FAQ

If you are over 18 years old, and are keen to support re:publica 2020 in Berlin, then you may register yourself as a volunteer starting at the end of February/beginning of March.

The registration for volunteers will start in early March 2020. The shifts will be online mid March 2020.

We are looking for support in the areas of assembling and dismantling, accreditation, cloakroom, info point, stage helpers, technical support, and network.

In your volunteer account ("work areas") you'll find a more detailed explanation which areas are barrier-free or require special language skills, as well as the exact requirements and task profiles of the individual areas.

re:publuica offers free ticket returns until March 31st 2020. Please use the ticket cancellation link in your confirmation email. There will be no fees until the end of March.

Evening tickets are great to get a taste of re:publica 2020 and MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin! Experience the evening and party programme with concerts, events and keynotes! Admission for evening tickets is at 6pm.

Evening tickets are available during presale as well as at the box office on site.

Please note: The evening and party programme is fully included in regular tickets, of course.

pre:publica takes place on "Day 0" one day before the grand opening.
Our accreditation desks and the courtyard of STATION Berlin will be accessible from 4pm until 9pm (partners from noon). It's the perfect opportunity to get your wrist band early before the big run on the first day, meet old acquaintances and see new faces. Grab a drink at the bar and get in the mood for the upcoming days! 

No, our volunteers will be given a ticket to re:publica as a thank you for helping out (among other things). Registration for volunteers starts in spring.

Early Bird (limited availability)
   Standard: € 149.00
   Business: € 529.00 *
   Reduced: € 69.00 **

Regular I (until February 29, 2020)
   Standard: € 225.00
   Business: € 695.00 *
   Reduced: € 115.00 **

Regular II (from March 1, 2019)
   Standard: € 235.00
   Business: € 735.00 *
   Reduced: € 125.00 **

All Standard, Business and Reduced Tickets grant access to re:publica 2020 and MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin.
All prices include 19% VAT and handling costs. Our partner Xing-Events will provide you with an invoice for each purchase, however only Business Tickets may be ordered paid for by invoice.

You can order tickets online until 11:55 pm on May 4th August 8th, 2020, unless re:publica is sold out by that point of time. Please note: If you received at ticket code, you have to redeem that ticket code until that time, too. Afterwards you may still get your ticket at the counter at STATION Berlin, that is, if tickets are still available. Please follow our Twitter account for updates. Box office prices on site will be higher.

* Business Tickets offer a lot more than Standard and Reduced tickets! Please see "What are the benefits of buying a Business Ticket?" for more information.

** Pupils, students, trainees, people on social welfare (“ALG II”), retirees (as well as people over 65) and people with disabilities are entitled to order a reduced ticket. You will be asked to show your student ID resp. other form of documentation at our accreditation desks. More information: "What do I need to prove eligibility for discounted/reduced tickets?"

We originally introduced Early Bird Tickets as “Blogger Tickets” and we still see them as such.

"Blogger Tickets" were intended as a “Thank You!” to our community that made re:publica what it is today. This is why we kindly ask companies and those who don’t necessarily ‘need’ to purchase tickets at reduced prices to choose regular priced tickets instead. Thank you!

Share a ticket: Tickets are personalized and cannot be shared with others.

Transfer a ticket: You may transfer your ticket once to another person using the link in the email confirming your ticket purchase. The deadline for transferring tickets is May 4th August 8th 2020.

You can’t make it to re:publica after all and would like to transfer or sell your ticket to someone else instead? Or you want to give a re:publica ticket to someone as a gift?

No worries! Use the link provided in the email confirming your ticket purchase. Please note that transfers can only be done once and only until 4 May August 8th 2020. If you are transferring a ticket that is not meant as a gift, it is up to you and the new recipient to work out the payment details.

If you have any further questions don't hesitate to get in touch via ticket (at) re-publica.com.

Ticket cancellation is only possible for privately held tickets and must be done no later than two weeks before the start of the event; until 21 April 2020 July 28th 2020, 11:59pm. Cancellation fees are 5.95 EUR plus handling fees.
As an example, the overall cancellation fee for Standard Tickets (225.00 EUR) is a total of 13.31 EUR. The amount for other tickets may differ. The remaining amount is automatically returned to the original payment method. This can take up to four weeks, depending on the payment method.

You will find a link to cancel your ticket in the email confirming your ticket purchase. If you can not find that email anymore, please reach out to the support team of XING Events via support (at) xing-events.com.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? It is also possible to sell your ticket and have the name on the ticket changed to the new owner. Please see “How do I transfer my ticket to another person?” on our FAQ page for details.

PLEASE NOTE We offer free refunds, due to the rescheduling of this year's re:publica from May 2020 to August 2020. Please use the cancellation link in your order confirmation. Cancellation fees do not apply until March 31st.

Our partner—XING-Events—automatically issues an invoice upon purchase.

Required data will be requested during the ordering process in the step “order data”. If you have any further questions or if you made a mistake entering your details, please get in touch via ticket (at) re-publica.com

Paying by invoice is available for Business Tickets only.

Easy! Please show your valid student ID or other official form of documentation (valid at the time of your ticket purchase) at our accreditation desks. The name on your student ID or other form of documentation should match the one on your ticket. If that is not the case please contact us in advance via ticket (at) re-publica.com.

• Students need a valid student ID with a photo or a current enrollment certificate and a photo ID
   
• Trainees (in German: "Auszubildene" and/or "Volontäre") need a written confirmation of their employer
   
• Recipients of "ALG II" need to present their “Berlinpass“ or a written and official notification of approval 
  (Please note: Recipients of "ALG I" are not entitled to purchase reduced tickets)
   
• Retirees (as well as people over 65 years of age) need to present a pension card or photo ID
   
• People with disabilities need to present their certificate of disability or a confirmation from re:publica (via ticket (at) re-publica.com)
  Please note: The degree of a disability is not relevant for re:publica
   
• Employees and members of NGOs and non-profit organizations please have a look at "Is there a special ticket rate for NGOs and non-profit organizations?"

Yes! Your student ID (or certificate of registration) must have been valid between October 2019 and May August 2020. For example, a student ID from 2019's winter term (2019/2020) or summer term 2020 is alright but one from summer term 2019 cannot be accepted.

Yes! Groups of 10 or more can apply for tickets at the Early Bird rate of just 69.00 EUR per person. Please send us an email to ticket (at) re-publica.com for more information.

Yes! When ordering from an educational institution groups of 10 or more students can apply for tickets at our Early Bird rate of just 69.00 EUR per person. Please contact us via ticket (at) re-publica.com. 

Yes. We offer special conditions for groups of 10 or more. Please send your inquiries for group tickets to ticket (at) re-publica.com.
 

*NGOs only, please see "Is there a special ticket rate for NGOs and non-profit organizations?"

No worries, besides buying an Early Bird Ticket you have two options for attending re:publica—and they are both free!

▸ Become a Helping Hand
Before, during and after re:publica we rely on the support from volunteers. As a volunteer you will receive a Three-Day-Ticket in exchange for 8 hours of your help, including catering during your shift. Accreditation of Helping Hands will begin sometime around February later in 2020. Until then feel free to join our “Volunteer” Facebook group.

▸ Become a speaker
Our Call for Participation started on 15 October 2020. Use the opportunity to submit a talk, a workshop, a discussion panel or another form of action and thus apply to become a part of the re:publica 2020 programme.

Too late for an Early Bird Ticket? Check Twitter and/or Facebook [1][2] for posts of people offering their tickets to be resold at a fair price. Good luck!
(re:publica and republica GmbH are not responsible for privately resold tickets and/or the process of reselling.)
 

Until today we have never had to reject anyone who has applied to be a re:publica volunteer. However, if more volunteers apply than we actually need, we may have to reject a few applicants. If you do not want to run that risk, purchase a ticket now (and pass it on or resell it later).
Please note that we will not cover any cancellation fees should you be unable to sell your purchased ticket.

Children up to and including 15 years of age can enter free of charge. We may ask for a photo ID at the entry or accreditation desk. At re:publica 2020 we again plan to expand our offerings for parents and young children (e.g. quiet area, children's playground).

Please note that we recommend younger children to be accompanied by an adult at all times. See also "Can I bring an accompanying person to re:publica?".

Of course! The easiest way is buying a regular ticket for your companion.
But there are other options as well:

• Assistants for people with disabilities
  re:publica wishes to be accessible for all people, which is why we make an effort to make re:publica as accessible as possible, with low barriers, offering assistance wherever we can. Individuals with disabilities may bring an accompanying person to re:publica. An accompanying person must not necessarily be specified in your ID. Please contact us in advance via ticket (at) re-publica.com stating your ticket number and a brief explanation or evidence of your accompanying person in your ID. Please contact us as soon as possible!
   
• “Nannies”
  If you bring your child to re:publica it may be possible to receive a special ticket for childcare helpers (e.g. grandparents, parents, close friends). Please contact us via ticket (at) re-publica.com no later than April 24th July 27th 2020.
   
• Other accompanying persons
  At re:publica all participants should feel comfortable and safe at all times. If you need an accompanying person or accompanying animal, please contact us via ticket (at) re-publica.com as soon as possible!

Admission for accompanying persons can only be granted with a written confirmation from us. Please make sure to contact us early.

Yes! We assume that re:publica 2020, like its predecessors, will again qualify for educational leave in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Berlin and Hamburg. Please read our how-to guide on last year's website.

We are constantly checking whether it's possible to add more federal states to our list. Unfortunately, since educational leave is a state matter, the procedures and requirements differ considerably from state to state.

We received over 1,100 submissions last year and our Programme Team had to reject quite a few. See the "Call for Participation" FAQ for more information.

No, unfortunately not. But you can resell and transfer your Early Bird Ticket at a later date to someone else, no problem. See "How do I transfer my ticket to another person?" for more.

The courtyard of STATION Berlin is only open to the public on day "0"—the "pre:publica". For all other days a regular ticket or an evening ticket is needed to enter.

You can submit your proposal in German or English. Note: your submission must be written in the language in which you will be holding your session (talk, discussion, workshop, off stage action, etc.).

No.
Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the programme team for late submissions if these relate to important current events. The program team may also request these.

Submissions for the section "Off Stage Action" are accepted until 2020-02-28. 

“Tracks” are general categories which you can assign your submission to, for example “Politics”. This year’s selection consists of:

• Politics
• Education
• Journalism/Media
• Culture
• Technology
• Work
• City
• Lifestyles

Read more about our #rp20 tracks here:
Tracks and Topics

“Topics” are key themes for 2020 that help us set a specific focus. Some have become so important that they return every year, like the “Global Innovation Gathering (GIG)” or “re:learn” for all things concerning education and digitisation. Another example of a topic is “science:fiction”, which we integrated into the programme in 2017, with the aim of examining utopias for our future coexistence. Some “Topics” have already been formulated for the CfP, others are added over the course of the CfP phase and the programme planning. We assign your submissions to specific “Topics”.

You must select a “Track” (category) for your submission in the form. “Topics” are optional.

Read more about our #rp20 topics here:
Tracks and Topics

“Tracks” are general thematic fields which you can assign your submission to, for example “Politics”, “Work” or “Culture”.

“Topics” are key themes which help us set a specific focus.

All “Tracks” (categories) are already set when the Call for Participation (CfP) is launched. We have already defined the concept for some “Topics” for the CfP, others are added over the course of the CfP phase.

Read more about our #rp20 tracks and topics here:
Tracks and Topics

The MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin (MCB) is one of Europe’s pioneering media congresses. It is organised by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg and will be taking place in cooperation with re:publica for the seventh time in 2020.

While the MCB is the most important and closest partner of re:publica, both the MCB and re:publica plan and curate their programmes independently. We keep each other informed of the program planning and exchange information. However, the MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin is an independent event and not a re:publica track.
If you are interested in submitting proposals for the MEDIA CONVENTION, please continue reading I want to participate in the MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin. Is that possible?

re:publica offers different formats. You can select between the following in the CfP form:

• 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 3 speakers plus presenter => that's a total limit of 4 featured persons including the moderator. GENDER BALANCE applies to all formats. We strive to be 100 % diverse so a minimum of 50 % of speakers must be female.
• Workshop (1-2 hours, can be longer in exceptional cases)
  Intensive (practical) session in which knowledge on a specific topic is communicated or specific skills are mediated.
  1-2 workshop leaders
• Off Stage Action (varies)
  Flash mob, field research, installation, exhibition, concert, pop-up happening, DJ* set, activities with re:publica visitors and working with the results on-site—bring your ideas to re:publica!
  • Action: Flashmob, field research, performance, walking act...
  • Pop-Up: VR-space, happening, games...
  • Installation: Paintings, photographs, installations...
  • Music: Jam sessions, DJ*, bands...

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

A session can last 30 or 60 minutes. Workshop sessions last 60 or 90 minutes. There should also be time left for Q&A at the end of sessions.

• 30-minute session = 20 minutes content + 10 minutes Q&A (will be lead by the stage host or moderator)
• 60-minute session = 45-50 minutes content + 10-15 minutes Q&A (will be lead by the stage host or moderator)
• 90-minute slots are meant for workshops only

The programme team curates the content from the community's proposals submitted via the Call for Participation (CfP), but also specifically invites speakers* and advises partners. It also cooperates with external co-curators. Since the programme team and the co-curators* have the greatest influence in this process and ultimately make the decision on acceptance and rejection, the CfP is a modified form of crowdsourcing.

The CfP is a good barometer to identify topics of interest to the re:publica community. At the same time, the CfP leads to bringing new ideas and surprises to the re:publica.

The call for rp20 runs from Oct. 15 2019 until Dec. 15 2019 (23:59, CET )

The programme team and the programme committee will evaluate all proposals from Dec. 1 2019 until mid-February 2020.

We will be contacting all submitting parties beginning mid-February 2020, sending out confirmation of acceptance or notices of rejection.

Off Stage Actions will be evaluated until the end of March.

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

Yes.
The account allows you to register yourself as a speaker, manage your information and submit a proposal for the CfP. You can edit your proposal at any time—even after it's submitted but only until the deadline! Account registration and setup is free and only takes a few minutes. Just head over to https://20.re-publica.com/en/user/register.

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.

Yes.
If you've registered for re:publica after 2014, you can continue to use your account. Please log in on the website for your rp-event using your old login details and simply update your profile.

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

Download Session Form   |    Download Off Stage-Action Form

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.

Video material from a conference or event you have already spoken at 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 are not made public. You should, however, own the rights to use them.

Not necessarily, but it can help us better understand your submission. If your video doesn’t have to do with your topic, but can help convince us of your qualities as a speaker, then feel free to use it.

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".

Yes, of course. We want the re:publica to be colourful and exciting. It’s wonderful when everyone pitches in so that we can celebrate a great event each year. Unfortunately, we have quite a tight budget so please be resource-friendly in your planning. We’re only able to help out in exceptios and only to a limited degree. But don’t hold back, we’ve had lots of creative ideas for the realisation of great installations and activities in the past.

How: Login, click "Add content", select "Off Stage Action", enter your short thesis and description and select from one of the following formats: actions, pop-up, installation or music. At the end of the form you can add more performers.

In order to streamline our planning, we will already require some basic details for the implementation of your action.

Do you already have a tech rider? Then please submit it to us.

A good Off Stage Action

• leaves a lasting impression
• is implementable within the means and space available
• values the privacy of participants and other visitors

The more action, the better! In order for you not to outshine each other we take care that each idea gets enough space. Since space is however limited, we have to carefully select from your submissions.

Please also read our how-to-page on this and the Session Guidelines.

Characters = all characters incl. spaces

• Your bio consists of 1,000 characters max.

Session:

• The Title consists of 100 characters max.

• The short thesis consists of 350 characters max.

• The session description consists of 2,000 characters max. (longer texts will not be reviewed / only reviewed to a length of 2,000 characters)

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)

Yes. Even though the MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin curatorial team plans its programme independently they are still happy to receive input from the re:publica community.

You can select “MEDIA CONVENTION” as a “Topic” in the CfP form if you would like to apply. The MCB team will then decide on the acceptance or rejection of your submission (and not the re:publica programme team).

Each person has to first set up a speaker account (see FAQs). Only then can they create a session for which they will be solely responsible. If you won’t be participating yourself, then you will have to enter the speaker and contact information and forward them the password. A valid email address is necessary as we will be sending important information for the speakers to the listed email address via our system.

Obvious advertising and marketing pitches do not stand a chance in the Call for Particiation (CfP). The re:publica audience, the programme team and the programme committee wish to have inspiring and well-researched content that deals with the challenges facing our digital society and presents potential solutions. There is no interest in marketing pitches disguised as educational sessions.

This does not mean that the visitors of re:publica are not interested in the newest digital products or services. In case you want to present or pitch your innovation, please get in touch with our colleagues from Partner Management, who are happy to help out with more information of how to get involved: partner[at]re-publica.com

While it is possible to edit and submit multiple proposals, we will only be taking the most recent submission into account. Only in exceptional cases will we consider a second proposal. Quality over quantity!

Yes.
The CfP form can be edited up until December 15, 2019. After the end of the deadline, your submission will be final and you should make changes to it only in consultation with the programme team (we are able to see when and by whom a submission was edited in our system).

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!

As long as you can access your session from the dashboard while logged in, it is saved and submitted correctly. You don't need to do anything else. 

Your session will be published once it is accepted for the conference programme and we will inform you via email before we publish it.

Please thoroughly check your username and password and make sure that you chose the right domain (use the rp20 website, not the global landingpage). If that doesn't solve the problem: Don’t worry. Our team is happy to help you with any technical problems (that you haven’t been able to solve yourself after several attempts) via info[at]re-publica.com.

Should you not have found any answers in our extensive FAQs (please, please, PLEASE read through them carefully and thoroughly) feel free to contact the programme team via programme[at]re-publica.com. 

After the CfP deadline, we will contact you to tell you if your session has been accepted or not. Please be patient, we usually receive over 1,000 submissions.

Yes. You will receive a 3-day ticket and yummy catering on the day of your talk.

Yes. Co-speakers will also receive a 3-day ticket as well as catering on the day of your talk.

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.

In general, you should submit an idea that you can execute yourself. That said, if you have a great idea that may require our help for its implementation, we suggest you get in contact with the programme team as soon as possible via programme[at]re-publica.de. We will then evaluate whether we will be able to help out or can find others to help you.

No.
You are responsible for your session. That said, should there be any urgent issues, we are happy to offer advice.

Yes, please. We look forward to your voluntary commitment, dedication and your curiosity! Please reach out to the programme team via programme[at]re-publica.com.

Yes.
That's because they will be added to the respective sessions. Just like speakers, presenters/moderators and stage hosts will also be accredited at the entrance to the conference. Please note that presenters should only be added to a session after prior consultation and confirmed availability.

The re:publica feeds off of creativity and a wealth of ideas. The big societal, political and technological challenges don’t change overnight. But don’t worry: we always leave a few slots open until April so that we are able to include current events in the programme.

Generally speaking, the sooner we select the sessions, the better we can bundle them together into topic tracks, consult with the speaker, fine-tune—and, last but not least, allow for visitors to start planning early.

Although there will be meetups taking place on-site, these may no longer be proposed. Please follow our blog and social media channels in order to receive updates regarding the programme.