The International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) has postponed its biannual congress for a second time. 

The Edinburgh-based congress was due to be held in February 2021 but has now been moved to 26-29 September. 

Its organisers, the Scottish Arbitration Centre (SAC), had originally scheduled the event for May 2020 to mark the organisation’s 25th anniversary. It is the most well-attended international arbitration event on the conference circuit.

Scotland is currently under enhanced public health measures ordered by the Scottish government to limit social and professional interactions. 

ICCA president Lucy Reed, of Arbitration Chambers, said: “We have been monitoring the Covid-19 travel and gathering restrictions closely, and it has become increasingly evident that the Congress could not go ahead in February in anything near the traditional format.”

She added: “While nothing about the pandemic and its impact on our lives is predictable, we believe that the new September 2021 dates give us the best chance to meet in person, engage with speakers, share knowledge, and simply spend time with friends old and new – something we are now missing so much.”

The decision to postpone the event for a second time was supported by ICCA’s programme committee, led by Singapore’s Cavinder Bull SC,  CEO of Drew & Napier, 39 Essex Chambers arbitrator Loretta Malintoppi and Constantine Partasides QC, of arbitration boutique Three Crowns.

The event’s organisers, SAC chair Brandon Malone and chief executive Andrew Mackenzie, were due to step down in February 2021, but will now remain in post until September.

Reed will chair the event alongside her predecessor as ICCA president, Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler.