Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government

GENERAL

1. A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will be held on Thursday 25 May 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General and will be preceded by the unveiling of two artefacts and by a ceremony marking the handover of the new NATO Headquarters from the Belgian Ministry of Defence.
2. This first media advisory is intended chiefly to provide information about accreditation. A second media advisory released early to mid-May will provide information on a broader array of media-related topics.
3. The Meeting will take place at the new NATO Headquarters.
4. A filing center will open on site of the current NATO Headquarters on 24 May 2017 at 09h00 and remain open until 26 May 2017 at 13h local time. The Media Centre is located at Avenue du Bourget, 42, 1130 Brussels. Latitude: 50.877827; Longitude: 4.429861. A separate entrance for media may be introduced during certain hours to facilitate movements, details of which would be provided in a second advisory.
5. All updates will be posted on the NATO website: www.nato.int. You can also follow us on twitter @NATOPress.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

6. Applications for accreditation must be made online by clicking on the following link: https://my.hq.nato.int/.
7. Applications for accreditation must be submitted online before 18h00 (Brussels time) on 11 May 2017. Questions can be directed to natoaccreditations@hq.nato.int.
8. Opening hours:

Entrance between 24 May 22h and 25 May 7h will be via main site entrance only, and for pedestrians only

9. A specific media pass will be delivered to all accredited media. The 2017 NATO permanent pass will NOT authorize access to the Headquarters during the Meeting.
10. Late applications will be treated on a case by case basis and, due to security constraints, will be limited to a strict minimum. They may be unsuccessful.
11. Media passes will not be mailed to applicants and will be delivered up in person upon presentation of a valid photo identification and a valid national press card (or accreditation letter from a recognised media organisation).
12. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site and are advised to arrive with sufficient lead time to clear security checks.
13. In accordance with NATO media accreditation procedures, NATO reserves the right to deny or withdraw accreditation of media representatives from media organizations who abuse the privileges or put the accreditation to improper use or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the organization. Accreditation requests introduced after 11 May may also be rejected outright.

THE MEDIA PROGRAMME

14. The official programme is expected to start in the afternoon of 25th May and end late evening the same day. All media access to the new NATO HQ will be escorted. A handbook detailing pool positions and timings will be available to accredited media.
15. There will be one working session, preceded by an unveiling event, an official portrait, a walkthrough of the new NATO HQ and a handover ceremony concluded by an aerial fly-pass. The unveiling ceremony, the official portrait and the handover ceremony will be open to a group of escorted media. These events will be retransmitted live to the media centre, on satellite and on the NATO website.
16. Leaders will arrive to the new NATO HQ as from 14h30 onwards. Delegations can be contacted directly for details.
17. A media programme will be provided to accredited media on location, and main elements of it will be uploaded on the NATO website closer to the date.
18. Bilateral events between delegations may be scheduled earlier in the day on 25 May. Delegations can be contacted directly for details.

THE MEDIA CENTRE

19. More information about access will be provided in due course.
20. The Media Centre will include a filing area for 1100 workspaces, a broadcast centre with 60 Television and Radio editing booths, 20 outdoors stand up positions with a view to the new NATO HQ, briefing space for delegations press conferences, a catering area and a parking for satellite trucks.
21. Connectivity:
    1. Wi-fi: Wifi will be available to accredited media at the media centre. Pool positions at the new NATO Headquarters will have some cell phone connectivity and, in some cases, wi-fi as well.
22. Access by Satellite and SNG Trucks
    1. Duly accredited media representatives can bring in bulky equipment as from 22 May and not later than 24 May at 17h.
    2. Sat van accessibility and security procedures need to be completed on 22, 23 or 24 May before 17h. Arrivals need to be announced by contacting the TV/Radio office here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.

HOST BROADCASTER & NATO CHANNEL TELEVISION

23. NATO’s Host Broadcast operations will deliver a high quality HD/SDI signal to the media centre for all media events on 25 May, free of charge. The feed will be available in the media centre without added graphics or text inserts. The live programme signal will also be aired on Closed Circuit TV screens throughout the media centre (headsets available for audio language selection) and via NATO Website.
24. The Primary feed will carry all live events, the delayed replay of any simultaneous event, NATO feature video content and cable television.
25. NATO will provide live and delayed transmission via satellite and online streaming of all media events.
26. NATO Channel television will be the repository for all NATO video footage, and can be contacted at content@natochannel.tv.
27. NATO will also seek to air the signal of any related events off site taking place in Belgium that day.

TELEVISION & RADIO INCLUDING EBU SUPPORT

28. The Media Centre includes 45 editing booths for television and 15 for radio crews.  Each booth is equipped for 3 people with closed circuit television (including internet tv), wired internet, wifi, telephone line, primary feed (BNC termination) switched permanently to the programme signal, and an ISDN line (for radio booths). The format of the programme signal will be as origin, HD1080/50i with embedded audio & translation channels.
29. EBU/Eurovision is a long-standing partner of NATO and stands ready to support television and radio operators with high-end broadcast services at commercial rates. Broadcasters and radio operators who require a secondary switchable signal (secondary live feeds, national briefings, replays) and / or who require a down-converted SD/SDI version of all host signals need to book a matrix router panel from Eurovision. Eurovision will also provide comprehensive broadcast facilities for its television clients, including live stand-up positions for live programme inserts, tape play out in multiple formats, tailor made production and transmission packages and multi-signal distribution of Host TV video and audio signals.
30. Reservation of editing booths on a first-come first serve basis can be done at no cost via EBU/Eurovision here: newsoperations@eurovision.net. NATO reserves the right to arbitrate between competing requests on the basis of reach and balance.
31. Cables connecting reserved editing booths to own satellite vans must be done by the network concerned no later than 8 a.m. on 25 May. Satellite vans will have access to electrical power. Prior notification of cabling plans and schedule must be made in writing no later than 15 May here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.
32. TV operations and workspace bookings:
    
    Eurovision Special Events
    Tel: +41 22 717 2840
    newsoperations@eurovision.net
    
    TV producer:  Dounia Wolteche
    Mob. +32 474 673 911
    
    CLICK HERE to view the Eurovision Special Events webpage for this NATO meeting.
    
    
33. RADIO operations and workspace bookings:
    
    EBU Radio Ops
    Tel: +41 79 230 1508
    Radio-Ops@ebu.ch
    Radio Producer: Julia Lonicer
    Mob. +41 79 230 1508
    
    CLICK HERE to view the EBU Radio Ops webpage for this NATO Meeting.

STAND-UP POSITIONS & TELEVISION STUDIO

34. Twenty outdoor stand-up positions will be available for television, within the SNG truck parking lot and with a direct line of sight to the new HQ building. These positions need to be reserved in one of two ways.
35. Broadcasters who can make the case for continuous live coverage from NATO will want to book a dedicated space equipped only with power and covered in case of inclement weather. Contact NATO here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.
36. Broadcasters who expect to require shorter time slots for live pieces to camera can book fully equipped space at commercial rates via Eurovision (newsoperations@eurovision.net) or APTN (bookings@ap.org).
37. Broadcasters who need to park SNG vehicles will be given access to the open-sky car park at the media centre, located close to the edit booths and the stand up positions. Electricity supply system (power generator) will be in place; TV teams should bring their own cables to connect themselves to the electric network. Prior notice of arrival and space needs must be made in writing here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.  
38. A fully equipped TV studio wired for live transmission is also available. Bookings can be made here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.

PRESS CONFERENCES

39. Press conference facilities will be located inside the current NATO Headquarters and will be available for reservations by Delegations. Information about press conferences will be published on closed circuit television screens throughout the media centre.

VISAS

40. All journalists requiring visas for Belgium will be responsible for ensuring that they have the appropriate visa to enter the country. Media are advised to request accreditation without waiting for a valid visa, and to apply for such a visa in in good time. More information on the webpage of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here: http://bit.ly/2nNhEYn

ACCOMMODATION & CATERING

41. Media must make their own accommodation arrangements in Brussels.
42. Aramark will provide different catering options at commercial rates for media representatives throughout the opening hours of the media centre.

Various

43. The Host Nation Belgium will organise a dinner reception for journalists, Wednesday, May 24th, at the Residence Palace. Please note that further information on logistical and organizational details will follow.

CONTACT INFORMATION

NATO Media Coordinator
Mr. Damien Arnaud

General Queries & requests for interviews of NATO SG: moc@hq.nato.int
Queries on accreditation: natoaccreditations@hq.nato.int
Queries on logistics : natosummitmediaqueries@hq.nato.int

Host Broadcaster : info@videohouse.be       
Eurovision : newsoperations@eurovision.net