One of the more fun things I do as mediator is judge mediation competitions. There are many around the world, but I primarily go to two of them:
- The International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France
- The IBA-VIAC CDRC in Vienna, Austria
These competitions are not primarily for judging mediators but for judging law and business school students on their performances in a mock mediation. This is not an easy task for the students. They need to be conciliatory enough to reach a settlement while not giving up the farm. Sometimes the get along so well they never use the mediator (and get dinged for that). Students also serve as mediators in Vienna and we judge their performance as a mediator. (In Paris, professional mediators serve in that role.)
These are such great experiences. Participants come from all over the world with all levels of education and experience. Plus being in Paris or Vienna is never a bad thing.
These competitions attract top mediators from around the globe, so the networking is great. There are also usually training sessions with these mediators. Learning from the best of the best is never a bad thing.
(Pic is from a session at the Vienna competition in July 2023. I am front and center.)