Ticket sales have been online since Monday, 11 November. “The good news: All systems are running smoothly. The homepage and web shop work perfectly. The even better news: Demand is enormous. We have seen a particularly high level of interest from guests who signed up for the newsletter and were thus informed in advance,” says ball organizer Oliver Lehmann, summing up the first 48 hours of sales. To sign up for the newsletter, simply send an email to ball@wissenschaftsball.at with the subject “Ball Info”. Tickets for the anniversary ball can be booked at www.wissenschaftsball.at/shop/. Prices: €120 for regular tickets, €40 for students. Tables can also be booked in the shop for the time being.
Lehmann: “For ten years, we have been celebrating enlightenment, rationality, curiosity and evidence as the foundations of a society that is facing the future with the Science Ball. With around 4,000 guests, the ball has established itself as Vienna’s youngest traditional ball. We want to continue this tradition with our anniversary ball on January 25, 2025. The Science Ball represents the diversity, size and excellence of the universities, technical colleges, private universities and research institutions in the greater Vienna area.”
The program in the ballrooms of the town hall is a stimulating mix of amazing scientific presentations from the “Sounds of Entanglement” of quantum physics to ball gowns made from recycled laboratory waste to insect-eating Venus flytraps as floral decorations. And in the usual excellent quality, music from waltz and jazz to soul and tango, including the opening committee and midnight quadrille.
Once again, the rectors, presidents and heads of all Viennese universities, private universities, technical colleges as well as the ÖAW, IIASA and ISTA form the honorary committee, thus underlining the relevance of Vienna as the most important university and research location in Central Europe. Highlights of the program will be announced over the coming weeks, as will the ball ambassadors from science, business, culture and society.
A special item on the program is the Vienna Lecture on Science Communication on the day before the ball: On Friday, January 24th, at 4 p.m., the renowned German media and political scientist Maja Göpel will speak in the ÖAW’s ballroom about the need for good science communication in challenging times. Participation is free, registration is required, and tickets are available while supplies last: www.wissenschaftsball.at/vienna-lecture-25/