EVENTS: On Tour 2023 about to start in Warsaw
Details about Summit on Tour 2023 in Warsaw, so that those who attend can better plan their visit – and those considering future events, can get a better idea of the format of the event.
Good morning, dear community: our first conference on tour is about to start tomorrow in Warsaw. How exciting! Another city, another country, another currency, but still the same deceiving weather that's too cold in the morning and too hot in the afternoon.
How do you know that you have arrived to Poland? Easy! The unique flag.
Oh wait.
How about this, then: you are in Poland, if the best hotel in town is called Raffles.
Though there's Raffles Singapore, Raffles Jakarta and Raffles Warsaw. And even Monaco has a property that's marketed as "The Raffles of the World".
Well, let the language guide you:
In Jakarta, the Raffles is at Ciputra World 1.
In Singapore, the Raffles is at 1 Beach Road.
And in Warsaw, it's at an easy-to-spell Krakowskie Przedmieście 13.
There you have it: let the language be your guide!
All you need to know to get around this town is one simple phrase:
"Dzień dobry! Poproszę kawę latte z ciepłym ale nie gorącym mlekiem migdałowym i bez plastikowej zakrętki z papierową słomką; i jeśli nadal będziesz tak na mnie patrzył, zapłacę zagraniczną kartą kredytową, która zepsuje ci terminal."
WELCOME TO WARSAW!
Welcome to Warsaw, and welcome to the first Summit on Tour!
We started the conference 8 years ago in Vilnius as a friendly get-together for the small group of lawyers who focus on the games industry. Over the years, the event expanded in reach, until we faced the dilemma of either going massive or turning it into a more conservative, exclusive club (when we use 'exclusive' here, we mean it in a suffocating way, like excluding the chance to grow and develop).
We opted for a third option (how smart!): creating another annual event outside of our home base, so that we can retain the atmosphere of a friendly gathering while being more open to new people (and let's be honest: we were also eager to check out other cities, so as to avoid the fate of fossilising here, in our little village).
Warsaw won as the first city where we go on tour – based on the ease of access*, the strength of its games industry cluster (very likely to be over 15.000 FTE in the industry now, with nearly 100 listed companies) and the atmosphere of old and new that’s in the air here.
Initially, the program of the event was meant to be an introduction to the games industry law, the “unpacking” (one of the sharp minds in the community has earlier suggested, seeing the mermaid art, to rename it into "uncovering").
However, over the course of revisions with the community board, we struck out all the basic content (from “current business models” to “types of agreements”) – because most attendees are already established professionals in the field, and were eager for more specialized discussions.
At that point, we made the mental shift from Games Industry Law Unpacked (the original title of the event) to Summit on Tour (the current concept) – ultimately, with the event in Warsaw we aim for the same high-level content that we serve in Vilnius, without any watering down.
Over the coming two days, 44 speakers will deliver to you 14 hours of content across 15 panels and presentations – and that's not including the war stories over morning coffees, or the late-night confessions after the beers that should have stayed in the bottle.
This issue of the newsletter will help you make the most out of the conference. We hope that you will enjoy the program, and we hope that those of you who will visit Warsaw for the first time, will fall in love with this vibrant city!
// Sergei, Alma, Mindaugas @ Charlie Oscar
* – "ease of access" has been, perhaps, an overtly optimistic view; several in-house counsels had to undertake special arrangements to enter the country, and some couldn't come at all – including our program director, Sergei, who sends you his best regards from the office.
THE MERMAID OF WARSAW
Before we move on to the logistics, a quick note to those who come to the city for the first time: the Mermaid of Warsaw that you will see on the attendee bags, the event’s notebooks, and t-shirts, has a story that starts before Christopher Columbus landed in North America (but already after Leif Eriksson made his voyage to Newfoundland).
Many centuries ago, the city’s protector started as a male half-dragon, then became a woman, and finally swapped its dragon tail with a mermaid’s one. As you will explore Warsaw, you will encounter different kinds of mermaids all over the city – from Hegel’s bronze statue of the mermaid in the Old Town’s Market Square, and to E. Wedel’s mermaid-themed chocolate cakes.
When we created the art for this event, we thought about what a Mermaid of Warsaw would look like, if she were cast as the lead character in a video game – and here we are, with a new symbol based on an ancient lore.
And now, on to the preparations –
THIS EVENT RUNS OUTDOORS
If this is your first time at the Summit, you may be unfamiliar with the outdoor format. Since 2021, we organize our conferences only outdoors, for two reasons:
First, we are still in the era of the airborne pandemic (which includes SARS-2, RSV, flu and whatnot), and as much as we would like just to forget about it, in the late 2022 Europe has experienced excess mortality that exceeded anything from 2021 and came second only to the peak in the spring of 2020. In other words, your uncle Morris may smoke 2 packs a day and feel fine – but the data at a population level clearly shows a substantial negative impact from smoking.
As a public event, we feel the duty to minimize the transmission risks that may be negligible on a personal level but decimate productivity and long-term health at scale. Whether you have attended a press conference at the White House in 2023, or have participated in the World Economic Forum 2022, you could observe daily testing, masking in closed spaces and massive amounts of fresh air pumped in, to ensure everyone’s safety. With our events, we follow the same principles.
Second, once we transitioned to the outdoor format, we discovered the incredible benefits of being able to freely move around at any point in the day, without interrupting presentations – and we loved it. Consider this: back when we ran the Summit out of Kempinski, we used to lock the doors to the main hall to avoid disruptions, which eventually split the attendees into a group that chatted away over coffee and a group that listened to the actual panels.
With the outdoor format, we no longer face this problem. At our events, you can just get up and step aside to have a chat with a colleague or grab a coffee – without losing track of the current presentation. We encourage you to be mindful of the others in the audience, and to make the most of being able to move around during the program, so that the people in the audience are not distracted by on-site chatting.
AGENDA
The detailed schedule is available in the Speaker Directory (the orange book in your attendee bag). There is a total of 14 hours of panels and presentations during the event, with 15 sessions. The agenda is also available online (here).
Last-minute changes:
- 🇫🇷 Andrea Dufaure (Allen & Overy) to lead Litigation & Enforcement at 17:00 on May 10, 2023 as the panel's moderator.
- 🇵🇱 Kuba Jankowski (CD Projekt RED), 🇨🇿 Arturas Vilciauskas (Wargaming) and 🇩🇪 Wojtek Ropel (ADVANT Beiten) to join the cross-country discussion during Artificial Intelligence & Games at 17:00 on May 11, 2023; 🇫🇷 Andrea Dufaure (Allen & Overy), 🇫🇷 Alexandre Rudoni (Allen & Overy) will not be on this panel.
- 🇧🇷 Bárbara Emidio Nascimento (DCA) to replace 🇧🇷 Vanessa Pareja Lerner during the cross-country review Legal Dashboard at 10:30 on May 11, 2023.
SPEAKER DIRECTORY
Each of the conference speakers has their own page in the Speaker Directory, with speakers – and their page numbers – also listed in the agenda (the sequence is alphabetical, sorted by surname). We hope this helps you better understand the experience of the presenters, and there's also a bit of space for notes if you will want to follow-up on a particular issue.
Each page has a QR code that leads you to the LinkedIn page of the presenter, so that you could easier message them when you find yourself in their town. One of the presenters, however, has nuked their LinkedIn page on principle, and in their specific case the link leads to the profile on their law firm's site (we encourage you to find that person, and to convince them to return to our social circle).
LOCATION
All the presentations happen in the Summit’s tent in Elekrownia. This is also where the Morning Coffees and the afternoon Tea Breaks are served on May 10 and May 11.
The Reception on May 9, and the Lunches on May 10 and May 11 are served at the restaurant DOCK19 that’s 500 meters away from the tent. This is also where the Industry Dinner happens on May 10 (if you have a Pro Pass, you will find your dinner ticket clipped to your badge).
REGISTRATION & ACCESS
You can pick up your attendee bag on May 9 from 18:00 at the entrance to the Reception (DOCK19), or on May 10 from 08:00 at the Summit’s tent. Bring a valid photo ID to facilitate the pick-up!
To access the event, you will need your badge. If you lose it, we will not be able to replace it. Please always have it with you during the conference.
Inside of your attendee bag, you will find:
- Your badge (speakers have black lanyards, organizers red)
- A custom event notebook (made in 🇱🇻)
- Speaker Directory
- Holders of Pro Passes: event t-shirt (made in 🇱🇹)
- Holders of Pro Passes: your ticket for Industry Dinner
DRESS CODE
The dress code at the conference is what we call “dress for comfort”, essentially – jeans and hoodies. Think of a studio retreat, or a weekend get-together, or a writer’s room on a Tuesday afternoon. Yes, we are all lawyers here, but we are not in the court, and being comfortable is more important than looking sharp.
Important: because the event runs outdoors, and weather changes, please have a jacket or a coat as it may still be chilly in the mornings. The weather forecast for now promises sunny days (18C/65F), with rather chilly mornings (8C/45F).
OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER
During the event, our official photographer Simas will be always present at the venue. Do feel free to ask him to take a photo of you and your friends, will be happy to help. The full gallery from the event will become available about two weeks after the conference.
CHATHAM HOUSE RULE
The conference follows the Chatham House Rule. No audio or video recording is permitted without the consent of the speakers. You may refer to the statements made at the event, but you may not attribute the specific quotes to the specific people. Please respect the professional spirit of this conference.
CONTACTS
In case of emergencies related to the event, please reach us via mobile. Because we have 230 attendees at the event, we may be unable to respond quickly enough, so it’s also worth a shot to try finding us directly at the location.
MEDICAL CORNER
FFP2 face masks and rapid tests for SARS-2, Flu A/B, ADV and RSV are always available from the organisers (free of charge). If you feel under the weather, we strongly encourage you to run a quick test and wear a mask when in close contact, to keep your colleagues safe.
SECURITY
Please do not leave your belongings unattended. We cannot guarantee the security of the venue in the middle of a large city. We recommend that you behave in the same way that you would behave in a typical large city setting, whether it’s Berlin, Barcelona, or Warsaw (e.g. at Gamescom, GDC or E3).
PROGRAM DIRECTOR & OPERATIONS
The original event director (photo, left) and his backup (photo, right) didn't do their homework, and thus were unable to travel to Warsaw.
But we wouldn't be a collaborative community if we couldn't find not only a replacement, but an improvement: please meet 🇱🇹 Katya Nemova, this year's Program Director, who will lead the event across both days:
If during any of the 15 presentations you will want to ask a quesiton from the floor, please wave to Katya so that she can get you a roaming mike. And if you hear Katya ringing a bell at the start of the new program section, you'd better grab a seat!
As to the ops – whether it's about registration, logistics, or getting the medical kit, – please look for Alma Giedraitiene:
As well as Mindaugas Songaila (though he may look less happy than in this photograph, due to missing some of his sleep):
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If you're attending, we look forward to seeing you at the event – and if not, we hope that you still enjoy the pictures and the reporting, and will consider joining Summit on Tour 2024 in Limassol, Cyprus (April 17-19, 2024).
We'll post the daily reports on the LinkedIn page, plus a summary here on Ghost, once the event wraps at the end of the week.
