This Friday and Saturday, the Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest will meet NRK organisers in Oslo to look into the preparations for Europe's favourite TV-show. On Friday, the contest's governing body will attend the Host City Insignia Exchange at the Bærum Kulturhus, followed by a press conference to reveal the theme art of the event.

During the Semi-Finals and Final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, you will hear that famous sentence "Europe, start voting now!" a bit earlier, as you will be able to cast your votes by telephone and/or SMS during the entire show, instead of for just 15 minutes. From the start of the first song until 15 minutes after the end of the last song performed, votes can be cast. The Reference Group of the contest decided that.

After the introduction of professional juries in the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year, it was decided by the contest's Reference Group that music industry professionals will also get a 50 percent stake in the outcome of the Semi-Finals.

The governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, the Reference Group, is having its first meeting in next year's Host City, Oslo. The group meets today and tomorrow, and has a busy agenda! Eurovision.tv gives you an insight.

Spanish broadcaster TVE worked out a detailed promotion plan, including the broadcast of several programmes to promote the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. For scheduling purposes, TVE requested the Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest to be allowed to broadcast live and vote in the second Semi-Final, instead of in the first. The group approved TVE's request.