Defence Industry Symposium 2026

Speaker Information

Estonian Defence Week 2026 (EDW26) · The Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel), Tallinn · 22 September 2026

Dear speaker, thank you for joining the EDW26 Symposium. This document gathers the practical information you need for your appearance on the Symposium stage in the Black Box hall. If anything remains unclear, our technical team is happy to help - contact details are at the end of this document.

1. Accreditation

Registration for accreditation

No action is needed from you: the details of speakers and their accompanying persons have already been collected during the Symposium programme correspondence, and our accreditation team registers everyone in the EDW26 accreditation system.
If any details need clarification, we will contact you by e-mail beforehand.
One week before the event, you and your accompanying persons will each receive an e-mail with on-site accreditation instructions and your personal QR code. Please keep an eye on your inbox - your EDW26 access rights are linked to the e-mail address you have used in our correspondence.

On-site accreditation

Accreditation takes place at the Accreditation Centre on Level 1, accessed via the Accreditation Entrance. Please enter via the Accreditation Entrance to collect your badge - the Main Entrance is reserved for accredited badge holders.
A dedicated Speakers desk is available for fast-track accreditation. Please present the personal QR code from your accreditation information e-mail - on your mobile device or printed - it lets us identify you instantly and makes accreditation faster and more convenient.
Accompanying persons are welcome to accredit together with the speaker at the Speakers desk. If an accompanying person arrives separately, they can collect their badge at any general accreditation desk. The same requirements apply to everyone: the personal QR code from the accreditation e-mail and a valid photo ID.

Accreditation Centre opening hours

Monday, 21 September: 07:30-22:00
Tuesday, 22 September: 07:30-19:00 (Symposium day)
Wednesday, 23 September: 07:30-19:00
Thursday, 24 September: 07:30-18:00

Identification and badges

Please bring a valid government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID card) to collect your badge. Company IDs or photocopies are not accepted.
Badges are personal, non-transferable, and must be visibly displayed at all times within the venue. Security personnel may carry out random ID checks.

2. Format and confidentiality

The Symposium is an invitation-only event and is held under the Chatham House Rule. Participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of any speaker may be revealed outside the event.

The Symposium is not livestreamed, rebroadcast or shared online.
Speeches are not recorded by the organiser, except where separately agreed in advance.
If you or your organisation wish to record your own speech, this is possible by prior agreement. Any recording is announced to the audience before the speech.
Our technical team can also produce a professional video recording of your speech for your own use - please let us know in advance if you would like this.

3. Social media

In keeping with the Chatham House Rule, we kindly ask all speakers and their teams to follow these principles on social media: you are welcome to share that you attended and spoke at the EDW26 Symposium, and to post about your own remarks and materials. Please do not quote, photograph or attribute the remarks of other speakers or participants, and do not share images in which other speakers or attendees are identifiable without their consent.

4. Programme and speaking time

The working language of the Symposium is English; no interpretation is provided.

The Symposium takes place on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 in the Black Box hall at Kultuurikatel. The full programme is published online. Please plan your remarks to fit within your allocated slot - a timing clock on stage shows you exactly how much time remains.

Outline of the day

08:00 Doors open, morning coffee
09:00 Programme at Black Box
10:20 EXPO break
10:30 Programme at Black Box
12:00 Lunch & VIP Lunch
13:00 Programme at Black Box
14:00 Break
14:10 Programme at Black Box
14:30 Break
14:45 Programme at Black Box
16:00 Closing remarks - end of the stage programme at Black Box
16:00-18:00 Tallinn Defence Expo visit - Expo Arenas and the outdoor area at Kultuurikatel (the Black Box hall closes at 16:00 for the ABCD Conference rehearsal)

5. Rehearsal

A short technical stage rehearsal is available for Symposium speakers on Monday, 21 September, within the 18:00-19:00 window. If you would like a rehearsal, please inform our technical administrator Marko Levo (tech@kingent.ee) no later than 16 September 2026. Based on the notifications received, we will compile a precise rehearsal schedule, allocating each speaker a dedicated slot of up to 8 minutes, and confirm your exact rehearsal time in advance.

If you do not opt for a rehearsal, our technical administrator will walk you through all the practical staging details right before your stage time, once your microphone has been fitted.

Please note that expo build-up is under way at the venue on the rehearsal evening - our programme administrator will meet you and guide you to the Black Box hall.

6. Stage setup

A lectern is available on stage if you prefer to use one - please let us know your preference.
We generally encourage speakers to move freely on stage, as this creates a more engaging delivery - but the most important thing is what feels most comfortable for you.
A presentation clicker is available on stage for advancing your slides.
Confidence monitors are positioned at the front edge of the stage, showing either presenter view or a duplicate of the main screen - your choice.
A timing clock is clearly visible from the stage.
We use wireless headset microphones for the best audio quality.

7. What to wear

Because we use headset microphones with a wireless bodypack transmitter, please keep the following in mind when planning your outfit:

Wear a belt, waistband or a jacket with a pocket where the transmitter can be attached.
Please avoid earrings, or choose small, non-moving ones - dangling jewellery can cause audible noise on the headset microphone.

8. Slides and screen materials

Slides, images and videos are most welcome on the main LED screen. Please prepare all screen content in 16:9 aspect ratio:

Slides: PowerPoint, Keynote or PDF, 1920 × 1080 px, all fonts embedded.
Images: JPG or PNG, 1920 × 1080 px or 3840 × 2160 px.
Videos: full HD or 4K, sent as separate files. Video sound is played through the hall audio system.
All presentations run from our central presentation system - personal laptops cannot be connected on stage.

Please send all materials by 16 September 2026, either by e-mail to tech@kingent.ee or via the secure Dropbox File Request. No Dropbox account is needed, and uploads go directly to the organiser's private folder - they are not visible to other speakers.

When uploading via the File Request, please enter your full name when Dropbox asks for it - it is added to your file names automatically. Name your files Organisation_FileDescription (e.g. NATO_keynote.pdf, NATO_video1.mp4). If you submit by e-mail instead, please also add your last name to the file name (e.g. Smith_NATO_keynote.pdf). We pre-check all screen content before the event.

9. Introduction and Q&A

Each speaker is introduced by the moderator of the day. If you would like to be introduced in a particular way, please send us a short introduction text; otherwise we use your published bio.
Audience Q&A is not planned by default. If you would like a Q&A after your speech, we can arrange this with the moderator of the day - please let us know in advance.

10. Your arrival on the Symposium day - step by step

We recommend arriving at the venue at least 60 minutes before your stage time. The checkpoint letters below match the venue plans at the end of this document. Your route from the door to the stage:

Accreditation (Level 1). Enter via the Accreditation Entrance (A) and collect your badge at the dedicated Speakers desk in the Accreditation Centre (B). Please have ready the personal QR code from your accreditation information e-mail - on your phone or printed - together with your passport or national ID card.
Head up to Level 2. Take the staircase next to the Catering Tent (E) - the Speakers Green Room is directly at the top of these stairs. (The audience stairs (D) lead into the Black Box hall.)
Check in at the Speakers Green Room (G) no later than 30 minutes before your stage time. Our audio technician will fit and check your headset microphone there, in the privacy of the Green Room.
Final briefing. After the microphone check, our technical administrator Marko Levo will walk you through the staging details - your entrance to the stage, the clicker, confidence monitors, timing clock and your cue.
Wait comfortably. Until your slot, you are welcome to relax in the Speakers Green Room or take your reserved seat in the front row of the hall - our programme administrator will guide you and give you your cue to the stage.

11. Getting to the venue

The Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel), Kursi tn 3, 10415 Tallinn · Google Maps

Walking: a short walk from the Old Town, Viru Gate and the Port of Tallinn.
Public transport: buses 3, 21, 21B, 41, 41B and 66 (alight at “Linnahall”); trams 1, 2 and 5 (alight at “Linnahall” or “Suur Rannavärav”).
By air: the venue is 6.5 km from Tallinn Airport; taxis can easily reach the venue.

12. Parking

Parking is available in the paid public car parks around Kultuurikatel, on general terms. For directions and up-to-date parking information, please see the EDW26 venue page.

13. Catering and Speakers Green Room

Speakers are catered together with Symposium delegates at the Catering Tent.
Bottled water is provided on stage for speakers.

Speakers Green Room

A dedicated Speakers Green Room is located in the Woodblock Hall, directly next to the Black Box hall. It is at your disposal throughout the Symposium day for quiet preparation, breaks between programme blocks and informal meetings. The Green Room is open to Symposium speakers on 22 September from 08:00 to 17:00, with coffee, tea, water and light snacks available.

You are welcome to leave your coat and bags in the Green Room during your time at the Symposium.

14. Wi-Fi

Speakers can use the open PUBLIC Wi-Fi network at Kultuurikatel, available throughout the venue.

15. Photography

An official event photographer is present. Photos of your speech can be shared with you afterwards for your own and your organisation's communication use.

16. Venue plans

The venue plans are provided below in a responsive format. The checkpoint letters match the step-by-step arrival guide in section 10:

Plan 1 - Level 1: Arrival & Accreditation. Accreditation Entrance (A), Accreditation Centre / Speakers desk (B), Main Entrance (C), audience stairs to the Black Box hall (D) and the staircase to the Speakers Green Room (E), with the recommended speaker route marked.
Plan 2 - Level 2: Black Box & Speakers Green Room. Entry points from the stairs (D, E), Speakers Green Room (G), Technical control / FOH (F) and the route from the Green Room towards the stage.
Plan 3 - Black Box Stage Plan. Stage elevation and plan view: stage 14 × 3.5 m, LED screens, lectern, panel seating, confidence monitors, the reserved front row and the route from FOH to the stage.