Ungerboeck Powers Eurovision Song Contest 2021 at Rotterdam Ahoy

The Challenge

After deciding to bring back the contest no matter what, event organizers had a tough choice: Host the show as usual in a packed venue with thousands in attendance, go completely virtual, or hold an onsite but scaled-down version with social distancing measures in place. Ultimately, the third option won out.

Rotterdam Ahoy was chosen as the host venue, which proved to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, hosting the contest was a big deal that put both the arena and Holland in the world spotlight. But on the other, the Rotterdam Ahoy team now had to figure out the unique logistics of holding the multi-week mega event featuring acts from 39 different countries with brand-new protocols in place.

Monique de Wolf-van der Werff, Account Manager for Rotterdam Ahoy, explains: “It was eight weeks, from the buildup to the breakdown. Then you had technical rehearsals and rehearsals for the show. So, you have two rehearsals and one live show, two semifinals, and one final. Each show is three times. Those eight weeks were very intense.”

A limited venue staff that was out of practice thanks to Holland’s nationwide pause on events made it even harder to pull off.

“We hadn't done anything for a year, so we were a bit rusty and in slow motion when we started,” de Wolf-van der Werff said.

The Solution

Ungerboeck’s digital solutions were crucial to organizing the logistics of the contest and streamlining the entire process for Rotterdam Ahoy.

“The booking calendar is like our backbone of this company,” said de Wolf-van der Werff. “We can get a clear overview of what’s happening where and when. We use functions, service orders, and scripting that we enter in Ungerboeck so that everything is in there. Our department, which organizes trade shows and events, also uses floor planning. It's everything you need.”

Venue teams were also able to share information within the system. Because the contest was such a huge event with so much to remember, the communication help from the Ungerboeck system was “lifesaving.”

“Like I said, we were like a bit rusty in the beginning, but it definitely got easier,” said de Wolf-van der Werff. “We are so proud that we have been able to host this event in this difficult time.”

The Results

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was a giant success seen by 183 million viewers across 36 global markets. The finale drew 4% more TV viewers than the 2019 contest. Online engagement was also a huge factor, driving a large part of the overall audience numbers. During the weeklong contest, over 50 million people in 234 countries tuned into the official YouTube channel, an increase of 28% over 2019.

The Rotterdam Ahoy team plans to take its partnership with Ungerboeck even further as restrictions in Holland ease and more large-scale events can take place. When staff can once again hold the big, blowout events the venue was designed for, they’ll look to Ungerboeck for inventory management, currently on target for October 1.

“We want to open, and we want to show people what we can do,” de Wolf-van der Werff said. “And it’s the same for our events, colleagues, and competition. We're in it together.”