in downtown Helsinki are now fully booked although there is still some availability if you're will to spend time looking, and have deep pockets! 

The Helsinki authorities want to use the event to show off the city. The local municipal authority will be in charge of the transport, security, communications and making the city lively under the theme "Hauska kaupunki joka toimii!"(City of fun that works!). There will be about 1,000 delegates, 1,500-2,000 journalists and around 10,000 tourists and fans visiting in May. Away from the Eurovision Song Contest, they need to be  provided with things to do and places to go. The city of Helsinki will be holding a press conference in early February to reveal more about their plans. 

It is already known that there will be 250 volunteers taking care of the delegations which will be spread out over the city centre in twelve different hotels. The city of Helsinki and VR (Finnish railways) are discussing creating a special Eurovision train to take people on the five minute trip from the central station to Hartwall Areena

From the start of May, volunteers will staff information points at the Lasipalatsi Film and Media Centre (left). There will be information on the contest itself and other special tie-in events. One of the events planned is a simultaneous broadcast of the contest semi-final and final at the Bio Rex cinema for those unable to get their hands on tickets for the show. The cinema will also host a number of screenings of other shows that might prove interesting for fans. There will also be a display covering the history of Finnish attempts at Eurovision including it is believed a showing of a full length movie, detailing all of Finland's Eurovision failures.

  LOGO / THEME / SPONSORS    

At the moment, YLE, the Finnish host broadcaster for 2007 is using the standard EBU logo (left) to promote the show, however as with the three previous contests, a specific local logo will also be unveiled in early 2007.

That logo is likely to encapture the the theme of the show which is "True Fantasy".  The theme has been selected to be a base, where designers can go on to create new and unprecedented ideas. According to Executive Producer of the show, Heikki Seppälä, YLE wants to include Finland and the many definitions of Finnishness in the theme. Apparently the opposite ends of Finnish nature and character will be woven into the overall theme. 

The assignment to design the theme was given to a three-man design agency Dog Design The trio have worked together since 1994 and are "offering a wide range of graphic design, illustrations and art direction services from concept to completion". The agency will dress Helsinki up for Eurovision in a way that will be shared by TV viewers everywhere.  The team have came up with the idea of a kaleidoscope in trying to find a way of transforming the true into fantasy. 

The style will be kaleidoscopic plain patterns combined with modern minimalist design and in the typical Nordic way, the visual style is to be functional, beautiful and minimalist. The only visual clues that YLE has preovided so far is in the artwork which will be used to brand the show, an example of which you can see on the left.

In the Finnish press the stage is described as something inspired by Finnish mythology and nature, but nothing more informative is known. So far the only clear statement regarding the Eurovision set is a promise made by design team; "There will be no Moomins, wooden floors or log walls." It's believed that more information will be made available in March.

Like so many international events, sponsorship now plays a big part in the finacing of the Eurovision Song Contest. The first sponsor of the 2007 contest was announced in early December and following the example of the last couple of years, it is a local telecoms company. Sonera is the leading telecoms operator in the Nordic and Baltic regions. The company was formed by a merger of the former state monopoly telecoms of Finland and Sweden and the company now has interests also in the Middle East, Russia and Turkey. As the main sponsor, TeliaSonera has all European events, marketing, media and new media rights. 

The second sponsor, which was announced on January 8th. Nobel Biocare is the world leader in aesthetic dental solutions (that's dentures to most people) and has been a partner of the Eurovision Song Contest since 2005. The company which was founded in Sweden in 1981, has been granted extensive association, event, media and new media rights for the events in Helsinki in 2007. Further sponsors are expected to be announced soon.

  MERCHANDISE    

UPDATE : In early March, the official Eurovision Shop (www.eurovisionshop.com) unveiled the first of the 2007 mechardise. Over the very few weeks, further items will be added.

The official double CD of the contest will contain a record 42 entries this year, and will be available from the website at the end of April. It is believed that the CD will be released in shops in Ireland on April 20th.

The Eurovision fanbook which made its debut last year will also be be available this year, and will have various articles about all the countries competing in Helsinki.

For the fourth successive year, the will be a double DVD of the contest released a few weeks after the event, featuring both the semi-final and final shows, and many people will be delighted top know that apparently this year there will be better additional content, featuring some of the songs being performed back in the native countries etc. 

The CD, DVD and the fanbook are all branded in the official Eurovision design for the Helsinki contest. 

A new novelty has also been added to the Eurovision shop with the arrival of the official boardgame, something tha's bound to keep Eurovision fans entertained during the long winter nights, before the national final season begins again. 

Although now yet featured on the official site, John Kennedy-O'Connor's "Official History" (left) of the contest is be-printed, and featuring a picture of Lordi on the cover, it will cover the events of 2006. This year the book is being printed in paperback and goes on sale on April 2nd. 

  PRESTENTERS / INTERVAL ACT / POSTCARDS    

Given their success after winning the 2006 contest and their high profile locally it is almost inevitable that Lordi will be part of the event and will possibly open the final show but there has been no detailed announcement on the staging or interval act for the 2007 contest. There is a strong rumopur that tis year the voting lines will open as the first song is about to be performed, allowing people to vote as the show progresses, this would not only even out the perceived advantage of performing later in the running order, but may also mean that there is no need for a guest to formally open the voting.

Finland and "Finnishness" will be on display in the 52 postcards under the theme "True Fantasy" as well as the interval acts, as well. The theme has been divided into opposites and contrasts for the semi final, while in the final the focus is on reality and fantasy. YLE started filming the postcards last summer. 

In a special webcast on February 6th, YLE offically announced the names of  the presenters of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, and for a once again the rumour mill proved correct. 

Janna Pelkonen (left) will be the femail presenter in May. 30 year old Janna originally comes from the city of Lahti, just to the north of Helsinki and she is already a familiar face to Finnish Eurovision fans as she was YLE's reporter and commentator in Kyiv in 2005 and in Athens in 2006. She has also worked presented the last two Finnish Eurovision selection shows. Eurovision fans from outside Finland will also be familiar with Janna, if they have been watching this year's Finnish selections as she is the co-host. 

Janna, who had previously worked as a model, worked on radio between 1995 and 1998, before moving to television. She then came to national attention as the presenter of the game show "Tilt" and the entertainment show "FarOut".  Janna is currently working on her thesis in Social Sciences and aims to get her Master's degree in 2007. Janna says that has always followed the Eurovision Song Contest but that she really fell in love with the competition in 2005 when she first co-presented Finland's national selection with Heikki Paasonen. Janna had been the hot favourite to get the position as the female host, but her co-presenter was a more surprising choice.

Mikko Leppilampi (left) was born on the 22nd of September 1978,and is best known as an actor and singer. Having graduated from the Finnish Theatre Academy, Mikko initially gained recognition for his part in the film "Helmiä ja sikoja" in 2003, a role for which he was awarded also the Jussi Award for the best male actor.

Mikko's acting carrer includes six subsequent film roles and the television "Nevada" in 2006. Mikko is a bit of a workaholic and he currently has two films in post production and has also found time to fit in a recording career. So far he has been known mostly for his performances on film soundtracks, but in 2006 he released his debut solo album. The first single was featured as a theme song in the film "Saippuaprinssi" (Soap) in which he also starred. If that wasn't enough, he has also appeared in the Finnish version of the musical "Hairspray".

Away from the entertainment industry, Mikko married Emilia Vuorisalmi on August 19th, 2006. The wedding which was a glamous affair which received extensive coverage in the Finnish media.

While Mikko is well known in Finland, his selection as the co-host of the Eurovision Song Contest came as a surprise to many who thought that a more experienced television presenter would get the role. However for the second successive year, Eurovision will be presented by a male singer and a female with extensive television experience. One can only hope that it will be just as "amazing" a show as it was in Athens.

The names of those behind the cameras have also been announced. The director will be Timo Suomi of YLE, who will choose the final feed going out from over 20 cameras at the Hartwall Arena in May. Timo Suomi has directed and produced many of the biggest music shows and concerts in Finland and has specialized in outside broadcasting in recent years. He has directed the Finnish national finals for the past few years and also Lordi’s Market Square Massacre last May in Helsinki. Those that saw the camera work in last year's Finnish selection might be a little surprised by the choice.

Kari Salmi who has 33 years of experience will work alongside Suomi planning and selecting the camera shots while Mikki Kunttu will be in charge of lighting. He has won international awards for his work, and is experienced in the areas of dance, popular music, opera, television and arts. His work has been seen all over the world and he has worked closely with renowned Finnish choreographer Tero Saarinen.

As yet no names have yet been identified as potential interval acts, although it is believed that another conceptual piece incorporating the Eurovision theme and local flavour is likely to be favoured by YLE. There is also no news as to the celebrity that will begin the voting period. 

  TIMETABLE & INFRASTRUCTURE    

While earlier rumours suggested that the expansion of the contest might lead to an extentended reheasal schedule (six rather than four days of semi-final rehearsals), it is believed that the schedule shall be roughly the same as operated in Kyiv and Athens. This will mean a timetable looking something like this;

 Dates for the welcome reception and other social events have yet to be announced. 

As with the venue in Athens, it is believed that the press centre will be contained within the same complex as the stage area, making it easy to report live from the rehearsals and press conferences.

A Helsinki landmark was been agreed as the venue for this year's Euroclub. The Old Student House (left) has a central location making it ideal venue for the Euroclub for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. It is close to the hotels booked for delegates and the  short distances will make moving around during the week much easier.

The Euroclub at The Old Student House is the official hangout for Eurovision participants and guests, in which the different countries will hold their own PR events during the finals week. After Parties will also be given in the Euroclub following the semi-finals and finals. The Old Student House is planning to use both the upper and cellar restaurants for the event, because over one thousand delegates and media representatives are expected to attend.

While the Euroclub will host the after-show and most of the delegation parties, the Welcome Reception will be held at the Finlandia Hall on the evening of Monday May 7th. The Finlandia Hall was designed by local architect Alvar Aalto and was built between 1967-71 with the congress wing being added in 1973-75.

The Finlandia Hall is Helsinki's leading concert and congress centre and would have been an ideal vEurovision venue, in a previous era. It is conveniently located in the park beside Töölö Bay and includes facilities for concerts, conferences and exhibitions and is equally suitable for symphony concerts and light entertainment, international congresses and small meetings. This will be the first indoor Welcome Reception since Riga in 2003 and with 42 delegations, is bound to be a memorable event.

The press center will be built outside Hartwall Areena in a tent, similar to the arrangement which was used in Kyiv and Istanbul, while the dressing rooms will be located in the hall that usually houses the training ice ring inside of the arena. The building the stage and conversion of the auditorium will start in the Hartwall Areena on April 17 at the latest. Those that have visited the arena, and have compared it with the OAKA arena in Athens, used in 2006, say that the backstage area and especially the dressing rooms, are considerably smaller in Helsinki.  

Accreditation for the event opened on January 23rd. You can register for accreditation on the official Eurovision website. As per previous years all accrediations will have to be approved by the national broadcaster. After the submission, each country’s national broadcaster’s Head of Delegation or Head of Press decides whether interested parties will receive accreditation and whether it will be P1 or P2. It is also believed, that as in previous years, there will be a limited number of fan accreditations. The final deadline for the submission of the applications is April 13th.

  THE PARTICIPANTS    

The E.B.U. has decided to re-write its own rulebook and allow 42 countries to compete in Helsinki. This will mean that there will be 28 songs in contention for the 10 places in the final. The provisional list of entrants was published on December 2nd. This list established the budgets for potential entrants. These budgets are primarily based on the relative wealth of each country. Once the budgets were approved by the national broadcastors in each country the official list of competitors was released in early January. Monaco announced that it will not be taking part, due to its broadcster's stated belief that qualification would be very difficult.

The draw for the running order of both the semi-final and final, will be made in Helsinki on March 12th, and will be broadcast live on Finnish television. It is believed that the draw will also be shown live on the internet, but that has yet to be cobnfirmed.

Countries have until March 11th to submit their entries, and once again it looks like Sweden will be the last country to choose its entry, with their national final on Match 10th.

If you are looking for a timetable for the national selections, there is an excellent one on the re-vamped version of the EBU's official Eurovision website. For more information on the national finals, then visit the excellent Eurovision National Finals site.