| 9 |  United Kingdomescyr|1960
Special events| Country | City | Venue | Event | Occasion | Year | |  Norway
Hosting traditions and exceptionsThe tradition of the winning broadcaster hosting the following year's event was established in. A number of exceptions to this rule have occurred since, typically when the winning broadcaster had already hosted the event in the recent past. These exceptions are listed below:
With 's invitation to participate in the contest in, it was announced that should it win the contest, Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service would co-host the following year's contest in a European city in collaboration with an EBU member broadcaster of its choice.
Host city insigniaThe host city insignia is a rotating trophy awarded to cities hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, proposed jointly by the city of Helsinki, the Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio and the EBU in conjunction with the, and was used annually until.
The insignia takes the form of a large key ring to which the host cities can attach their city key or other symbol representing the city. The insignia exchange usually takes place in conjunction with the semi-final allocation draw. The insignia is then traditionally put on display in a public place, such as the city hall or another venue of local significance, for the remainder of the year. The insignia's concept and fob were designed by the Anteeksi group, while the key ring was designed by jewellery designer Taru Tonder. Hand-engraved on the ring are the following texts: "Eurovision Song Contest Host City", all host cities up until 2006, and a "Helsinki 2007" stamp with the initials of the insignia designers. Additionally, the fob has a picture of the Helsinki Senate Square attached to the ring.
From 2025 onwards, the host city handover is symbolised by a "friendship gift" from the preceding host city to its successor, which stays permanently in each city.
Semi-final allocation drawing venueSince the introduction of the two semi-finals system in, a draw has been held to determine in which semi-final a country would participate, as well as in which semi-final a country would vote in. Each year, either five or six countries are exempt from the drawing for competing in the semi-finals: the "Big Five" and the host country, if the host is not one of the "Big Five". In, the number of countries exempt was seven, as Australia joined the other six exempt countries as a special guest contestant.
Regardless if a country is exempt from competing in the semi-finals, all participating countries are allotted a semi-final in which to vote.
Running order drawing venuePreviously, the running order was determined at a dedicated event. This has been made redundant following the implementation of producer-created running orders in.
An official opening ceremony with a red carpet procession has been held since 2009 at a venue in the host city. Prior to that, a welcome reception was typically held for all participating artists and hosted by the mayor of the host city.
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