9.00: Welcome coffee and registration

9.30: Chairs’ opening remarks

Alice Fremuth-Wolf, Secretary General, Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) 
Eliane Fischer, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners (YAAP)
Stefan Riegler, Wolf Theiss and Austrian Arbitration Association Arb|Aut

9.40: Karlheinz Kopf's opening greetings

Karlheinz Kopf, Secretary General, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

9.50: Keynote address

10.20: Session one: The effect of sanctions on arbitration

International sanctions affect all stages of an arbitration, from the advance on costs to the enforcement of the award. This panel will bring together leading names to dissect the issue and discuss what practitioners need to know when handling such situations. 

In particular they are expected to cover:

• How do sanctions impact a tribunal’s jurisdiction? At what point does a case become inarbitrable?
• What measures do institutions adopt to mitigate the effects of sanctions?
• Are sanctions a force majeure event?
• How do you enforce an award against a targeted person or state?
• Can sanctions prevent parties from settling a case

Moderator:
Eliane Fischer, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners (YAAP)

Panel:
Mercedeh Azeredo da Silveira, AZKA Avocats
Andrey Panov, Norton Rose Fulbright

11.40: Coffee Break

12.10: Session two: The GAR Live Inquisition – are international arbitration counsel at home in big law firms and arbitrators in boutiques?

This session will replicate a US senate committee hearing with a succession of witnesses being ‘grilled' by a panel of GAR Live inquisitors.

The panel will explore the extent to which it is fair to say that counsel are more at home in a large law firm, whilst arbitrators settle better in a smaller shop – or if this is a complete oversimplification. Do arbitrators benefit from a smaller practice? How can you judge the best place to be?

Panel:
Daniel Busse, Busse Disputes
Nicole Dolenz, Jones Day 
Sarah Grimmer, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
Rikard Wikström-Hermansen, Roschier

13.10: Networking Lunch

14.10: Session three: The GAR Live Question Time - due process paranoia and corruption

With a focus on due process paranoia, our esteemed panel will discuss questions submitted by the audience and moderators in advance. For example:

• Is due process paranoia getting in the way of effective settlement techniques such as sealed offers, or arbitration mediation?
• How can arbitrators be more robust in practice?
• Are arbitrators overly cautious in making case management decisions?
• How do you get the balance right? 
• What to do if you suspect corruption or fraud during a case? 

Moderator:
Alice Fremuth-Wolf, Secretary General, Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) 

Panel:
José Feris, Squire Patton Boggs 
Galina Zukova, Bélot Malan & Associés

15:30: Coffee Break

16:00: Session four: The GAR Live Debate

In Oxford Union style, we will hear teams of debaters argue in favour of, or against, a motion. A panel of three judges will then voice opinions on what has been heard, before choosing which side to support and giving reasons for their decisions.

Motion: ‘This house believes that the Prague Rules are a waste of time.’

Moderator:
Stefan Riegler, Wolf Theiss and Austrian Arbitration Association Arb|Aut

Judge:
Christian Aschauer, Christian Aschauer Arbitration
Anne-Karin Grill, Vavrovsky Heine Marth Rechtsanwälte 

Debaters:
Alexey Anischenko, Sorainen
Eléonore Caroit, LALIVE
Nicholas Peacock, Herbert Smith Freehills

17.20: Chairs’ closing remarks: 
Alice Fremuth-Wolf, Secretary General, Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) 
Eliane Fischer, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners (YAAP)
Stefan Riegler, Wolf Theiss and Austrian Arbitration Association Arb|Aut

17.30: All delegates are invited to attend a cocktail reception hosted by the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC)