All systems go for re:publica in Thessaloniki

We were really happy to see everyone who came and gave us a visit on the first day of #rpTHE.

re:publica co-founder and CEO Andreas Gebhard took care of the honours and opened the re:publica in Thessaloniki on September 11.

Klaus Lederer is Berlin’s Deputy Mayor and Senator for Culture and Europe. In his view culture is a possibility for building up new connections and networks within Europe.

German Consul Walter Stechel touched on the importance of creating a European public sphere. He sees re:publica as being about creating those new spaces on the map and that it would continue to do so.

Markus Beckedahl, re:publica co-founder and editor-in-chief at netzpolitik.org, took the audience on a journey back to re:publica’s beginnings eleven years ago, before looking forward to what the future has in store for our digital society.

The Secretary General of the Ministry for Communication and Media Lefteris Kretsos held a talk about the future of television. He was critical of how big companies, such as Amazon TV and Netflix, are captivating the public’s attention, but still sees TV as having a chance as there is still good revenue being made in the sector. While there is no need to be afraid of new technologies, investments need to be made to ensure a higher standard of quality.

Unfortunately, Mayor Yannis Boutaris was not able to attend the opening ceremony.

Our programme keeps rolling on September 12 and you can find all our speakers listed here. Feeling spontaneous and want to stop by? Then grab a ticket for the #rpTHE.