It’s time to meet the team behind Eurovision 2018!

Salvador Sobral brought Portugal its first Eurovision Song Contest victory in 2017 with Amar Pelos Dois and gave the country the chance to host the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. The planning for the 2018 competition began that night, immediately after Portugal's victory in Kyiv. In the first weeks the core team behind Eurovision 2018 was assembled.

With just a few weeks to go until 43 delegations from around Europe and the world descend upon Lisbon, João Nuno Nogueira, Executive Producer of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest has a mesage: 

"... as long as we have winds and oceans, we shall not stop. Once upon a time, the Portuguese Navigators discovered the World. Now it is time for the World to discover Portugal. The gateway remains very much the same, then as now, Lisbon, where it all happens in the coming month of May. On behalf of the city of Lisbon, of RTP, and, on the behalf of the EUROVSION SONG CONTEST 2018 production team, allow me to welcome all Broadcasters, the Navigators of a new modernity."

Host Broadcaster RTP's team for 2018 brings together fresh ideas and new perspectives to the Eurovision Song Contest as well as experienced professionals who worked on previous editions of the competition. 

Meet the core team in 2018

• Executive Producer – João Nuno Nogueira (Ultimately responsible for the entire show and executive contact within RTP and the EBU as well as the project's leader)
• Deputy Executive Producer / TV Producer – Paulo Resende (Leads the project production team)
• Deputy Executive Producer / Show Producer – Carla Bugalho (Head of Delegation for Portugal in Vienna 2015 and Kyivv 2017. Responsible for the television event and all the content of the shows)
• Head of Events and Logistics – Maria Ferreira (Responsible for the events around the Eurovision Song Contest as well as all issues related to logistics)
• Heads of Production – Ola Melzig and Tobias Åberg (Ola was Head of Production in Kyiv 2017, he has been involved in Eurovision since 2000. Tobias was Head of Production in Stockholm 2016). Both are responsible for the technical structure and implementation of the contest and the shows.
• Line Producer – Luís Filipe Vieira (Responsible for budget management)
• Head of Security – Alexandre Coimbra (Intendant of PSP, Public Security Police)
• Head of Accreditation – José Pinto da Fonseca (International Production Team at RTP)
• Commercial Manager – Cristina Viegas (Head of Commercial department at RTP)
• Head of Marketing and Communication – Marina Ramos (Head of Marketing and Communication at RTP. Responsible for Communication and Marketing of the event)
• Head of Press – Ana Loureiro (Media Partnerships at RTP. Responsible for Press)

The creative team for 2018

• Creative Manager – Gonçalo Madaíl (Deputy Head of Programs at RTP and responsible for national selection Festival da Canção)
• Art Director – Nicolau Tudela (Art Director at RTP)
• Set Designer – Florian Wieder (Designed the stage for Dusseldorf 2011, Baku 2012, Vienna 2015 and Kyiv 2017)

• Lighting Designer – Jerry Appelt (Responsible for light design in Düsseldorf 2011, Baku 2012 and Kyiv 2017)
• Senior Multicamera Director – Troels Lund (Multicamera director in Kyiv 2017)
• Multicamera Directors – Paula Macedo and Pedro Miguel Martins (Multicamera directors at RTP)
• Contest Producer – Christer Björkman (Show Producer for Malmö 2013, Contest Producer for Stockholm 2016 and Kyiv 2017. Producer of Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s national selection)
• Viewing Room Director – Mattias Carlsson (Viewing Room Manager for Stockholm 2016)
• Stage Directors – Marvin Dietmann and Martin Kagemark (Stage directors for Kyiv 2017)
• Script Supervisor – Nuno Galopim (Creative Team at RTP)   

Carla Bugalho, Deputy Executive Producer and Show Producer said: "Having Eurovision in Portugal for the first time is a real thrill and we hope everybody enjoys it as much as us." We caught up with Carla in summer 2017 when the planning for the 2018 contest was well underway:

An international team for 2018

Whilst 70% of the team working on the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest come from Portugal, there are people from more than 12 countries working on the event in Lisbon including Ukraine, Belgium, Sweden and USA. The 2018 edition of Eurovision Song Contest will have more than 700 people working on it including the essential work from more than 400 volunteers.   

Next week Lisbon will welcome the Heads of Delegation from all 43 participating countries. The annual gathering in the Host City is a major milestone in the planning of the Eurovision Song Contest.