FAQ

re:publica Accra will take place in Accra (Ghana) on 14-15 December 2018.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is re:publica’s main funding partner for re:publica Accra, strengthening a bond already established at re:publica Berlin. The Ministry will have three sessions in the rpAccra programme in the Topic “Tech for Good’.

Yes, please. We look forward to your engagement. Contact the programme team: programme-accra (at) re-publica (dot) com stating your area of expertise and interest, as well as your availability and any references we should look at.

Every stage at the re:publica is attended to by a stage host. Meaning, that he/she announces the sessions, leads through the Q&A at the end of a session, and then moves the programme on to the next item. Our stage hosts also inform the audience about important changes to the programme and other last-minute features – the stage hosts are in constant communication and consultation with the programme team during the re:publica.

Presenters/moderators generally lead the discussion or conversations in a session. This requires thorough preparation. We will put the presenters in contact with the speakers – should they not have already been contacted by the person responsible for the session – so that they can hold preparatory talks.

The re:publica continues to grow, and with it our responsibility to put together a high-quality programme at each of our events. This is something we take very seriously. For rpAccra, the programme team includes members in Berlin, Accra, Kumasi and other cities in Africa.

The Berlin-based team ensures that re:publica’s core values and principles are carried through the project. It provides the framework for the Call for Participation.

The Africa-based team is comprised of one curator for each of our Tracks: Politics & Society, Science & Education, Business & Innovation, Media & Journalism and Arts & Culture (read more about them here: Tracks & Topics). The sub-curators are professionals, community leaders and speakers who know the re:publica and its guiding principles well. They gain insights into the re:publica programme, so as to evaluate the sessions submitted to their category and help ensure that diverse perspectives and voices are well represented.

Programme decisions are not made by individuals, but by a team! Our programme team is made up of people who work with the utmost care and integrity and we stand behind them.

1. Go to the registration page. If you were a participant at a re:publica event since 2014, you just need to update your profile.

2. You can already start to fill out and complete your speaker profile or finish this at a later time. You'll need to already provide a picture in the required dimensions. Please note, your speaker profile must be fully completed by the end of the CfP deadline to be accepted.

3. If you want to create a new speaker profile then follow these steps:

   In the first part of the form please fill in your personal information (first and last name, e-mail address)

   After clicking the “Create Account” choose your username.

   Tip: Select a user name that is a combination of your first and last name. It'll be easier for us to find you in our system, in case we have to contact you. Enter a valid e-mail address, since we are going to contact you during the evaluation process.

4. After completing registration you will receive an activation link via your submitted e-mail address. Please note that this might take up to 15 minutes depending on your e-mail provider – and please also check your spam folder... Click the link and set a password.

5. When you're logged in you will find a menu bar. Click the cog wheel to open the a black  bar on the left side of the page. You will find the items "Home", "My Dashboard" and "Add content".

6. Go to "My Dashboard: Here you'll find your dashboard with latest news, profile information, your submitted sessions.

   • "My Profile": To edit your profile click "edit" below and find your user account were you can change your e-mail address and password, as well as your "Speaker profile" where you can edit & complete your speaker profile.

   • Go back to "My Dashoboard"

   • "Add Session": This button directs the the CfP form. Fill in the form and to create a session proposal

   • "My Content": here you'll find your submitted proposal and may edit it as necessary.

7. Now: Click "Add content" and simply fill out all fields related to your session proposal.

8. Feel free to save and continue at a later date – but remember: Your sessions should be completed prior to the deadline!

9. Add speakers to your sessions. If you are planning several speakers into your session, all of them need to register and create a profile. Once you know their username, please add the usernames to the "speakers" field in the form. Click "Add item" to creat a new speaker box and fill in the user name of one co-speaker. Make sure to wait for the autocomplete that verifies the speaker name with our database. You can add the further speakers once we accepted you proposal.

10. Once you saved your session and can access it from your dashboard, also the programme team can see it. That means it's submitted and you don't need to do anything else. 

11. Celebrate, your session is fully filled out and submitted on time!

12. Please read the FAQs and especially the "Session Guidelines" (our Terms of Condition)

re:publica Accra features different formats. You can select between the following in the CfP form (make sure to plan in time for a Q&A of at least 10 minutes at the end of your session):

• Talk (30 minutes or 1 hour)

Well-prepared presentation on a topic. Possible as a talk, but also as a reading, interview or fireside chat. 1-2 people

• Discussion (1 hour)

Balanced discussion on a specific topic. Possible as a panel debate or fishbowl conversation. Maximum of 4 speakers, including the presenter => The limit on featured persons includes the presenter. GENDER BALANCE applies to all formats. 50 % of the speakers must be female.

• Workshop (1- to maximum of 2 hours)

Intensive (practical) session in which knowledge on a specific topic is communicated or specific skills are mediated. 1-2 workshop leaders

• Activity (varies)

Flash mob, field test, installation, exhibition, concert, pop-up happening, DJ set, activities with re:publica visitors and working with the results on-location – bring your ideas to re:publica!

On the day your session will take place.

All fields marked with a red star (*) must be filled out.

• Title

The more straight-ahead and descriptive your title is, the better. See also: What constitutes a good TITLE?
Max. 200 characters.

• Short thesis

Give a short and catchy idea about your main argument. This text will be used publicly once your session is accepted, so it's worth proofreading it.
Max. 500 characters.

• Description

Please describe what your session is about, how you want to proceed and what methods you are going to use. Be clear and check orthography and grammar. This text will be used publicly once your session is accepted, so it's worth proofreading it.
Max. 2,000 characters. We will cut radically after 2,000 characters.

• Tracks

Politics & Society
Science & Education
Arts & Culture
Business & Innovation
Media & Journalism

• Formats

You can decide between different formats, each of them allows to engage with the audience in a special way. See also question “Which session formats can be selected and what is their duration?”

• Experience

"Beginner": for people with little or no prior knowledge.
"All": for anyone who has already superficially dealt with the topic.
"Expert": for experts, meaning anyone who works in the field, does research or reports on it (but still open to everyone).

• Speaker Experience

If you have already spoken at other events and conferences, please let us know where. You can also provide us a link of the video recording. The video doesn’t necessarily have to be related to your submission topic. Its primary function is to convince us of your qualities as a speaker. If re:publica Accra would be your first time speaking at a conference, please provide us a link to a short video of you pitching your talk to us. This helps us a great deal in our assessment. It allows us to better understand, evaluate and categorize your submission, while also giving us an impression of your public speaking skills and your ability to communicate your topic. Don’t worry, these videos will not be made public. You should, however, own the rights to their use.

• Comments

Do you have any comments, proposal or questions? Is there anything you need to conduct your session? (spatial, technical or physical) Additional speakers? They have to register (see FAQs), if you want to add them.

Please understand that we do not have unlimited space in the program. The reason may be that your topic has already been submitted multiple times and we need to select from a high number of great sessions. Or it could be because your session didn’t comply to our Session Guidelines. Please keep in mind that we reject sessions only with heavy hearts and it is logistically not possible for us to send individual reasons.

If you still have specific questions or feedback for us - they’re always welcome! Send us an email at programme-accra (at) re-publica (dot) com.

If re:publica Accra would be your first time speaking at a conference, please provide us a link to a short video of you pitching your talk to us. This helps us a great deal in our assessment. It allows us to better understand, evaluate and categorize your submission, while also giving us an impression of your public speaking skills and your ability to communicate your topic. Don’t worry, this video will not be made public. You should, however, own the rights to their use.

No. While it is technically possible, we can see when you’ve made changes in the backend. The additional editing complicates the curatorial work for the programme team. For this reason, we do not accept changes made after the end of the CfP deadline without prior consultation! Only make changes to your submission if and when we ask you to do so (for example, with suggestions for improvements) or let us know ahead of time that you want to change something, and we will decide on a case-to-case basis.

No, sorry. While it is technically possible to edit and submit multiple session proposals, we will only accept one session proposal per person. If several sessions appear on your profile, we will only be taking the most recent submission into account. Quality, not quantity!

The presenter/moderator is a neutral party in a conversation or a panel discussion. They help keep the conversation on-topic and guarantee a balance of viewpoints. You should have both your presentation and your speakers already confirmed. Should you have difficulties finding the right person, the programme team will be happy to help. We know lots of competent presenters for the diverse range of topics at the re:publica. Contact us at programme-accra (at) re-publica (dot) com.

Each format has a maximum number of possible speakers. Please keep GENDER BALANCE in mind – each session should have a 50% female line-up.

• Talk: 1-2 speakers (same goes for readings or fireside chats)
• Panel discussions: 3-4 speakers (including presenter/moderator)
• Workshop: 1-2 speakers

Sure, funny titles are catchy. On the other hand, the re:publica is big and your title will be up against dozens of other titles, vying for the attention of the visitors. The more straight-ahead and descriptive your title is, the better. “All you need is love: Social media strategies for confronting hate online” is better than “Why all you need is love”.

• The title can have a max. of 200 characters (we radically edit after 200 characters).
• The short thesis cannot be longer than a max. 500 characters. Only state your basic proposition and how you will be discussing / covering it.
• The session description has a max. of 2,000 characters (longer texts will either not be assessed or only up until 2,000 characters). This will be the text that is published should your idea be accepted. It should be as concise and easy to understand as possible.

Holding a session takes time in its elaboration and preparation. When submitting your proposal, you agree to meet the Session Guidelines’ minimum requirements for the development and organisation of a session. We do not recommend you take part in the Call for Participation (CfP) if you are not ready or able to enter into this commitment.

Spelling, grammar and proper punctuation are important. You wouldn’t send off an application with unfinished sentences and typos either. It’s therefore advised to have your submission proofread before handing it in.

Here are a few key points:

• Use both upper and lower case letters for your title. Please don’t write your title only in caps or with all the words in lower case.
• Punctuation brings rhythm and balance into your thoughts. So don’t be afraid of commas, catchwords, colons and exclamation points!
• Look out for copy & paste mistakes! Seriously! They happen more often than you’d think.
• Read your description to someone else (ideally someone who doesn’t know your topic that well). They can then give you feedback regarding if what you are trying to communicate is understandable.
• AND: even if your concept seem clear and coherent to you, don’t forget that most people who will be reading your description have a different background than you.

A couple more points on the length of the texts:

• The title can have a max. of 200 characters (we radically edit after 200 characters).
• The short thesis cannot be longer than a max. 500 characters.
• The session description has a max. of 2,000 characters (longer texts will either not be assessed or only up until 2,000 characters).

200 characters is the maximum. While we don’t have any automatic restriction, the title will end up being automatically shortened when it gets to the programme flyer and the upload of the session video. And you don’t want your great title cut off, do you?

It really should be “short”, up to 500 characters. Only state your basic proposition and how you will be discussing / covering it.

No longer than 2,000 characters. Even though we haven’t set up an automatic restriction, we only assess the first 2,000 characters. There isn’t any time for the evaluation of long essays. This will be the text that is published should your idea be accepted. It should be as concise and easy to understand as possible.

• If you submitted a session featuring multiple people on-stage, then you will be the contact person for all questions concerning that session.
   
• You are the organiser and will also feature as a speaker in the session.
   
• You are responsible for making sure the co-speakers register a speaker profile.
   
• You add the co-speakers to your session (see FAQ "How do I add co-speakers?")
   
• You are responsible for communicating all necessary information to your co-speakers
   
• You can only be responsible for one session.

The most interesting sessions offer space for different perspectives. When putting together a panel, remember to keep the fundamental characteristics of a diverse panel in mind:

DIVERSITY and GENDER BALANCE should be understood as a key commitment and component for an empathetic and inclusive community – they represent our stance as event organisers.

All panels should comply with the following guidelines:

• Gender balance (with this, we obviously include persons who do not feel represented by the binary gender paradigm)
• Diversity as regards ethnicity and cultural background or field of work
• A variety of backgrounds in education and work
• A variety of positions and opinions from across the entire (democratic!) spectrum

As the listed speakers influence the selection process, we’d like to urge you to have confirmed the panellists by the end of the Call for Participation (CfP) phase. You can still enter the desired speaker into the comment field, plus your relationship to them or why you assume they will confirm. If you are that they'll be part of your panel it is better to submit a solo talk.

Your co-speaker must already be registered, have set up an account and have given themselves a username. You will need those before proceeding. When creating a session in the CfP form you will find the “Speaker(s)” box further down.  Click "Add item" to creat a new speaker box and fill in the user name of one co-speaker. Make sure to wait for the autocomplete that verifies the speaker name with our database. You can add the further speakers once we accepted you proposal. Enter the first letters of the co-speakers username, auto-complete will show the correct person should they exist in the system. Save. Done.

Only add people you have confirmed and who have agreed to participate in the CfP! Unsolicited adding of people can lead to exclusion.

All fields marked with a red star (*) must be filled out.

Organisation Name

Short Description (max. 500 characters)
Give a short and catchy idea about what your organisation does. This text will be used publicly once your proposal is accepted, so it's worth proofreading it. Max. 500 characters.

What would be the top takeaways for people coming to visit your exhibit? (max. 500 characters)

Showcased products (max. 3): For each product: 

• Name
• Please explain to us why this is an innovative and impactful product we should feature. (max. 500 characters)
• Optional: Upload a photo or a video URL

Track:
Politics & Society
Science & Education
Arts & Culture
Business & Innovation
Media & Journalism

Presenters (max. 2)

Technical, physical and spatial requirements
What equipment/materials will you bring and what will you need from re:publica?

Comments
Do you have any comments, proposals or questions? Additional presenters? They have to register (see FAQs), if you want to add them.

That’s problematic. It should have some connection to re:publica and its core topics and themes. Read more about them here: About rpAccra.

No, we will provide space, electricity and Internet, that’s all.

1. Go to the registration page. If you were a participant at a re:publica event since 2014, you just need to update your profile.
2. You can already start to fill out and complete your speaker profile or finish this at a later time. You'll need to already provide a picture in the required dimensions. Please note, your speaker profile must be fully completed by the end of the CfP deadline to be accepted.
3. If you want to create a new speaker profile then follow these steps:
   • In the first part of the form please fill in your personal information (first and last name, e-mail address)
   • After clicking the “Create Account” choose your username.
   • Tip: Select a username that is a combination of your first and last name. It'll be easier for us to find you in our system, in case we have to contact you. Enter a valid e-mail address, since we are going to contact you during the evaluation process.
4. After completing registration you will receive an activation link via your submitted e-mail address. Please note that this might take up to 15 minutes depending on your e-mail provider – and please also check your spam folder... Click the link and set a password.
5. When you're logged in you will find a menu bar. Click the cog wheel to open the a black bar on the left side of the page. You will find the items "Home", "My Dashboard" and "Add content".
6. Go to "My Dashboard: Here you'll find your dashboard with latest news, profile information, your submitted sessions.
   • "My Profile": To edit your profile click "edit" below and find your user account were you can change your e-mail address and password, as well as your "Speaker profile" where you can edit & complete your speaker profile.
   • Go back to "My Dashoboard"
   • "Add Session": This button directs the the CfP form. Fill in the form and to create a session proposal
   • "My Content": here you'll find your submitted proposal and may edit it as necessary.
7. Now: Click “Create Marketplace (Accra 2018)" and simply fill out all fields related to your session proposal.
8. Feel free to save and continue at a later date – but remember: Your proposal should be completed prior to the deadline 9 September 2018, 11:59pm GMT.
9. Add a co-host. If you are planning to co-host your marketplace spot with another presenter, he/she needs to register and create a profile. Once you know their username, please add it to the "Presenters" field in the form. Make sure to wait for the autocomplete that verifies the speaker name with our database.
10. Once you saved your proposal and can access it from your dashboard, also the programme team can see it. That means it's submitted and you don't need to do anything else.
11. Celebrate, your proposal is fully filled out and submitted on time!
12. Please read the FAQs for helpful tips.

If you have a product - be it hardware or software that has a true impact and innovation potential - you can apply to showcase it in our marketplace “Made in Africa”.

Sure, anything that you can showcase: an app, a piece of hardware, some other product. It just needs to be something you can present and show in an interesting way to our participants.

All fields marked with a red star (*) must be filled out.

Topic of the lounge you would like to host / co-host

Short description (max. 500 characters)
Give a short and catchy idea about what your lounge would be about. Max. 500 characters.

Programme (max. 500 characters)
Please describe what participants can expect to find at your lounge, as well as the kind of programme you imagine (demos, non-amplified lightning talks or meetups, exhibitions…).

Please describe the learning experience and top takeaways for people visiting your lounge (max. 500 characters).

Please explain why you and your organisation are qualified to host the lounge (max. 500 characters).

Track

• Politics & Society
• Science & Education
• Arts & Culture
• Business & Innovation
• Media & Journalism

Host(s) (max. 4)

Technical, physical and spatial requirements
What equipment/materials will you bring and what will you need from re:publica?

Comments
Do you have any comments, proposal or questions? Additional hosts? They have to register (see FAQs), if you want to add them.

In addition to the stage content (talks, panels, workshops) and the marketplace, we want to create space for meetups, networking and exchange - to this end we planned to create four themed lounges - one of them could be a pop-up makerspace, another a place for digital rights NGOs to meet. Submit your ideas in the Call for Participation!

We’re looking forward to creative ideas! Be it a hardware makerspace, a digital rights lounge, a space for communities and NGOs to display their work, or a social space for visitors to connect around specific topics.

1. Go to the registration page. If you were a participant at a re:publica event since 2014, you just need to update your profile.
2. You can already start to fill out and complete your speaker profile or finish this at a later time. You'll need to already provide a picture in the required dimensions. Please note, your speaker profile must be fully completed by the end of the CfP deadline to be accepted.
3. If you want to create a new speaker profile then follow these steps:
   • In the first part of the form please fill in your personal information (first and last name, e-mail address)
   • After clicking the “Create Account” choose your username. Tip: Select a username that is a combination of your first and last name. It'll be easier for us to find you in our system, in case we have to contact you.
   • Enter a valid e-mail address, since we are going to contact you during the evaluation process.
4. After completing registration you will receive an activation link via your submitted e-mail address. Please note that this might take up to 15 minutes depending on your e-mail provider – and please also check your spam folder... Click the link and set a password.
5. When you're logged in you will find a menu bar. Click the cog wheel to open the a black bar on the left side of the page. You will find the items "Home", "My Dashboard" and "Add content".
6. Go to "My Dashboard: Here you'll find your dashboard with latest news, profile information, your submitted sessions.
   • "My Profile": To edit your profile click "edit" below and find your user account were you can change your e-mail address and password, as well as your "Speaker profile" where you can edit & complete your speaker profile.
   • Go back to "My Dashoboard"
   • "Add Session": This button directs the the CfP form. Fill in the form and to create a session proposal
   • "My Content": here you'll find your submitted proposal and may edit it as necessary.
7. Now: Click “Create Lounge (Accra 2018)" and simply fill out all fields related to your session proposal.
8. Feel free to save and continue at a later date – but remember: Your proposal should be completed prior to the deadline 9 September 2018, 11:59pm GMT.
9. Add co-hosts. If you are planning to co-host your lounge with other people, they need to register and create a profile. Once you know their username, please add them to the "Host(s)" field in the form. Make sure to wait for the autocomplete that verifies the speaker name with our database.
10. Once you saved your proposal and can access it from your dashboard, also the programme team can see it. That means it's submitted and you don't need to do anything else.
11. Celebrate, your proposal is fully filled out and submitted on time!
12. Please read the FAQs for helpful tips.

Of course, you can. However, pitches or marketing presentations are not what we are looking for on our stages, no matter how cool your company, app or device is. If you have a product - be it hardware or software that has a true impact and innovation potential - you can apply to showcase it in our marketplace “Made in Africa”, not in a talk on stage. If your project or tool is open source and you want to offer a workshop or training to show people how to use it, that works too.

In addition to that, we want to create space for meetups, networking and exchange - to this end we planned to create four themed lounges. If you’re interested in hosting or co-hosting one, please submit your ideas in the Call for Participation stating the topic you want the space to have, how you would design the space and what content you would offer there. We will provide space, travel funding and basic equipment for four themed lounges. If your company is interested in cooperating or partnering with re:publica, please contact us: partner-accra (at) re-publica (dot) com.

The Call for rpAccra runs until 9 September 2018 (11:59 pm GMT).

The programme team will evaluate all proposals from 10 September until 20 September 2018. We will be contacting all submitting parties beginning 20 September, sending out the confirmations of acceptance or rejection.

Yes, we would be. We want the re:publica to be colourful and exciting. We’re happy to hear your ideas for installations, exhibitions, performances. Just fill in the CfP form, and chose “Action” as a format, and we’ll be getting in touch with you. You also have the possibility to host one of our four themed lounges - read on about that in the FAQ-section ”Hosting a Lounge”.

The re:publica programme is made by you! We are asking for your ideas for talks, panels, workshops, installations, exhibitions, performances - whatever you would like to contribute to our programme. You can either submit a session, submit your ideas for a themed lounge or apply for a spot in the marketplace “Made in Africa”.

“Tracks” are general thematic fields which you can assign your submission to. rpAccra’s selection consists of:

• Politics & Society
• Science & Education
• Business & Innovation
• Arts & Culture
• Media & Journalism

All Tracks are already set when the Call for Participation (CfP) is launched.

“Topics” are key themes which help us set a specific focus. We have already formulated the concept for some Topics for the CfP, others will be built around the dominating topics in the submissions we get.

Read more about the Tracks and Topics here: Tracks & Topics.

We will contact you via email regarding your session's acceptance or rejection.

Yes indeed. You will need a speaker account whether you want to submit a session, submit a lounge idea or apply for the marketplace. This account allows you to register yourself in the re:publica database and submit a proposal for the CfP over your profile. Account registration and setup is free and only takes a few minutes. Just head this way: https://accra18.re-publica.com/en/user/register

Yes. If you already registered yourself for the re:publica after 2013, your old account can still be activated. Should you already have an account, please use it. Log in on the website using your old login details and simply update your profile.

Advertising and marketing pitches are not what we are looking for, no matter how cool your company, app or device is. The re:publica audience and the programme team are looking for reflective, compelling and well-researched content that engages with solutions and the challenges facing our digital society. We have no interest in marketing pitches disguised as informative sessions.

That doesn’t mean that re:publica visitors aren’t also interested in the newest digital products or services and interesting case studies. If you have a product - be it hardware or software that has a true impact and innovation potential - you can apply to showcase it in our marketplace “Made in Africa”, not in a talk on stage. If your project or tool is open source and you want to offer a workshop or training to show people how to use it, that works too. Both applications are to be made through the Call for Participation.

You can edit your proposal at any time - even after submission - and manage your information, up until 9 September 2018. Following the expiration of the deadline, your submission will be final and you should only make changes to it in consultation with the programme team. (We are able to see when and by whom a submission was edited in our system.)

Yes. You will receive a 2-day ticket and catering for the day of your session.

No. The programme team may take the liberty to curate content in particular in the occurence of important current events, but no submissions inputted to the system after 9 September will be accepted.

Of course. The re:publica has a huge archive. You can find all the videos and audios with session descriptions on the re:publica websites. By using the keyword search or looking up the website of the respective year directly, you can either find the main themes.

For re:publica 2019 "tl;dr" visit http://19.re-publica.com, for re:publica 2018 "POP" visit https://18.re-publica.com/, for re:publica 2017 “Love Out Loud” you can head to: https://17.re-publica.com/, re:publica 2016 “TEN/NET” is over at: https://16.re-publica.com/, with re:publica 2015 “finding europe” at: https://15.re-publica.com/, and so on.

You can also find all the videos on the re:publica YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/republica2010/

Look up the re:publica image archive on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/re-publica

Anyone and everyone with a good idea can take part in the CfP.

Yes, the planned speakers should all have at least been informed and invited. They should also be confirmed and added to the session by the time the Call for Participation (CfP) deadline expires (please note: each speaker needs their own speaker account, see FAQ "How do I add co-speakers?").

If you organize a panel it is your responsibility that all speakers add information to their profile and manage these themselves – see also: person responsible for session. Only propose a panel that can actually be realised in that constellation of participants.

No.
We use your information from the form in order to assess and categorize your proposal. Should your proposal be accepted, we will then publish the submission. However, only information relevant to the visitors will be made public. Your contact details and similar information will not be published.

The more precise and specific a submission, the better. Specificity requires a convincing initial idea as well as good research and planning. Moreover: a concise phrasing.

Example: “How surgeons train for difficult operations in virtual reality” is better than “Virtual reality as a training tool”.

Use your description to elaborate how you will approach the topic and which methods you will be using. The re:publica audience, the programme team and the programme committee are looking for engaging and well-founded content that takes on the challenges and potential solutions for challenges facing our digital society. They are not interested in marketing pitches disguised as informative sessions.

Take a look at a couple of examples from re:publica 2019 with the motto "tl;dr".

Sessions at re:publica are generally open for anyone to attend but are segmented into three levels of difficulty in order to provide better guidance.

Our suggestions:

• "Beginner": for people with no or little previous knowledge of the topic
• "All": for anyone who has already dealt with the topic on a superficial level
• "Expert": for experts, meaning anyone who works in the field, does research or reports on it (but still open for erveryone)

Neither. We’re just as happy to see new faces as old acquaintances. The only difference is that we already know if you are good speakers if you have participated in the event before.

We use the same assessment standards for everyone. Someone who has already been at the re:publica has to meet the same criteria and go through the same formalities as a newbie. So don’t rest on your good name or connections!

No, unfortunately not.

Tickets are not refundable in general. You may resell your ticket or gift it to someone. There will be more information available soon in our ticket FAQ.