Once a year, Germany’s geek scene gathers in Berlin for re:publica (#rp11), an excellent spot to meet up & chat and hopefully even catch a few great sessions.
The conference is going to go from Wednesday to Friday – at least that’s the core event. Over the years, more and more smaller, often less official satellite events have started gathering around the core. (I just snuck out of one before writing this post, and am missing another one as I’m typing this.) Not to mention all the nice & cozy geek dinners. You get the idea.
I’m a bit bummed I’ll be missing out on a big chunk of the action this year as I’m headed for New York on Thursday. But that doesn’t mean the one day at #rp11 isn’t going to be good. I really appreciate what the organizing team has been putting together here, it’s really quite incredible how well everything tends to turn out, which is also the reason that #rp11 has been growing and growing. From one middle-sized event space it has also taken over Friedrichstadtpalast, usually used for musical shows – which is why re:publica happens to feature the biggest conference stage in Europe, according to the organizers. (I believe the big hall holds some 2.200 or so seats.)
For me personally it’s also always a bit of a special event since I know plenty of folks there, it’s like a bunch of friends are coming into town. Also, similar to the last few years, Netzpiloten.de (who I’ve been working with for years) will be recording interviews and might be able to squeeze you in. Ping me if you have something to say (no product pitches). Also, a lot of close friends will be presenting at #rp11, including Martin Spindler (not once, but twice I think) and Michelle Thorne, who’ll be not only presenting on the big stage but also moderating it most of the day.
Long story short: Make sure to say hi on Wednesday at re:publica, or ping me if you’d like to meet up in NYC from Thursday this week to Thursday. And of course don’t forget to say thanks to the volunteers, who I’m sure are putting a huge amount of work and energy into this event.
