NATO Leaders Meeting - Updated media advisory

GENERAL

1. The United Kingdom will host NATO Heads of State and Government in London, on 3-4 December 2019.
2. The NATO Leaders Meeting, chaired by the NATO Secretary General, will take place at the Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire on 4 December 2019. An evening event at Buckingham Palace will take place on 3 December 2019, for which there will be a separate process for media access.
3. An International Media Centre, with print, broadcast and online facilities, will be established within the security perimeter of the meeting venue. Accredited media representatives and official delegates will have access to the media centre from 3 December at 12:00 until 4 December at 23:00.
4. Access to accredited media will be granted exclusively via the Media Accreditation Office in Watford (see further details below).
5. All updates will be posted on the NATO website: www.nato.int.
6. You can also follow us on twitter @NATOPress and @NATO. The UK Government will also be posting relevant information about the meeting on @foreignoffice and @defenceHQ.

MEDIA PROGRAMME (all times are provisional and subject to change)

7. The official programme on 4 December will take place at the Grove Hotel.
8. The Secretary General will hold a doorstep at around 07:30. Arrivals are expected to start immediately after.
9. An official greeting by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is scheduled to start shortly after 09:00, followed by a family photo.
10. A working session of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government is scheduled to start at 10:00 and last until 13:00.
11. The Secretary General will hold a press conference at 13:30. All times are local (GMT).
12. On 3 December Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will host a reception at Buckingham Palace for NATO Leaders to mark 70 years of the NATO Alliance.
13. On 3 December, NATO's official outreach event titled 'NATO Engages: Innovating the Alliance' will take place in central London. The NATO Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and other leaders are expected to speak. More details are available in paragraphs 51-54 below and at https://nato-engages.org/.
14. Information about coverage of events on 3 December should be sought with the organizers.

MEDIA COVERAGE AND POOLS

15. Access to some media events will be reserved to media pool card holders. Pool sizes will be limited. The pools include:
    1. Arrivals
    2. Handshake / Family Photo
    3. Opening Remarks of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council
16. The NATO Media Coordinator will distribute these pool cards to each national delegation (and not to media directly), and it is the delegation's responsibility to distribute pool cards to media from their country. Delegation press officers' contact information will be available at the Pools Desk within the International Media Centre.
17. For media from countries not participating at the NATO Leaders' Meeting, please contact the NATO Press Office at the Media Centre Information Desk at 16:00 on 3 December.
18. The main media events taking place at the Grove will be transmitted live by the Host Broadcaster to the International Media Centre, online on www.nato.int and via satellite. Broadcast quality B-roll will be available on the NATO Multimedia portal (www.natomultimedia.tv), please register for access.
19. Bilateral events between delegations are not part of the official programme, but they may include a media component. Details of these bilateral events should be sought from the delegations concerned.
20. The Secretary General's press conference is open to all accredited media. National press conferences will be announced via CCTV screens and / or by the delegations concerned.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

21. Accredited Media representatives can pick up their accreditation at one of the two locations listed below.
22. Media passes should be collected in person upon presentation of a valid National Identification document (Passport, Driving Licence or ID-card) and a valid national press card (or accreditation letter from a recognised media organisation). Media are also requested to bring a print-out of their accreditation confirmation email when collecting their media pass.
23. Applications for accreditation are now closed. The deadline for accreditation requests was 12 November 23:59 GMT. Questions can be directed to NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int (for non-UK nationals) or newsdesk@fco.gov.uk (for UK nationals).
    
    For security reasons, late applications will be strictly limited and may be unsuccessful. Requests for accreditation at the Media Accreditation Office will not be possible.
24. Confirmation of accreditation is received via email. To verify that your application has been successfully submitted, please log in to your profile and click on Update Your Event Attendance. The event tick box should appear as checked (Instructions in Annex 1).
25. In accordance with NATO media accreditation procedures, NATO reserves the right to deny or withdraw the accreditation of media representatives who abuse their privileges, put the accreditation to improper use, or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the organisation.
26. Opening hours (local time – GMT) of the Media Accreditation Office and International Media Centre:
     

THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CENTRE

27. The Media Accreditation Office in Watford (Peace Prospect, Watford WD17 3HA) is the only access point to the International Media Centre for all media representatives, including press travelling with the delegations. This is where the media representatives will be screened and transported to the Media Centre. A shuttle bus service from the Media Accreditation Office in Watford to the Media Centre will be operational continuously between 3 December 11:30 and 4 December 23:15, running approximately every 15 minutes.
28. Media representatives are advised to arrive with sufficient lead time to clear security checks. Security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects being brought to the Media Centre. In-processing and transport to the venue are expected to take at least 45 minutes.
29. The Media Centre is located within the security perimeter of the meeting venue.
30. The Media Centre will include a filing area of approximately 800 basic unassigned workspaces, a broadcasting area, and a catering area. The broadcast area will have approximately 150 unassigned workstations (open space style) with feeds distribution from the Host Broadcaster and Master Control Room.
31. Additional media facilities including fully equipped standard edit booths, outdoor stand-ups and parking for satellite trucks are still available at a charge. A rate card and access to the booking system can be accessed here.
32. Wi-Fi and cabled internet drops will be available to accredited media at the Media Centre. Dedicated connectivity can also be ordered via the rate card mentioned above. Pool positions will have some 4G connectivity and, in many cases, browsing Wi-Fi will also be available.

HOST BROADCASTER & BROADCAST-QUALITY B-ROLL

33. Host Broadcast operations will deliver a single high quality HD/SDI signal live for the main media events on 4 December, free of charge. The feed will be available in the Media Centre without added graphics or text inserts.
34. The live programme signal will also be aired on closed circuit television (CCTV) screens throughout the Media Centre (and via the NATO Website).
35. NATO HQ will archive and distribute broadcast-quality B-roll from the event. Please register on www.natomultimedia.tv for access. Contact: content@natomultimedia.tv.
36. Live feeds of official events will also be provided free of charge via satellite, Eurovision world feeds (www.eurovision.net/worldfeed/), without encryption. The transmissions are provided by NATO as a public service to make the video and audio available for news and public affairs purposes, public with the understanding that the video and audio may be used only for appropriate news and public affairs uses. Extra B-Roll from events taking place on 3 December will be distributed via the Worldfeed.
37. Recorded material of events taking place on 3 December will also be made available in the Media Centre and via satellite.

SATVAN PARKING AND ACCESS; STAND-UP POSITIONS

38. Broadcasters who need to park SNG vehicles will be given access to the open-sky car park at the Media Centre, located in the vicinity of the broadcast area, approximately 200 meters from the stand-up positions. Cabling from the stand-up positions to the satellite vans is possible following the advised cable route. An electricity supply system (power generator) will be in place via the rate card; TV teams should bring their own electricity cables to connect themselves to the electric network.
39. Access with bulky equipment will be possible on 2 December and 3 December. Broadcasters are invited to contact ratecard@identitygroup.co.uk for more information on arranging access. Media representatives are required to collect their accreditation badge in advance.
40. A number of outdoor stand-up positions at the Grove are still available to TV broadcasters (see rate card).
41. Broadcasters who expect to require shorter time slots for live pieces to camera can book fully equipped live positions at commercial rates via Eurovision (newsoperations@eurovision.net) or APTN (bookings@ap.org).

PRESS CONFERENCES

42. The NATO Secretary General will brief the media at the end of the North Atlantic Council meeting at Heads of State and Government level.
43. Press conference facilities for national briefings will be available at the Grove. Information about national press conferences will be available from delegations and/or published on closed circuit television screens throughout the media centre.

VISAS

44. All visitors to the UK must have in their possession a valid passport and if required the appropriate visa. The responsibility for obtaining a visa in good time rests with individuals. Information on which country nationals require a UK visa and how to apply can be found on the following website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.

TRANSPORT AND ACCESS TO THE NATO LEADERS MEETING

45. A shuttle bus between the Media Accreditation Office to the International Media Centre will be available on an ongoing basis between 11:30 on 3 December and 23:15 on 4 December.

 

 

46. Media representatives are expected to make their own transport arrangements in order to reach the Accreditation Office.
47. The closest public transport link is Watford Junction Station, with train services from London Euston station taking approximately 15-25 mins. This station is also served by the London Overground. The site is a 10-15 min walk from the station, or a 5 min taxi journey.
48. Pay-and-display public parking is available in the central Watford area, though this is limited and on a first come, first served basis.

 

 

ACCOMMODATION & CATERING

49. Media representatives are expected to make their own accommodation arrangements. Information provided by Visit London can be found at https://www.visitlondon.com/
50. Media representatives will be able to purchase food on site.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

51. On 3 December, NATO's official outreach event titled 'NATO Engages: Innovating the Alliance' will take place in central London. The event is organised by the Atlantic Council, GLOBSEC, King's College London, the Munich Security Conference and the Royal United Services Institute, in partnership with NATO's Public Diplomacy Division and the UK Government.
52. The NATO Secretary General will deliver an opening statement at the event.
53. Confirmed speakers, agenda items and further details on timing are available at https://nato-engages.org/. The event will also be streamed at: https://nato-engages.org.
54. Media accreditation and access are separate from those of the NATO Leaders Meeting. For details please visit https://nato-engages.org/contact/ or contact Jack Haines: jackh@rusi.org, +44 20 7747 2620.

CONTACT INFORMATION

55. Several email contacts are provided to deal with the large number of queries we expect on the Leaders Meeting, and to ensure prompt replies.


56. Media Queries and Interview Requests
    • Media Queries: moc@hq.nato.int or +32 2 707 50 41
    • Requests for interviews of NATO Secretary General: moc@hq.nato.int
    • Requests for interviews of delegation officials: delegations concerned (a list of contacts will be provided at the Information Desk in the media centre)
    
    Media Operations
    • Pool access, logistics : natomediaoperations@hq.nato.int
    • Stand-up positions, satellite vans, edit space, feeds distribution: ratecard@identitygroup.co.uk
    • B-roll and video distribution post event: content@natomultimedia.tv

    NATO Media Coordination
    Ms. Alina COCA – natomediaoperations@hq.nato.int

    UK Media Coordination
    Mr. Rory O'BRIEN
    MajorEvents.MediaLogistics@fco.gov.uk

    Accreditation – general questions and international media:
    Mr. Angelo PACIFICO
    NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int

    UK media outlets – for specific queries please contact:
    FCO Newsdesk
    newsdesk@fco.gov.uk

     

    Annex 1

    New profiles:

    How to create a new profile in the NATO Accreditation portal https://my.hq.nato.int/:

    • Please select New user
    • Use a unique email address per registration. It is not possible to register groups or more than one person with the same email address
    • Avoid using special characters (e.g. accents) when you enter information in your profile and ensure that the filenames of your photo and attachments do not contain special character
    • In case our site is blocked by your provider (most likely because of a firewall), it is advisable to use a device connected to a different Internet source (4G or connection at home)
    • For media not in possession of a national press card number, please enter N/A within the National Press Card Number field
    • Safari browser is not supported. Please use another browser (also see below the paragraph on Attachments re Mac OS X).

    Existing profiles:

    • If you have lost your password, please reset it here
    • If your email address/username has changed, please send an email to NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int

    How to register for the event:

    Once your profile has been created:

    1. Login: https://my.hq.nato.int/ (Click on Registered user)
    2. Click on Update your Event Attendance: select the event
    3. Attach files as required
    4. Tick and accept fields
    5. Submit your request before the deadline

    To verify if you have duly submitted your application with attachments, please log in to your profile and click on Update Your Event Attendance. The event tick box should appear as checked.

    Attachments

    To complete your registration, you will be required to upload two types of attachments:

    1. Identity: a copy of your ID card/passport

    2. Professional:

    • Candidates in possession of a valid press card (provided by a recognised national professional body of a NATO country – i.e. government, professional association or union) are required to upload a scanned copy of it onto their profile (PDF)

    • Candidates not in possession of a valid press card (provided by a recognised national professional body of a NATO country – i.e. government, professional association or union), are required, regardless of nationality, to upload a signed letter from their editorial staff onto their profile (PDF)

    For users of Mac OS X: it is not always possible to upload attachments in JPG. Please upload files in PDF.

    Groups

    The system does not allow group registrations. However, as a practical measure and in order to avoid delays due to late requests, your editor can produce a comprehensive letter containing all the names of the crew members s/he intends to send to cover the event. Please include SURNAME, Name, Date of birth and Passport/ID card number of the crew members.

    Once scanned, each media representative in the letter can upload the same comprehensive letter onto their profile upon individual registration before the deadline.