When I first started my internship at the public relations department at The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia in February, one of the events my entire office was already buzzing about was the Europe Day concert. This was an annual event in the 1990s where the ministry would host a concert on its rooftop to celebrate the unity and freedom of people living in Europe. The idea was revived in 2022 so, naturally, it was hosted again this year with three new artists: Estonia’s very own Stefan and Tanel Padar who would be joined by the 2022 Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine. Since our department is small and only two people were actively organizing this large event, I was brought on board.
Firstly, we needed to find an organizer. To stray from corruption charges, the ministry needs to accept three offers from external partners based on our input request. We are obligated always to pick the cheapest option.
Our first hurdle presented itself only days later. We were informed that the city government would not let us hold the concert at the ministry so a new venue was needed. We settled on the Freedom Square as it was spacious and close by. At this point, we had also been informed that the co-funders – the city of Tallinn and the European Commission’s office in Estonia – wanted their own booths so a bigger venue was a plus.
The days before the concert were hectic. We had been cracking up promotions and I had spent an entire day running around Tallinn putting up posters. The national public broadcasting channel was also set to stream the event so they aided us with further promotion.
The morning of the concert was relatively uneventful. I went to the office and eventually went to the soundcheck where Kalush was already warming up their voices. As my colleague had to stay at the square to make sure everything was working smoothly, I joined Kalush Orchestra for lunch. By noon, I found myself at the same table in a fancy restaurant with the reigning Eurovision winners, their team, and the Estonian ambassador to Ukraine. The reason for my presence was that I needed to make sure the band was at a Ukrainian school by 14.00. They were set to meet Ukrainian refugee kids. Luckily, we made it. After the meet & greet, we went on a short tour of the Old Town before leaving Kalush be. We were joined by a proper tour guide I had booked two days prior and also reporters from the tabloid Elu24.
But my adventures with Kalush Orchestra were not over. It was my task to get our jetlagged guests to the venue. I spent 45 minutes sitting in the hotel lobby until the boys arrived – on time and ready to perform. Once we arrived back at the square, we were greeted by 10 000 screaming fans. Before Kalush went on stage, I briefly got to run their merch booth as their manager checked up on them backstage. After this short detour, I was finally ready to enjoy the concert.
After seeing their faces post-performance, I could tell that they had a great time, and so did I. We had achieved something great together. The next day, I bid the boys farewell at their hotel where me and a colleague had gone to hand them some complimentary chocolates. Two of the members gave me custom stickers and one handed me a marzipan bar. Safe to say, they liked us too!
