10 more things about Summit XI
In the previous issue, we talked about timeline, drinks on the roof and interviews with the session leads (since then, one more interview got published: Dr. Celia Pontin on Social Media vs Video Games). In this issue, we share 10 more things about the upcoming conference that can help you make the most of it.
(1/10) Off-Stage experts
At every edition of the Summit, a lot of people help with the content of the program – including those, who are not going to be on stage. Sometimes it's because session leads reach out to a broader network to understand how a particular issue is treated in another region, and sometimes it's about law firm colleagues or studio peers who share useful data or point of view during the prep stage.
We just added to the website a list of off-stage experts who provided insights and special expertise for the sessions of the Berlin edition. If you're after an expert in Chile, New Zealand or Russia, on this list you can find a lawyer who's already connected to the community in some way (the list also includes some of the speakers credited for helping the panels that they're not a part of).
(2/10) The Chatham House Rule
"Under the Chatham House Rule, anyone who comes to a meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed to reveal who made any particular comment. It is designed to increase openness of discussion."
– just a reminder that we do not allow neither recording, not the direct quoting of anything and anyone at the Summit; and no media is allowed at the event.
(3/10) Lanyard colors, attendee stats
As always, red lanyards signal a returning attendee and orange lanyards indicate a new community member. In Berlin, 20% of the audience (75) will attend the conference for the first time. If you're one of the veterans, please improve their attendee experience by making a few friendly introductions?
The overall stats, as of now:
- 355 attendees from 44 countries
- 35% female, 65% male across all groups
- 45% female, 55% male across in-house and industry groups
- 45% in-house counsel & executives, 55% law firm experts
Berlin proves to be easier, logistically, for most of the people coming from abroad (and the visa situation in Germany is better than the Lithuania's); but not to the degree that would justify returning there in 2027.
(4/10) The Berlin Jingle
Some of you may recall the megaphone that we used in 2025 to get everyone alerted on the start of another session (with one exception: Canadians seem to be immune to that).
This time, we've commissioned a custom jingle ("ベルリン", a Japanized version of the city's name, inspired by the key art) to serve the same purpose: when you hear the piece below, please know that we're about to start another panel or presentation, and please make way to the audience –
(we wrote about the story of this edition's key art, and how it came about, here).
(5/10) The awards
Awards are an important formality of the conference, giving credit and spotlight where credit is due and spotlight is deserved. In Berlin, we have 4 award ceremonies scheduled (in the photo above, left to right: Hall of Fame inductee statue; Audience Choice Awards session lead statue; and Legal Challenge winner statue.
Legal Challenge IX
3 out of 4 semifinalist teams of the moot court's 9th season plan to attend the conference, and we're happy to have a chance to personally deliver their diplomas and statues. The award ceremony for Legal Challenge IX is at 14:00 on June 3. If you're one of the mentors, please also stick around!
Relay Race 3
As of now, we have 27 runners who signed up for the Relay Race in the morning of June 3 (more details here), and the top 3 teams will get their awards on stage at 14:10 on June 3. We need 9 more runners to complete 6 teams of 6!
Hall of Fame
In the last 3 years, 18 counsel have been inducted into the community's Hall of Fame. In June, we'll induct 6 more people – on the basis of anonymous voting among the board – at 14:00 on June 4.
Audience Choice Awards
In your attendee bags, you will find 2 voting ballots, one for June 3 and another for June 4. Please vote, and drop the ballots into the voting box at the end of the day. At 19:30 on June 4, we will announce the top-3 Audience Choice Awards winners. The leads get a marble-and-steel statues, their panelists get golden wolf pins, and the lead of the most upvoted session gets a free ticket for Summit XII which they may assign as they wish to anyone who hasn't attended the conference yet.
(6/10) The Ultimate Porto Guide
I just took delivery of 50 copies of "The Ultimate Porto Guide" books, written by Germano Silva (who celebrates 95 years this autumn!) and published by Porto Editora.
These will be available as a part of the prize pool in the Summit's Social Game (you need only 3 red chips to claim one) – to better prepare you for the trip to Porto, if you're attending Summit On Tour IV in October (which we'll run in Alfândega do Porto – more about this after we wrap the conference in Berlin).
We bought enough copies of this book for each and every attendee of that Summit, and we'll place them in your attendee bags there, whether you got an advanced copy in Berlin or not. Discovering Porto through Germano's walks is a pleasure that is not to be missed.
(7/10) Summit's Social Game
The Summit's Social Game returns in 2026; this time it's not about spaceships (2024) or roulette (2025), but it hails back to the 2023 edition – a trading game of stickers. Here's what you need to know, to make the most of it:
The sets
In your attendee bag, you'll find 3 albums – based on Tier A, Tier B and Tier C partner brands of Summit XI. Score the red wolf chips by completing these albums: you'll need 6 brands for Tier A, 12 for Tier B and 15 for Tier C.
In your package, in addition to albums, you'll get the starter sets made of random stickers. Use those to trade with the other attendees, exchanging duplicates for the designs that you need. Tier A are hexagons, Tier B are squares, and Tier C are rectangles.
Red chips
Once you complete an album, you can exchange it for the red wolf chips at the Summit's minivan (A = 1 chip, 2 = 2 chips, C = 1 chip; if you bring A, B and C albums at once, you score 1 chip extra). There are no limits on how many albums you may complete, or on exchange of stickers and/or chips between different attendees – anything goes.
(Other ways to get red chips: be a speaker, a lead, or a member of one of the top-3 Relay Race running teams).
Prize fund
Once you get some red chips, you can use them to claim from the prize fund. The fund's tiers in 2026:
- 2 chips (entry level)
- 3 chips
- 4 chips
- 6 chips
- 8 chips
- 10 chips
- 20 chips (grand prizes)
Among the prizes this year: books, t-shirts, a few hoodies, and – the main theme of Summit XI's social game – different decks of playing cards: from Spanish to Russian, as well as French and Italian tarot decks (to help you learn how to use them, we also carry one of the best books that describes different card games).
At the 6-chip tier, you may claim a Japanese teacup handmade by Asemi & Co.; at the 10-tier, a set of two such cups. And in the 20-tier, we have 3 Super Pass Summit cups handmade right at the KPM.
Also among the 20-tier prizes: 3 sets of Chinese mahjong.
(8/10) Speakers perks
French champagne, Cuban rum and 0% local beers are but a supporting act to the main dish of the conference: the program. The speakers, and their sessions, are what makes an impact. This time, we have 12 sessions with 61 speakers (4 of them appear on stage twice). Here are some of the perks we've prepared for them:
Chocolates
If you're a speaker – you'll find a small box of chocolates from Pierre Marcolini in your attendee bag, with a thank-you note. New in 2026: if you are on two panels... you will find 2 boxes 🍫.
Macarons
But what about the teamwork being essential, and the timing being critical? In 2026, we decided to highlight this by presenting each lead (or a pair of co-leads) with a box of macarons – which can be shared with everyone on the panel. The logistics involved is a bit complicated (the macarons must be fresh, so they will leave Brussels only on Tuesday) – we'll see how it plays out!
Red wolf chips
If you speak on a panel, you get 3 bonus chips. If you're a lead, you get 5. Basically, a deck of Fournier Tarot Cards guaranteed.
(9/10) Drinks at the Industry Dinner
For some reason, each year we have people saying "maybe next year you guys could serve beer at the dinner", and we facepalm because it's been a part of the drinks list all along. And so each year, we try to make it a bit more obvious that you can request any drink from the menu from any of the wait staff.
This year, the drinks list is on the back of the menu:
Please note the many non-alcoholic options (I highlighted some of them here):
There's enough supply of pretty much anything except for champagne, which is known to run out the first as the dinner kicks in.
(10/10) Personal bag tags
Because every attendee gets the bag, and many find it convenient to leave theirs on their seat when they walk around, each bag has a personal tag with the attendee's name on it. This edition's tags use the design of the flag from the key art –
We urge you not to remove these tags, so that we don't end up with a few orphaned bags in the morning (for the same reason, the notebook has an area on the cover where you may write your name to personalize it).
As far as lost property goes – sunglasses, chargers, hotel cards, caps or jackets – we'll issue calls on these from the stage at the start of each session. If you misplace anything, please let the team at the Summit's minivan know!
And that's it for today!
The next issue is coming just a few days before the conference, and will have an updated weather forecast as well as a few more tidbits (2015 + Porto = ?). Oh, and we'll tell you about the connection between Ryan Black and us giving up on the paper cups in favor of glasses that make all the teas taste better!
– sergei –
