IMSG 2021 – International Mediation Singapore

2021

Preserving the legacy of Singapore’s largest virtual international mediation competition

Competitors

Teams

Nations and Territories

From 13th October to 5th November 2021, 425 attendees from 34 different nations and territories, mediated, ‘meme’-ed, and networked over weeks of activities that formed this year’s edition of the International Mediation Singapore (IMSG), a mediation competition that celebrates and tests mediation advocacy and mediation skills.

Registrations for the third edition of IMSG opened in August 2021, attracting interest from tertiary students, academia professionals, mediators, businesses, mediation organisations and professionals in the collaborative dispute resolution network worldwide.

IMSG 2021 was organised by Peacemakers Consulting Services, with IMSG’s founding organisation – the Singapore International Mediation Institute – taking on the role of a key supporter this year.

This year, IMSG 2021 remained an impressive event, achieving the following feats:

Remained the biggest competition in the international mediation competition circuit for the second year running.
Provided unique networking opportunities for attendees to form meaningful connections through a curated list of Team Engagement Activities.
Introduced 1-1 sparring and consultation sessions with mediation professionals.
Continued to feature a multi-party mediation round introduced in IMSG 2020, the only one of its kind on the international mediation competition circuit.
Continued to be the only mediation competition to utilise a custom-built set of Dashboards powered by GoogleSheets to (i) manage communications and judging, (ii) allowing teams to receive timely written feedback from judges, (iii) prompt 2-way communications with the organisers, and (iv) dramatically reduce the risk of human error in scoring.
A customised Competition Report for every participating team, featuring key performance and event statistics as well as a compilation of their feedback from all their judges.

Opening

IMSG 2021 kicked-off with a video message from IMSG 2021 Co-Directors – Mr. Marcus Lim, Ms. Jessica Low, and Mr. Sean Lim – welcoming all attendees and introducing key elements of the competition. The organising committee was also introduced – Mx. Annabel Boon, Mr. Christopher Olsson Lønes, Ms. Isabella Tan, Ms. Julia Albuquerque, Mr. Samuel Teo, Ms. Sarah Chan, Ms. Tay Hui Lyi, Mr. Tristan Tan. The video ended on a positive and encouraging note – reminding participants that IMSG is more than just a competition but an opportunity for lifetime camaraderie.

Judge Briefing

To ensure that judges were adequately prepared for their role, two judge briefing sessions were organised that catered to a wide range of time zones. Every judge was also provided with access to a video from a round in IMSG 2020 to score. A detailed walkthrough was then provided to calibrate expectations on judging, scoring and most importantly – feedback. A live demonstration of how to use the customised ‘Judge Dashboard’ was also provided.

Room Session Manager Briefing

To ensure that Room Session Managers (RSMs) were prepared for their role as facilitators and guides for all participants and judges alike, two briefing sessions were organised to cater to a wide range of time zones that is reflective of the international nature. RSMs were provided with a live demonstration of how to use the customised ‘RSM Dashboard’, invited to participate in an interactive Q&A session, and also heard from previous edition RSMs. RSMs were also invited to join a Telegram channel specific for RSMs for efficient and effective communication during the event.

Pre-Competition Training and Networking

Attendees were then invited to attend a series of pre-competition training and networking events organised in collaboration with the event Sponsors:

“Negotiation with the Brain in MIND and the 70/30 Principle” by Wægger Negotiation Institute and Sage Mediation.
“Anatomy of a Caucus” with Thomas Gaultier, Instituto de Certificação e Formação de Mediadores Lusófonos (ICFML).
“Real Life: The Conflict, The Client, and The Lawyer” with Liana Gorberg Valdetaro, Instituto de Certificação e Formação de Mediadores Lusófonos (ICFML).
1-1 Team Consultation / Sparring sessions with mediation professionals – Camile Costa (Independent Mediator and Negotiator), Roar Wægger and Jason Liem (Wægger Negotiation Institute).

A series of Team Engagement Activities were also organised between the two competition weekends. Attendees could try their hand at inventing Mediation Memes – an activity brought back by popular demand from IMSG 2020 – learn more about Singapore through a pub quiz, and put their deductive skills to the test on “Among Us” – an online multiplayer game of mystery and mayhem.

Competition Rounds

IMSG 2021 comprised of 5 rounds held over two weekends: 22 October to 24 October, and 30 October to 31 October 2021. Approximately 230 participants and coaches comprising 48 teams competed this year.

The teams were supported by over 60 volunteer Room Session Managers, and 80 professionals taking on the role of judges. Putting a Singapore shine to the event, the Zoom calls were named after drinks found in Singapore – e.g. Bandung, Kopi-O, Teh-C, and Milo Dinosaur.

Altogether, we were delighted to host a truly international group of participants, coaches, judges, and RSMs from all over the world – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwanese, Turkish, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam.

Words of Appreciation

The IMSG 2021 Organising Committee would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped make IMSG 2021 a success:

To the IMSG co-founders, Mr. Marcus Lim, Ms. Jessica Low, and Mr. Sean Lim for their leadership and expertise. Without their tenacity and enduring faith, IMSG would not have been possible.

To our corporate and individual sponsors: National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, PracticeForte Pte Ltd, Sage Mediation, Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), Wægger Negotiation Institute (WNI), CMP Cambridge, ODR Foundations, Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, ODRasia, ChangAroth Chambers LLC, Gloria James-Civetta & Co, Instituto de Certificação e Formação de Mediadores Lusófonos (ICFML); Ms. Camile Costa, Ms. Lin Wenrong, Mr. Iu Ting-Kwok, and Ms. Viviene Sandhu. Your contributions were invaluable to the event’s success, thank you!

To National University of Singapore Faculty of Law: thank you for the generosity and for providing a safe space for the IMSG Organising Committee core team to use your facilities as our base of operations throughout the duration of the competition.

To our food sponsors; thank you for keeping the IMSG Organising Committee tummies’ fed and full.

To our knowledge partners: ChangAroth InterNational Consultancy, European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), Harry Elias Partnership, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), International Mediation Institute (IMI), Moot Court Bench (MCB), Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution Team (The PACT), Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA), Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Sorbonne Assas International Law School – Asia Branch, World Intellectual Property Organisation Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (WIPO ADR), IMI Young Mediators Initiative (YMI). Thank you for your support!