THE NETHERLANDS – “The MECC is a good, fantastic location with many possibilities. You could create a great festival here.” said Sietse Bakker, head of producer Events at NPO on Wednesday after a visit by the NPO, AVROTROS and NOS song festival committee to the convention center in Maastricht.
“In terms of height, width and depth, the room in the MECC is reminiscent of that in Kiev and Tel Aviv,” said Bakker. According to him, Rotterdam and Maastricht both presented a strong story. “That makes it challenging.” Rotterdam and Maastricht are the two remaining cities that have the chance to organize the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020.
“They really want to be here in Maastricht. In both cities we look at the suitability of the location, what the city itself contributes and which accommodations are available. Rotterdam and Maastricht both meet these three points” said Bakker.
On Thursday the selection committee will visit the Ahoy in Rotterdam. Bakker expects to make the decision in mid-August.
MECC director Rob van de Wiel said he had a positive feeling about the visit. “We had a wonderful meeting,” he said.
