A total number of 400 volunteers are  being recruited in Malmö ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2013. The organisers are expecting over 40 delegations and up to 3000 journalists, as well as thousands of visitors from Sweden, Denmark and Europe to attend the events, that will take place over almost two weeks, culminating in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Malmö Arena on 18 May 2013. The tourist bosses estimate that this will be the biggest event ever in Malmö City’s history.

Malmö City and Region Skåne (Scania) tourist bosses say they will be spending around 20 million Swedish Krone (ca. 2.3 million Euro) for various Eurovision related events. We have a habit of dressing up the city for our big events, says Malmö Tourist Director Johan Hermansson to Nytt från Öresund. We may even have a surprise lined up, he hints. He thinks that 20 million SEK is not a high price to pay to put Malmö and Skåne region on the map. How many of us knew anything about Baku this time last year, he asks.

Malmö City has also calculated, that the Eurovision Song Contest will be the biggest event ever hosted in the city. The whole event is expected to bring between 170 and 200 million Swedish Krone (19 to 23 million Euro) in revenue. The whole effect won’t be clear until after the event. At the same time the whole region will want to benefit from having so many visitors, says PR chief Sara Brynskog from Tourism in Skåne. We have already received inquiries from foreign journalists, who want to write travel reports covering the whole region, she concludes.

One important aspect of a successful big event like the Eurovision Song Contest is the input from volunteers. In Malmö the organisers want to recruit 400 volunteers, that will be the personal hosts for the different delegations. They will all be helped in their own languages to find their way in Malmö within their tight schedules, says Project Manager Karin Karlsson to Nytt från Öresund. In return for their input the volunteers get access to the various events during Eurovision weeks. Malmö Arena is also going to be using their own army of volunteers during the events.

In the agreement between the host broadcaster SVT and Malmö City and Region Skåne the responsibilities have been divided. SVT will be responsible for the TV event while the local authorities will organise all other events in connection to the events, like looking after the contest visitors, delegations and journalists and their program.

Source: Nytt från Öresund