Re_d Rethink Digital Fest 2026 in Łódź: a report from the fifth edition of the festival
On 8–9 October 2026 Fabryka Grohmana in Łódź hosted the fifth edition of Re_d Rethink Digital Fest, the technology festival of the Łódź Special Economic Zone, under the theme “Digital Future”. The first day was filled by the main stage, the Business and Society tracks, cybersecurity workshops, the Re_d Demo Showcase, VC Corner and the Rethink After Party, while the second day belonged to the delegation from Osaka and the Osaka Promotion Seminar.
Once again the festival combined technology that works for business results with technology that answers people's needs. One stage discussed artificial intelligence in production and sales, the other education, health and the activity of older generations. The strategic partner was Filmteractive Festival, and the event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Ministry of Development and Technology.
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festival days at Fabryka Grohmana
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parallel tracks: Business in Galanta and Society in Krańcówka
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technology demonstrations in the Re_d Demo Showcase: AI, automation and VR
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companies from Osaka at the Osaka Promotion Seminar
Opening and main stage
The day began with the Łódź AI Breakfast x RETHINK, co-organised by Liki Mobile Solutions. The festival was opened by Tomasz Sadzyński, President of the ŁSSE Management Board, Michał Sobczak, Vice-President of the ŁSSE Management Board, and Olgierd Cygan of Future.Company. The host was Dr Paweł Blajer, journalist, economist and attorney.
The first panel, “Transforming tech into business”, asked how technology turns into real business. The speakers were Jarosław Miszczak (Bluerank), Łukasz Srogosz (Corning Optical Communication), Magdalena Ciesielska (TME) and Bartosz Wilk (Polimex Infrastruktura), moderated by Olgierd Cygan. In the talk “What the FEJK”, Mateusz Kosman of the National Centre for Film Culture and Julia Isert of Demagog spoke about recognising disinformation. The morning closed with a panel of rectors of Łódź public universities, “Are we ready for the technological revolution?”, with Professor Janusz Piekarski (Medical University of Łódź), Professor Krzysztof Jóźwik (Lodz University of Technology), Dr Michał Mackiewicz (University of Łódź) and Dr Krzysztof Franek (Łódź Film School), moderated by Tomasz Sadzyński.
Business and Society tracks
In the afternoon the programme split between two halls. In Galanta, the Business track: “Tech for Human” on artificial intelligence in recruitment and careers with Atos, Comarch, Commerzbank and Idemia, “Tech for Production” on the digital factory with Intelo, Mitsubishi Electric and Orange Polska, and “Tech for Future” on the limits of control over AI with Google, Cyfronet and Hycom.
In Krańcówka, the Society track looked at digital transformation from a human perspective. The panel “Tech for silver generation” with the Best Age Foundation, Digital University and the startup Outcome Skills was moderated by Tomasz Szelągowski of the PIKMED cluster. In “Tech for Education”, Ewelina Danowska (Ericsson), Dr Dominika Kaczorowska-Spychalska (University of Łódź) and Antoni Pluta (Lodz University of Technology Student Council) talked with Monika Tomaszewska, ŁSSE technology expert, about teaching in the digital era. The track closed with the panel “Tech for longevity” with representatives of University Clinical Hospital No. 2, Endolink and the Holy Family Hospital Medical Centre, moderated by Ewelina Radke-Witczak of ŁSSE.
Cybersecurity, Demo Showcase and after party
The afternoon part of the main stage opened with the “Cybersecurity RED Flags” escape-room workshop prepared by Cyber Box: tasks to solve instead of a lecture. Then Zbigniew Nowicki of Bluerank talked with Artur Kurasiński, co-author of the book “RzeczpospolitAI”, about the road from brilliant engineers to digital sovereignty. The main stage closed with the Re_d Demo Showcase and three demonstrations: RETHINK Intelligence (Michał Pukacz of ŁSSE and Piotr Jóźwiak), RETHINK Efficiency (Adam Binkiewicz of Intelo) and RETHINK Reality (Andrzej Horoch of ŁSSE and Tomasz Ciesielski).
In parallel ran VC Corner, B2B meetings with representatives of venture funds. The evening belonged to the Rethink After Party, opened jointly by Tomasz Sadzyński, Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź, and Hideyuki Yokoyama, Mayor of Osaka. The stage was handed over to improvisation by Teatr Rethink Impro with the show “Warszawa – Bałuty”.
Japan day: Osaka Promotion Seminar
The second day was opened by Tomasz Sadzyński, Hanna Zdanowska, Akira Kono, Ambassador of Japan to Poland, and Hideyuki Yokoyama, Mayor of Osaka. The focus was on relations between Łódź and Osaka and on bringing the Polish and Japanese business communities closer together. Four companies from Osaka presented their business: Across Solutions, Arigato Service, El Zion and Rococo. The programme was complemented by a speech from a representative of JETRO, and the seminar was summed up by Kazuyo Iwatani, Director General of Osaka's Economic Strategy Bureau. The stage was hosted by Małgorzata Wolna of ŁSSE, and the day ended with the Rethink Networking Brunch.
Organisers and partners
The festival is organised by the Łódź Special Economic Zone, with Filmteractive Festival as strategic partner and the ICT Cluster Łódź, Cyber Box, Intelo, myERP.pl and Invest in Lodz – Central Poland as content partners. The event was held under the patronage of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs and the Ministry of Development and Technology.
