MII ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024: OVERVIEW

October 18th and 19th sees the return of the annual conference for mediators on the island of Ireland – bigger than last year, full of practical lessons and learning points, and relevant to all mediators, regardless of your specialist sector or particular perspective.

And, for the first time in the MII’s history, we’re holding the conference in Belfast, the scene of much conflict and resolution over the past 50+ years. It’s now home to many examples of creative perspective-sharing and a variety of positive peace initiatives. So, lots of learning for mediators even before we look at the programme…

All of our speakers have been asked to share insights that will be of value to all mediators, so that delegates will gain knowledge from every session that may be applied by them in which ever sector they operate.

NOTE: The MII is partnering with Visit Belfast and Tourism NI to hold our Annual Conference in Belfast. We’re also being supported by the Labour Relations Agency – the NI equivalent of the Workplace Relations Commission. Mediation NI is also supporting us with the conference.

These partnerships allow us to receive funding per delegate which, in turn, helps us to keep ticket prices the same as last year, despite rising costs.

Our partnership with Visit Belfast and Tourism NI means we will be able to provide you with room booking best rates, discounted travel on Aircoach and discounts for entrance to visitor attractions in Belfast, should you wish to extend your stay.

Our partnership requires that we notify Visit Belfast of the numbers of attendees at our conference and provide an email address for each attendee so that they may spot check to verify the attendance numbers. This means that we will provide the email address that you use to register for the conference to Visit Belfast for that express purpose. The information will not be used for marketing purposes. By registering for the Annual Conference, you consent to the MII sharing the registration email address with Visit Belfast.

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CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

All of our speakers have been asked to share insights that will be of value to all mediators, so that delegates will gain knowledge from every session that may be applied by them in which ever sector they operate.

Here’s a summary of this year’s programme so far (Draft subject to change)

FRIDAY 18TH OCTOBER 11.00 – 5.15

BARONESS CATHY ASHTON
The Role of Mediators in Conflict Zones Part 1: Helping People Find Peace in the World. Our first keynote speaker is Cathy Ashton, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the European Commission in the Barroso Commission from 2009 to 2014.

NITA YAWANARAJAH
The Role of Mediators in Conflict Zones Part 2: The Need for Positive Peace on the Island of Ireland. Cathy is joined by Nita Yawanarajah, Deputy Director at Oxford Process; and Pat Hynes, Programme Manager Political Dialogue & Legacy, Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation for a panel discussion.

Mediators’ Choice: Improving Your Mediation Practice and Skills

In this interactive afternoon space, delegates get to choose 2 out of 14 topics that will help develop skills and practice. Each session lasts 40 minutes and is repeated after a 10-minute comfort break. The MII commits to collate and promulgate ideas, developed via the Council, and implement, for the benefit of all members.

Choose to attend TWO sessions from…

• Business – Sustainable Grant applications
• The Spiritual Side of Mediation
• Selling Mediation Skills
• Essential Tools – Business
• Website and Member Profile
• APC-CPD
• Mentoring and Supervision
• Advanced Membership/Elevation
• Sharing and Learning
• Workplace Mediation – Developments
• Environment Mediation – Developments
• Community Mediation – Developments
• Family Mediation – Developments
• Commercial Mediation – Developments

*ALAN LYONS
Using Humour to Maximise Mediation

The psychology of humour and brain research shows that we can take things so seriously that we miss things. Connecting with humour effectively enables you to manage your emotions for better mediation. Obviously, hurtful humour is no laughing matter but there are different humour styles, so which one is best to use in mediation? And is it possible to develop a humour workout that brings joy and levity to your mediation practice? Speaker: Alan Lyons, chartered psychologist and Managing Partner of Kinch Lyons

The MII TED Talk Club – Live and (Not) Dangerous.
The MII TED Talk Club started online in January 2024 and has a strong following. The concept is simple – we all watch a TED Talk video online and, with the help of an expert panel, discuss its relevance to mediation and mediators. The topics might include debate, revenge, compassion, bullying, re-framing, inclusion. The only real difference at the conference is that your panel and the speaker (and you) will be live in the room.

FROM 7.00PM: RECEPTION, AWARDS CEREMONY AND DINNER.

SATURDAY 19TH OCTOBER – 10.00 – 1.45

MONICA HANAWAY

Psychologically Informed Mediation: Studies in Conflict and Resolution. Renowned author Monica Hanaway is also an accredited UKCP psychotherapist (1994), accredited mediator, clinical supervisor, executive and leadership coach, trainer and consultant.

DORCAS CRAWFORD
Risk Assessments for Mediators.

Mediation is not risk-free for mediators.What professional issues should mediators be concerned about? Dorcas Crawford, former solicitor and founder of The Better Way, sets out a checklist to help mediators assess risk and decide whether or not they should agree to mediate in a dispute.

Keeping the EI in AI: Mediators v Machine. Generative artificial intelligence options can be used to create mediation simulations and training scenarios. It can be your mediation training partner, can even give you feedback on your questions, and act as a sounding board. But… is it better than real mediators? Our expert panel compare their views LIVE with those of ‘ChatBob’ (Bob Cree-Hay, MII Council Member working with ChatGPT on screen).

WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR CONFERENCE FEE

Conference ticket price includes access to all conference sessions on both Friday and Saturday, tea/coffee breaks on Friday and Saturday and lunch on Friday. Saturday is included free for those booking for Friday. Delegates will also receive links to presentations before the event and will get access to session recordings after the event.

Dinner on Friday night is an optional extra which can be booked by adding the Dinner ticket to your booking.
Saturday only ticket price includes access to all sessions on Saturday (plus links to presentations and access to video recordings of sessions) and tea/coffee break. Lunch is NOT provided on Saturday.

CPD points: Delegates will receive one point per hour of attendance at conference sessions for CPD.
Friday : 6 CPD points
Saturday: 3 CPD points.

BOOKING IS NOW OPEN

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Paying for your Conference Ticket
Ticket prices have been held at 2023 prices and there are discounts for Early Bookings, Registered Community Mediation Service Providers and Trainee Affiliates.
Early Bird rates available for the first 100 Members bookings and first 20 non-Members bookings.

•          Members Early Bird  €175.00

•          Non Members Early Bird  €200.00

•          Trainee Affiliates & Community Mediation Service Providers €150.00

•          Conference Dinner on Friday night €70.00

•          Saturday only €80.00

•          Members after Early Bird  €195.00

•          Non Members after Early Bird  €220.00

 

Payment options – online by credit/debit card at the time of booking or offline payment to be made within 7 days.
If you wish to make a payment off-line, please complete the online registration, choose the Pay Later Option in the Payment Information section on the Checkout page. You must then send payment within 7 days by cheque or bank transfer to secure your booking. The booking is voided is payment is not received.
• Bank Transfer: Payments in Euro IBAN: IE97 AIBK 9310 4717 4580 69 BIC: AIBKIE2D. When making a transfer please be sure to use your name as a reference so that the payment can be identified when it arrives.
• Paypal payment to info@themii.ie

Terms and Conditions:

The ‘Member’ rate applies only to persons registered as individual members for the calendar year 2024. If you are unsure as to whether you are registered as a member you can check on the MII Website by entering your name in the Find a Mediator search facility.

In the case of Organisation Affiliates, one person from the organisation may avail of the Member rate.

Registered Community Mediation Service Providers (Volunteer Mediator Members): Members who are currently registered under the Volunteer Mediator scheme can avail of a conference rate of €150 which covers attendance at all sessions, tea/coffee breaks and lunch on Friday. Bookings made will be checked against the MII CMSP membership list. Note: you can check if you are registered in this category on the MII Website by entering your name in the Find a Mediator search facility.

Trainee Affiliates: Those who are currently registered as Trainee Affiliates of the MII can avail of a conference rate of €150 which covers attendance at all sessions, tea/coffee breaks and lunch on Friday.

Guests, workshop presenters and speakers please use the relevant ticket option. No payment is necessary.

ACCOMMODATION

Limited accommodation is available in the conference hotel – the Hilton Hotel at Lanyon Place Belfast. The conference delegate rate of £185 can be booked here: Available Rooms – Hilton Belfast 
(Choose the Edit Stay button at the top of the page to change the date if you are staying for one night)

Additional Accommodation List

NB: These details are supplied for information only and were accurate at the time of publication. The MII does not recommend any accommodation except the Hilton Hotel at Lanyon Place Belfast.

Hotel	Rating	No.of Rooms	Dist to Conf. Locn.
Hilton Belfast	4	202
Bullitt Hotel	4	74	0.4 miles, 7 min walk
Ten Square Boutique Hotel	4	131	0.6 miles, 12 min walk
AC Hotel Belfast	4	188	0.6 miles, 13 min walk
Maldron Hotel Belfast City	4	237	0.6 miles, 14 min walk
Ramada by Wyndham Belfast	3	165	0.7 miles, 13 min walk
Clayton Hotel Belfast	4	170	0.7 miles, 14 min walk
Room2 Belfast Hometel	4	175	0.7 miles, 14 min walk
The Gasworks Hotel	4	120	0.7 miles, 14 min walk
Belfast City Travelodge	3	90	0.7 miles, 15 min walk
Leonardo Hotel Belfast	4	270	0.8 miles, 10 min walk
The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast	5	146	0.8 miles, 10 min walk

GETTING TO BELFAST

Aircoach Discount for travel to Belfast for the MII Annual Conference.
10% discount for all Mediators’ Institute of Ireland 2024 conference delegates.
How to book
Click here and enter Promo code VisitBelfast10
Terms and Conditions
This discount code is valid for passengers travelling on Aircoach route 705X from 17th – 20th October 2024

Rail Travel
The conference venue is across the road from Lanyon Place Railway Station – where the main Dublin/Drogheda/Dundalk train stops in Belfast. We’re currently trying to negotiate discounts for MII members but, should you wish to book online, you’ll get great rates here
Dublin Belfast Rail Fares (irishrail.ie)

Car
Belfast is around 2 hours’ drive from Dublin. We recommend that you car share if travelling by car. Discounted car parking is available at the venue and there are several car parks nearby. However, public transport will generally be more cost effective.

Car-parking

Visitors and guests are welcome to use either of the APCOA multi-storey car-parks, located beside and across from our hotel. Guests of the hotel receive a discounted rate of £18 per 24 hours when using the Oxford Street Car Park – your ticket will need to be validated at the Hilton Hotel front desk, and payment made directly at the car park.

APCOA Oxford Street: 3 Lanyon Pl, Belfast BT1 3LP

Conference Delegates can use the below to prebook for the Lanyon place carpark only APCOA Lanyon Place: 6 Lanyon Pl, Belfast BT1 3FT

Procedure

The booking link is: APCOA Prebook
Choose Hilton Parking – Lanyon Place (must be prebooked at least 2hrs before arrival)
When dates selected, enter Con12 as the promo code.
Enter the time of arrival and departure – we suggest 8am-5pm.
This will reduce the fee to £14 per day. Continue with Book Now to vehicle and payment details.
The car park opening hours may vary. Please check advertised times at the car park. The car park staff can be contacted at 0044 7966 284039.
Exit the car park on level F where you will find the footbridge which will take you towards the hotel
PLEASE NOTE: BOOKING MUST BE MADE BEFORE ENTERING THE CAR PARK

 

MEET OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

We have some great speakers this year at our annual conference in Belfast. Here are those you will meet on the first day of the conference:

Cathy Ashton is a former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the European Commission in the Barroso Commission from 2009 to 2014. Cathy will deliver our opening keynote session, The Role of Mediators in Conflict Zones, and will discuss the qualities that have most helped in her diplomatic career and that are likely to be equally valuable to mediators in many areas of the world.

Nita Yawanarajah is Deputy Director at Oxford Process. Nita is an accredited mediator with diplomatic and military experience. She was the former Head of Good Offices and Conflict Prevention at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London and a founding member of the UN’s Mediation Support Unit in New York. Nita will be on a panel discussing the role of mediation in conflict zones after Cathy’s presentation and will also be delivering her own presentation as part of our MII TED Talk Club Live session at the end of Day 1 of the conference.

Pat Hynes, Programme Manager Political Dialogue & Legacy, Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation, will be well-known to many MII members. Pat worked with various government ministers in the early years of the Peace Process, later participating in Glencree’s Political Dialogue workshops leading up to the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement. Pat will also be part of the panel on the role of mediators in conflict zones.

Alan Lyons is a chartered psychologist and Managing Partner of KinchLyons, based in Dublin. He’s also a founding member of BPS Society for Coaching Psychology. Alan’s session is entitled Revenge as a Motivator and Barrier in Mediation. If the subconscious desire behind revenge is to make the other person feel as bad as you do, how can mediators use this knowledge to help parties shift their thinking into a less destructive position?

And our great guest speakers on Saturday…

Monica Hanaway is a renowned author, an accredited UKCP psychotherapist (1994), accredited mediator, clinical supervisor, executive and leadership coach, trainer and consultant. In our keynote session on the Saturday of the conference, Monica explores the understanding of conflict and the use of a psychologically informed mediation approach to help resolve it in her session entitled Psychologically Informed Mediation: Studies in Conflict and Resolution.

Dorcas Crawford is a former solicitor and founder of The Better Way, a unique service providing mediation, facilitation and training for managing conflict in the workplace.

With the aid of an exclusive checklist, Dorcas will be delivering a presentation on Risk Assessments for Mediators and answering questions such as… Mediation is not risk-free for mediators. What professional issues should mediators be concerned about? What questions should they ask themselves before they say yes (or no) to taking on a case? When might they need to call in external help or experts? Should mediators ever offer post-mediation check-ups in relation to mediated settlements? When should a mediator bring a mediation to an end?