The American University of Rome (AUR) will host the 6th edition of the annual Italian Negotiation Competition at its campus in the heart of Rome on Friday & Saturday, May 19th and 20th, 2023.
The Italian Negotiation Competition (INC) is an academic & experiential competition in which two teams compete on a practical business case to reach an agreement before a global panel of academics and legal/business professionals. Each team will represent a party or a client in either a fictional transaction or the resolution of a fictional dispute.
“This year's INC will begin with a masterclass, showcasing a series of speeches and panel discussions focused on negotiation-related topics,” AUR’s Professor Roberto Pirozzi, organizer and founder of the INC. “By bringing together business professionals and experts from various industries, the masterclass will provide valuable insights and practical knowledge for participants from experienced practitioners.”
Following each of the masterclass presentations, audience members will be given the opportunity to delve more deeply into the subject matter through Q&A sessions with the panelists.
After two days of what has proved in the past to be intense & electrifying competition, the winning team will have the honor of representing Italy in the International Negotiation Competition, which will take place for the first time in Rome from July 6th to 8th, 2023.
How the competition works in practice
The INC's format comprises two rounds per team.
The competition is conducted entirely in English.
Each competitive case, provided by the organizing committee, includes general information provided to all participants and confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side.Participants, coaches, and judges receive simulations two weeks prior to the competition.
Teams and coaches are provided only with the general and confidential information for their negotiation rounds.The facts are subject to reasonable interpretation by the parties, and the teams are allowed to enter facts that are not materially self-serving.
A material self-serving fact is one that significantly alters the relative bargaining power of the parties.
Whether a team's interpretation of the facts is reasonable or whether a team has invented or inferred material self-serving facts is a matter to be determined by the judges.During the pre-negotiation, negotiation, or reflection period, no prepared or outside materials may be presented to the other team(s) or the judges. This is because the competition is designed to focus on negotiation skills, as demonstrated on the day of the simulations. The teams may use previously prepared notes in any format during the entire simulation. Email, instant messaging, and other means of communication are always prohibited during a round.
The competition consists of two rounds per team, structured as follows:
10-minute pre-negotiation session (5 minutes per team);
45-minute negotiation session;
10-minute period for teams to prepare their reflection;
10-minute reflection session (5 minutes per team);
10-minute comment period in which the judges provide feedback to the teams
Judges evaluate participants on performance according to provided standards and criteria as well as on their individual evaluation.
The team with the highest score after two rounds will be announced as the competition's winner.
