Client: ’’Alternative Dispute Resolution Project’’ of International Finance Corporation - IFC

Type of Event: The first national conference on mediation

Objective: Promotion of mediation as an alternative dispute resolution among the professional audience, decision makers, business community, potential clients and representatives of the media.

Date: 31 March 2005

Location: Crystal hall of hotel ’’Hyatt Regency’’ Belgrade



The four-year project of introducing mediation in Serbia was implemented in order to improve investment environment and conditions for doing business by small and medium enterprises.

Agency PRofession Group was contracted to implement a public campaign for the project. One of the first, large promotions, was to organize the first national conference on mediation ''Development of Mediation in Serbia – regional and global lessons learned', which was attended by over 400 respectable guests from Serbia and other countries.

The conference was opened by Minister of Justice of Serbia, Mr. Zoran Stojkovic and general manager of IFC SEED in Belgrade, Mr. Slobodan Nakarada. Special speakers at the conference were: high official of UNCITRAL – legal body of United Nations for international trade law, Renaud Sorieul, president of European Council of Bar Associations and Committee of Legal Societies for Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Christian Duve (Germany), director of Alternative Dispute Resolution Group in Great Britain, Michael Lind, as well as representatives of Association of Mediators from BiH, Goran Salihovic and Obren Buzanin.



Agency secured the presence of relevant media at the conference, while all interested journalists were provided with additional information and relevant interviewees. Journalists received a prepared press package, which included a press release for the conference, additional information about mediation and illustrative photographs.

In cooperation with an associate designer, the agency provided following elements of promotion:

• design of promotional roll ups and back drops for branding of the conference room, as well as a visitor registration desk
• promotional brochures about mediation

The conference was attended by 20 journalists, photo reporters and cameramen. Following the conference, five reports were published in daily newspapers, three reports were made in national agency services, while three articles were published in business and specialized magazines.

The event was especially interesting to TV stations, so that eight TV reports were broadcast at the largest television stations: RTS, TV Pink, TV B92, and Studio B.