Austria’s preparations for Eurovision 2026 continue, as ORF confirms three final additions to its core production team.
Three new members complete the team
Host broadcaster ORF has now finalised its Eurovision 2026 core team, adding three key figures to the group already announced in June.
The new additions are:
- Nina Kaiser – As Head of Commercial, Kaiser will manage national partnerships and act as the point of contact with the EBU’s international marketing team. She has been part of the management board at ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 since 2003 and co-founded the 4GAMECHANGERS Festival.
- Claudio Bortoli – Joining as Technical Supervisor, Bortoli will oversee the technical production alongside Christine Tichy. A long-serving technical director at ORF, he also worked on Eurovision 2015 and recently on the 2024 Summer Olympics and the Alpine Ski World Championships in Saalbach.
- Anja Lenhart – Appointed as Executive Assistant, Lenhart will support Executive Producer Michael Krön with coordination and stakeholder relations. She previously worked on Eurovision 2015 and will focus on accessibility and sustainability within the 2026 production.
Full core team for Eurovision 2026
The completed team now includes 12 members, with the three latest additions joining the nine names previously announced in June. The group is led by Executive Producer Michael Krön, who will oversee the project and report back to ORF. The full core team consists of:
- Stefan Zechner – Head of Delegation and TV show producer, reprising his role from the 2015 contest.
- Daniel Hack – Head of Production, formerly worked in ORF’s multimedia newsroom.
- Christine Tichy – Technical Manager, part of the 2015 production team.
- Martin Szerencsi – Legal Advisor, returning after his role in Eurovision 2015.
- Roman Horacek – Head of Communications, active in Eurovision since 2005.
- Iris Keutter – Marketing Manager, led marketing efforts after Austria’s 2014 win.
- Oliver Lingens – Event Manager, overseeing logistics, side events, and delegation services.
- Christina Lassnig – Executive Assistant to the Executive Producer, managing internal coordination.
- Christina Heinzle-Conrad – Secretary General, liaison to the ORF General Directorate.
- Nina Kaiser – Head of Commercial.
- Claudio Bortoli – Technical Supervisor, sharing technical responsibilities with Christine Tichy.
- Anja Lenhart – Executive Assistant, focusing on accessibility and sustainability.
Preparations are expected to continue intensifying in the months ahead, as Austria prepares to host the world’s biggest music event once again
The journey to Eurovision 2026
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest.
The cities in the race to host are Innsbruck and Vienna. St. Pölten had expressed a desire to host, but didn’t present a formal bid. Other cities such as Ebreichsdorf, Graz, Klagenfurt, Oberwart, Salzburg and Wels and Linz have ruled out hosting.
The Host City for the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be revealed by the EBU and ORF by mid-August.
What are your thoughts on the completed ORF team? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News source: ORF
Photo credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Rory Gannon 
Euan T