Building Momentum in Mediation: The Institutional Edge and the Breakthrough

Mediation has never had more institutional scaffolding behind it — or more honest conversations about why, even with that scaffolding, deals still stall in the room.

This year's conference sits squarely in that tension: the systems that move mediation forward, and the moments when nothing seems to move at all. Three sessions. Three angles on momentum. One day in Vienna.

KEYNOTE — UNSETTLED in Vienna

A live, podcast-style roundtable. Three leading practitioners take a mediation problem apart in real time — and then, deliberately, leave it open. No tidy resolution. No final word. Just the kind of unscripted, expert thinking you rarely get to overhear.

PANEL 1 — The Institutional Edge

A robust and lively exchange among four international dispute resolution experts on the emerging role of institutions in international commercial mediation. The panel will range across the functions institutions can undertake, case management, the extent to which institutions influence mediation style, and the robustness of the international mediated settlement agreement (iMSA), the impact of digitalisation and AI, and third-party funding. Time for Q&A.

PANEL 2 — The Breakthrough Moment

Parties arrive at mediation by very different routes — choice, contractual obligation, internal policy, external recommendation — and even where a viable zone of agreement plainly exists, mediations stall. This panel goes beneath the surface of impasse. What actually drives it: legal uncertainty, commercial misalignment, relational breakdown, or constraints within the parties' own decision-making processes? Moving past the notion that persistence alone closes the deal, the panel will examine how impasse can be anticipated, understood, and at times constructively engaged — covering the mediator's role in diagnosing different types of impasse, the interaction between counsel and client in moments of deadlock, and the strategic choices available when progress appears to halt. Not a single formula. A range of tested approaches, grounded in practice.

For more information, see our Conference Website.

Join us for the 4th IBA-VIAC CDRC Vienna Mediation Conference 2026 on Thursday, 2 July 2026, Haus der Industrie, Schwarzenbergplatz 4, 1030 Vienna.

Due to capacity limitations, attendance at this event is strictly limited, and registration is mandatory.

Info: Register early to get your spot at the Conference — because even the best ideas need a name tag!

Info: Thomas John MCIArb, Director, CDRC Vienna, and Dr Nikolaus Pitkowitz, will extend a warm welcome to all participants of the 4th IBA-VIAC CDRC Vienna Mediation Conference 2026, setting the tone for an exciting and insightful event.

Info: Join Geoff Sharp, Hannah Tuempel, and Corrado Mora in their podcast-styled keynote session, an innovative, thought-provoking start to the day.

Info: Panel 1 features Nadja Alexander (chair), Stephen Walker, Lilit Petrosyan, Claudio Arturo, and Michael McIlwrath and promises a robust and lively exchange among international dispute resolution experts on the emerging role of institutions in international commercial mediation. Themes to be explored include the wide range of functions that institutions can undertake, case management, the extent to which institutions influence the style of mediation and the robustness of the (international) mediated settlement agreement (iMSA), the impact of digitalization and AI, and third-party funding. There will be time for Q&A.

Info: Fueling your brain and your network with expertly brewed coffee – simply a perfect blend.

Info: Panel 2 features Joan Stearns Johnsen (chair), Jeff Kichaven, Orit Asnin, and Catherine Davidson. As mediations frequently stall and an impasse emerges, not as a single moment, but as a dynamic and often layered process, the panel considers that the impasse brings potential and opportunity to the mediation. The panel will address the mediator’s role in diagnosing different types of impasse, the interaction between counsel and client in moments of deadlock, and the strategic choices available when progress appears to halt. Rather than offering a single method or formula, the panel will present a range of tested approaches, grounded in practice, that reflect the complexity of real-world disputes. The focus will be on informed judgment, adaptability, and the ability to guide parties toward workable, durable outcomes, even when resolution initially seems out of reach.

Info: James Claxton offers some concluding remarks to wrap up the day.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher IBA-VIAC CDRC Vienna