To manage the complex but mutually beneficial network of politicians and merchants the City of Venice established and maintained a host of innovative judicial and regulatory structures.
By doing so reliable and trustworthy venues for exchange and functional methods of conflict resolution between all different classes, countries, cultures, religions and empires were established. 

The area around Rialto bridge was Venice’s main market, acting as a centre of information as well as banking and financing services. Today we would call this a place or platform of collaborative networking.

Finding mutually beneficial concepts for compromises between the interests of all parties involved was a challenge then and is still a challenge now. Mastering this challenge by professional negotiations is key to success for everybody.