Lucy Reed, president of ICCA, 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.

“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.

This could not have happened without the unstinting efforts of the Edinburgh Congress Host, the Scottish Arbitration Centre, led by Brandon Malone and Andrew Mackenzie, and the flexibility shown by the Programme Committee, led by Cavinder Bull, Loretta Malintoppi and Constantine Partasides.” 

Brandon Malone, chair of the Scottish Arbitration Centre and the ICCA Edinburgh Congress, said: “We look forward to welcoming delegates to Edinburgh in September 2021 and hope by then to be able to give all attending a true Scottish welcome. These new dates give us the best chance of hosting the Congress we had intended, giving delegates a real taste of what Edinburgh has to offer.” 

It has also been confirmed that Mr Malone and Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the centre, will remain in place to deliver the Congress, and that Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, immediate past president of ICCA, will share the stage with Ms Reed in Edinburgh.  

Registered delegates of the Congress will automatically have their registrations and, where relevant, their accommodation transferred to the September 2021 Congress.