Important Note: As you prepare for your upcoming event in the Dubai Arbitration week, we would like to draw your attention to contact your chosen venues to confirm whether you will need any necessary permits, to avoid any unforeseen issues during your event. You can also check for the permits on the Dubai Economy and Tourism website.

Apply for an event permit

Wishing you the very best with your event planning.


Guidelines for Dubai Arbitration Week 2023

Given the significant demand from participating law firms and institutions in 2022, and feedback received regarding the number of events held, for the 2023 edition of Dubai Arbitration Week, the Organising Committee has established the following guidelines to assist with an orderly preparation for DAW 2023. All participating firms and institutions are requested to abide by these guidelines. Failure to do so may result in not being included on the official DAW 2023 schedule.

Opening Ceremony

There will be an opening ceremony in the evening of Monday 13 November 2023 from 7pm onwards. All events taking place on that day should end by 6pm.

Number of events per firm/institution

Given the volume of demand, each firm or institution will be permitted to advertise one event during DAW 2023. For the avoidance of doubt:

  • An event co-hosted with another firm or institution shall be treated as a single event. Co-hosting will therefore not entitle firms or institutions to host additional events.
  • Sponsorship of an event being held by a body or institution does not count as a DAW event. By way of example, if firm X sponsors (e.g. through financial support or providing a venue) an event organised by and advertised as an event of an arbitral institution, firm X will be permitted to organise and advertise its own event.
  • Young members groups of institutions shall be treated separately to the institution and will therefore be able to host events in addition to the main institution’s event.


Time Limit for Events and Slots

In order to maximise opportunities for participation and limit the number of overlapping events, the maximum time limit per event is set at 2 hours according to the following slots:

Morning Slots Slot 1 Slot 2
Lunch Slot Slot 1
Afternoon Slots Slot 1 Slot 2
Evening Slots Slot 1 Slot 2

Requests by institutions to occupy more than one slot will be considered on a case by case basis upon application to the Organising Committee.

In order to manage the schedule, there will be a maximum number of three events per slot.

Venue for Events

Participating firms and institutions are responsible for organising events. You are welcome to host an event at your own offices or at a different venue should you prefer. Historically, the centre of gravity of DAW events has been in and around the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and participating firms and institutions are encouraged to organise events in the vicinity of the DIFC to facilitate participation.

Topics for Events

Participating firms and institutions are free to propose topics relating to commercial or investment arbitration and ADR. The Organising Committee will generally not seek to interfere in the proposed topics. However, the Organising Committee reserves the right to propose changes in appropriate circumstances. For example, participating firms and institutions should avoid politically or culturally sensitive topics and titles and the Organising Committee reserves the right to request a particular topic or title to be reconsidered if it is deemed to be politically or culturally sensitive.

Fee

For DAW 2023, the Organising Committee has determined that a fee shall be charged for inclusion on the official schedule and the DAW website. The fee will be used to fund DAW activities such as marketing and consulting costs and the opening ceremony.

A fee will only be payable if a proposed event is accepted for inclusion on the official schedule.

The fee payable shall be AED2500 + VAT (as applicable).

The Organising Committee may waive the fee for non-profit/charitable organisations and young members’ organisations.