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As far as I can make out, the same 200 people fly to Delhi, then Dubai, then Singapore, then Paris, then London, to meet each other. They could have met in the Delhi High Court canteen for the price of a samosa. Instead everyone pays for business class and a lanyard.
The format never changes. A panel of nine speakers gets 45 minutes. The moderator takes 15 to introduce them, mostly by reading out rankings. Each speaker then says “I will be brief” and is not. At the end the moderator announces that we are unfortunately out of time for questions, which is a relief to all concerned.
The topic is always “Is India ready to be a global arbitration hub?” We have been asking this every year for over a decade. The answer is always “we are getting there”. Nobody on the panel mentions that the Section 34 petition against their last award is listed for the year 2031.
Then there is the “fireside chat”. There is no fire. There is a retired judge, a sofa, and a partner asking him if he thinks arbitration is a good thing. He does.
By evening the real business starts. Seven side events, each with a sponsor. Platinum sponsor gets the logo on the stage. Gold gets it on the lanyard. Silver gets it on the tissue paper. Third party funders stand near the bar looking for anyone with a claim and a pulse.
The best part comes after. LinkedIn. “Humbled and honoured to have spoken at...” with a photo of the speaker holding a mic, taken by an associate who was brought along for this purpose alone. 400 likes, all from people who were on the next panel.
Meanwhile, back home, the actual arbitration is adjourned. Reason recorded in the procedural order: the learned Arbitrator and both counsel are unavailable, being at arbitration week.
See you all at the next one. I have already registered.