One of the most important conferences on the digital society in Europe. re:publica to take place in Berlin May 8 to 10

By @SimonCocking

When is it on?

re:publica takes place in Berlin from May 8 to 10 at STATION-Berlin.

How many years has it been going?

The event first took place in 2007 and attracted around 700 participants. Since then it grew from a small bloggers conference (often referred to as “class reunion”) to one of the most important conferences on the digital society in Europe with more than 8000 participants at it’s tenth edition in 2016. In 2016 re:publica also announced and held its first conference abroad – re:publica Dublin.

What was the inspiration to start it?

re:publica started as a meeting of bloggers. The founders Markus Beckedahl, Johnny & Tanja Haeusler and Andreas Gebhard wanted to create a plattform for people, that would normally only meet online to connect and discuss. They once said that basically they wanted to build and shape an event where they themselves would like to got to.

re:publica conference coming to Dublin. Exclusive interview with Andreas Gebhard, CEO

It quickly grew and now brings together not only bloggers, but people from very different backgrounds: activists, scientists, hackers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, journalists, social media and marketing experts, and many others. This fosters innovation and creates synergies between net politics, online marketing, network technology, digital society, and (pop) culture. What is more, around 46 percent of re:publica speakers are female – far more than at many other similar events.

What exciting things can people look forward to for the 2017 version?

re:publica will once again feature an eclectic programme. Confirmed speakers include Astrophysicist Christine Corbett Moran, publicist Carolin Emcke (recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2016), American Roboticist Lisa Winter, activist Clemantine Wamariya or Felix Stalder, professor for “Digital Culture” at the Zurich University of the Arts. With the headline “Love out loud!” re:publica this year aims to focus attention on those people, organisations, and projects which stand up to hate, violence and injustice and bring light to the dark corners of our society. With the very founding of re:publica, respect and the desire for diversity have been the very bedrock of what we do; positive forward thinking, curiosity, and openness guide the spirit of our event.

What opportunities are on offer for people / startups / investors and companies attending?

The most attractive thing about re:publica is its holistic approach. Not only does the programme cover all relevant topics of the digital society – net politics and human rights, nerd culture and wearables, media and business or even digitizing the greenery – also the participants represent very diverse backgrounds: international scientists join re:publica as well as entrepreneurs, designers, activists, journalists or innovators from all over the world.

What tips would you give to people attending to get the most out of it?

Don’t overdo your planning. If you put together your personal schedule beforehand, leave space to relax, connect to people and enjoy the open atmosphere. Most sessions will be recorded anyway and you can catch up with them afterwards.

How can people book tickets / when does it usually sell out?

Tickets are available online at https://re-publica.com/tickets

Anything else you’d like to add / we should have asked?
Videos of last year’s sessions are available here: https://www.youtube.com/user/republica2010, for photos have a look at our flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/re-publica/albums
Further information: https://re-publica.lol

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.net or on Twitter: @SimonCocking