CONTEXT
The 2009 G8 Summit was held in the earthquake-ravaged Italian city of L’Aquila. The annual meeting of the heads of state and government of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the President of the European Council focused on solutions to the global economic and financial crisis.

The Summit was originally scheduled to take place on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi felt the funds committed for staging the event would be better used to help rebuild L’Aquila, the scene of a quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale in April. The other G8 members agreed to the change of venue and supported Berlusconi’s plan despite concerns about logistics and security.

PARTNERS
The Summit meeting took place in the Guardia di Finanza Non-Commissioned Officers’ School. The venue was less than glamorous. According to Lance Newhart, Eurovision’s Deputy Head of Special Events and Projects, Eurovision’s TV workspaces were actually built on top of a converted swimming pool. “It was obviously a
logistical challenge and what the organizers had to do was to take an existing facility — a school campus — and somehow turn it into a media centre.”

Eurovision News Operations worked closely with host broadcaster RAI. Our activities ranged from distributing RAI’s pool coverage to approximately 80 workspaces and setting up unilaterals, to providing uplink and production facilities to the world’s media. Eurovision also worked closely with Protezione Civile, Italy’s Civil Protection Department. Since the earthquake, the latter has been responsible for coordinating emergency work in L’Aquila. Given the extremely difficult physical conditions of life in L’Aquila, this partnership was a critical component of Eurovision’s set-up.

OPERATION
> 12 simultaneous outgoing paths for unilateral transmissions
> Eight simultaneous stand-up positions
> Three onsite uplinks (two flyaway antennas and one SNG)
> Distribution to approximately 80 TV workspaces
> Ability to feed any of the pool material live to the workspaces

RESULT
The operation went smoothly. Eurovision was able to deliver a uniform, professional level of service and to assist broadcasters with transmissions, live shots and last-minute bookings.

The event required tremendous creativity and flexibility. Eurovision needed a full contingency plan for moving to Rome in the event of another major tremor. In addition, there were logistical difficulties, such as finding accommodation for crew in an earthquake-hit region. Initially, Eurovision’s team was housed 90 minutes’ drive away from L’Aquila. Eventually, through perseverance and ingenuity, we managed to find small ‘Bed and Breakfasts’ and even an old school dormitory, allowing us to be closer to town and more available to broadcasters throughout the days and nights.

“When we first got there to do the set-up, we were staying way out of town and as often happens during set-up days we were working under really difficult conditions: no food, no catering, no soap, not even any toilet paper! Finally, on the day before the Summit opened, we got food, we got soap, we got toilet paper and life got a whole lot better. We said to ourselves, ‘Okay, now this feels like a real operation!’ And I’m happy to report we did an excellent job for our clients and members.”
— Lance Newhart, Deputy Head of Special Events and Projects

“As is often the case, Italians seem to rise to the challenge and work better under ‘emergency’ conditions.

“With teams working around the clock, the spartan venue was transformed in the few weeks available. Blame it on the good and plentiful food and wine served up by the catering, but by mid-afternoon journalists and TV crews could be spotted feet up (sleeping?) on the wicker armchairs and sofas dotted around the grassy stretches that had been spirited up around the compound overnight by zealous staff, transforming the media centre into a country
club of sorts.

“In a first, the G8 and the media centre were shoulder-to-shoulder in the same venue. Members of the 3,500-strong press corps worked just meters away from the G8 summit conference halls. Enthusiastic reporters and photographers eagerly cheered as some of the more popular leaders - US President Barack Obama or President Lula of Brazil - emerged from their press briefings.

“Working in an earthquake zone presented its challenges: Initially, the crew didn’t want to stay too close to L’Aquila, both for the aftershocks (there was a 4.6 tremor on the Richter scale on July 3, as we arrived for the set-up) and for the unavailability of standard hotel accommodation. After experiencing the difficulty of the long trek to the media centre, everyone decided to stay close by in the B&B
accommodation we had booked.”
— Elena Pinardi, Eurovision Rome