Last week for discounted tickets!
We caught up with Marta Molińska, one of the ESS organizers to find out more about this event, and why it would be worth grabbing one of the last discounted tickets on offer …
Marta, who is the Symposium for? Manufacturers, DZOs, Instructors, Joe Jumper?
It may sound like a cliché, but it is for everyone. We have prepared 5 separate ‘tracks’ for different kinds of jumpers. ‘Fun Jumper’ track is on all 3 days of the event, and professional tracks on specific dates according to the agenda. We’ll have Tandem/Camera Stage, DZ Management Stage, Instructors Stage, Riggers Stage and one additional Stage in the Expo Area where our Sponsors can also share their educational content with the audience during breaks.
What is on offer for Joe Jumper?
Apart from the obvious – entry for all seminars, workshops, discussion panels and the Expo – a ticket includes raffle tickets, a live translation set (if needed), After Party on Thursday, ESS T-shirt, refreshments through the day, all lunches, and a goodie backpack from Sponsors.
Live translation ? How does that work ?
Participants borrow a headset for the day. When they watch a seminar given in an unfamiliar language, it is instantly translated by our professional team into English/Polish though the headphones. This makes the important content of the safety seminars available to all, and allows the speakers to be most comfortable speaking in their native language.
What is the balance of languages across the seminars? Are most in English ? Polish ?
90% of presentations are in English, we only have four seminars in Polish. Past events have proved the translation to be very effective.
What are the prizes on offer at the daily raffle? Could someone win back the price of their ESS ticket?
We have amazing prizes on offer. Some of the highlights are…
- A free PD Optimum canopy
- 50% off voucher for a Vector container
- Cookie helmet of your choice
- 20% off vouchers for a Javelin container
- Altimeters and suits from Parasport Italia
- Free entry for XMas Boogie 2024 from Skydive Spain
- Jump blocks from 5 different DZs
We are still gathering info and prizes from sponsors, this will continue right up to the event. And, yes, it’s perfectly possible for participants to win prizes worth more than the ESS registration. Are you feeling lucky?!
Describe the Symposium in 6 words
Educational, safety-oriented, intense, challenging, social, fun!
You have a very interesting list of seminars; can you share that with us?
Sure! I’m very excited about how the line-up turned out to be full of true superstars and very experienced people from our sport. We’ll have a keynote speech by Brian Germain, but also super important topics will be covered by Albert Berchtold, Maxine Tate, Martin Kristensen, Beau Riebe, Jasper van der Meer and so many others.
The list goes on and on, as we’ll be hosting 38 Speakers from literally all around the world.
There is a summary below, and the full agenda can be downloaded from here, However, we always recommend to download the mobile app, as the most current agenda is there.
Tell me more about the ESS App
The App each year, free to download, called ‘Skydiving Symposium’, it’s available for Android and iOS. You have the full agenda at hand, and you can mark the presentations you’re particularly interested in and you’ll get a 10-minute call before they begin! 😎
Moreover there is a floor plan, social activities, important updates, sponsors’ special offers and all speakers’ details.
You can ask questions through the app and the MC will ask them for you by the end of the talk. Moreover you can rate the presentation afterwards. These ratings are collated to decide the winner of the Tom Noonan Award for the best speaker of the Symposium.
It’s a 3-day event, do you recommend coming for all 3 days? Are there different things on offer each day?
Not even one seminar is repeated, so they’re all unique. Also, they are not recorded, so being in person is the only way to benefit from the knowledge being shared during all the sessions. What’s also important is that every day we have a raffle with some serious and valuable prizes from our great Sponsors.
Of course, my recommendation is to attend all 3 days of the show. 🙂
What about the hotel, why did you choose this venue?
We chose the Warszawianka Hotel as the venue for three reasons; the size that can support our symposium, fabulous food, and the additional recreational facilities for participants – swimming pool, spa bowling, etc. We know skydivers are social people and these amenities will be enjoyed to the max!
There are three restaurants, a club, and various bars at the hotel, the rooms are excellent, it is one of the best hotels in Warsaw.
How about the social aspects? Are there get-togethers and parties?
The coffee breaks and lunches every day provide a great opportunity to socialise, chat to the speakers, meet up with old friends and make some new ones. At previous events participants really valued the chance to chat to their ‘heroes’ informally over a drink or meal.
At the end of the first day there will be a special Pre-Party for Sponsors, Speakers and Ambassadors as a way of thanking them for their amazing contribution to the ESS. All other participants can benefit from the facilities at the venue – pool, bowling, spa or other informal activities.
The big After Party takes place on the second day – the format of the party is still “under construction”, because we want this to be at least as epic as the last one.
How many different nations do you expect ?
Currently, we have representatives from 18 different nationalities, most of them from Europe, but there will be guests from other continents, too, especially from the USA.
You have an Ambassadors’ programme, with representatives in many European countries, what’s the function of the Ambassadors?
We launched this program before this edition, and it’s working! We raised the foreign percentage of participants from 25% to 45%!
In each country, we want to have one or two people who are our representatives and can answer questions from potential participants about the event, dates, venue, logistics, tickets etc. This way, they can reach out to someone they know in person or at least speak their native language. All the ambassadors have been to at least one of previous events, so they know the score and can give real advice. They are not paid for their services, they do it for Love!
You can find a list of the Ambassadors here.
How many people do you have registered to date, and what sort of balance from overseas and within Poland?
We have over 450 people registered to date, they are around 250 within Poland and 200 from other countries.
How about dropzones? What if they would like to come and find out the latest safety information for their DZ?
We invite all dropzones to join our DZ Programme, where a DZ can join either as a supporting dropzone to get 1 free ticket for an agreed way of local advertising of the ESS, usually by emailing their jumpers. In addition, dropzones can apply for a booth in the Expo hall to better address their offer to all participants on site.
The event is 6-8 March 2024, just before Safety Day in most countries, is this deliberate ?
We consider ESS as the biggest ‘Safety Day’ before the season starts. Many DZs focus on local safety rules, pattern building and malfunctions. During ESS, we cover general topics that can apply to all DZs. I think the best preparation for the season is attending the ESS and joining the local Safety Day at your dropzone. We know in the past, DZs have found our symposium helpful to provide extra material for their own Safety Day.
How are the preparations going, is there much to still put in place?
We’re just 5 weeks away from the event and the most important aspects are ready: the agenda, the speakers and the Expo Hall. Now we can focus on details that are I’m aware that are often appreciated: good food, useful mobile app, party aspects, etc
Travel arrangements, where do people fly to and how do they get to the hotel? Do they need to hire a car ?
Everyone outside Poland flies to Warsaw (WAW). We have the shuttle buses secured for participants, so there is no need to rent a car. The buses will also work on the last day of the event and on Saturday so getting back to the airport is also very easy.
How much does it cost?
Currently, we still have the discounted ticket cost: 53 euro per day. For the last month before the show, the price is a bit higher, although still very much affordable given all the aspects that are covered by a ticket.
What’s the last date to get the discounted tickets?
31st of January. Your readers can book it here.
This is the third European Skydiving Symposium, yes? Do you have many people coming back from previous years?
Well, it’s the third EUROPEAN Skydiving Symposium, we had 2 local editions before 2020.
And yes, a lot of people see value in such meetings. We are always very happy to see people coming back. Each edition is completely different content-wise, so attending the last one is not a reason to skip this one! 😉
Where can we find out more?
On our social media channels (Facebook & Instagram) and on our website… and/or watch this short interview where the organisers talk to Regan Tetlow about their preparations.
Any final thoughts for our readers?
Don’t forget your swimsuit! 😉
