Jena, the city where the projection planetarium was born, along with Berlin, the city of reunification, are thrilled to invite you to IPS 2024! After six long years apart, we are excited to finally have an in person IPS conference once again. And not just any conference – the centennial conference! We believe the conference will be a wonderful opportunity for all delegates to learn, network and grow as planetarians. It will also be an opportunity to discover Europe, celebrate in the country where our profession was born, and to work together to guide us forward into the next 100 years.
Planetariums have transformed into palaces of wonder, knowledge, and even entertainment over the last 100 years. They are a place where everyone is welcome to marvel at the sky and our universe (and even other subjects like the human body and aquatic life). It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, what you look like, or what you believe; the sky belongs to everyone.
We have chosen the theme United Under the Sky for IPS 2024. We feel it truly sets the tone for not just the conference, but the next 100 years of planetaria. We planetarians are united in our common goal of sharing our passion for astronomy with others. When we work together with our colleagues all over the world, we see the most success. It is in sharing our diversity that planetariums and planetarians are able to shine.
The sky is what brings us together, but United Under the Sky also has another meaning for us here in Berlin and Germany. 2024 will also be the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. For 40 years, Berlin was a divided city and Germany a divided country. It did not matter if you were in the East or the West; the beautiful sky was still something that could be shared. We feel that bringing everyone together from all over the world (East and West) here in Jena and Berlin during the Centennial of the Planetarium and the 35 Year Anniversary of the beginning of reunification makes perfect sense. We are indeed, United Under the Sky.
During the IPS 2024 Conference, it is our goal to enable participants to explore new and different ways to work together. Naturally, we will continue to learn about best practices and new technology. However, we want everyone in our community to be able to branch out and make new connections around the world to create the best programs for our planetarium visitors.
