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EBU to hold Eurovision conference

03 February 2015 at 13:12 CET

A very special conference called the Eurovision Song Contest: 60th Anniversary Conference will be held on the 24th of April, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 195 Piccadilly, London.

The EBU event will explore the impact the Song Contest has had on the European public sphere over the last six decades. Academics who have studied the power of the Song Contest, together with commentators and past performers will examine how the contest has been used as a platform of expression for diverse communities, to create national and European identities and as a tool for nation branding.

Austrian winner, Conchita Wurst, will be present to describe how her life has changed since winning the Contest.

"The EBU is immensely proud of the Eurovision Song Contest and the impact it has had in the last 60 years,” said EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre. “This is truly an event that builds bridges between nations and encapsulates the values of Public Service Media. In this anniversary year it is with pride that we look back at how the contest has influenced the public sphere in Europe and look forward to the event remaining a huge part of the European cultural landscape for many more years to come.”

Video Vignettes & microsite

In addition to the conference, the EBU is also producing, in collaboration with the Swiss Member SSR SRG, a series of video vignettes entitled Eurovision Milestones that will look at key moments in the 60-year history of the Song Contest including the four-way tie of 1969, the expansion of the contest to Eastern Europe in the 1990s and the introduction of Semi-Finals in 2004. The vignettes are being made available to EBU Members for broadcast around the Vienna competition in May.

In addition, a special microsite detailing the history of the world’s biggest musical competition year-by-year will soon be launching at 60th.eurovision.tv.