The world’s biggest arbitration event is coming to Australasia.
The International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) this week accepted a joint bid by Australia and New Zealand for its 2018 conference to be held in Sydney, with an add-on event in Queenstown.
ICCA is an UN-approved NGO devoted to promoting the use and improving the processes of arbitration, conciliation and other forms of resolving international commercial disputes.
The organisation’s latest global meeting with over 1,000 delegates, has been in Miami, where the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand jointly pitched for hosting rights for the 2018 event.
The bid won against Hong Kong, Moscow and Kuala Lumpur and was cast with the support of the New South Wales Government and local supporting organisations such as Business Events Sydney (BESydney), Australia’s leading convention bureau.
“The win is a reflection of Australia’s growing reputation as a centre for international commercial arbitration and the expertise of our arbitrators and arbitration practitioners,” ACICA’s President, Alex Baykitch said.
“All of which is great news for our arbitrators – and good news for the local economy, too, since each of these arbitrations usually bring in more than $1m to the host country.”
The Sydney organising committee chair and ACICA’s Immediate Past President Professor
Doug Jones AO said that the conference created an great opportunity to build awareness of the contribution of International Arbitration to the resolution of commercial disputes in the region. “The hard work of establishment of Australasia as a credible independent venue for the hearings of Asia Pacific disputes is paying off” he said. “This conference will enable Australia and New Zealand to showcase the skills of our arbitration practitioners, and the superb facilities we can offer the international dispute resolution community” he added.
BESydney’s CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said Sydney was thrilled to welcome the world’s specialists in the field of dispute resolution to its International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) in 2018.
“Sydney is Australia’s global city and premier business event destination. We are also an Asia-Pacific hub for professional services firms and talent. This win is a coup for Sydney that simultaneously recognises our leadership and strengthens our position in this vital sector.
“Sydney’s selection as the event’s 2018 host further demonstrates the global confidence in the city’s new convention and exhibition facilities. ICC Sydney will open in late 2016 and will be a hub for the world’s best and brightest to connect, collaborate and innovate.
“ICCA joins a growing list of major international events that are confirmed for ICC Sydney and we look forward to welcoming the world’s leaders in commercial arbitration to our shores in 2018.”
