We’re beginning to pick up pace, along our road to recovery. Recent outbreaks in northern NSW and Brisbane have been successfully and quickly controlled, the national vaccine rollout is underway, restrictions continue to ease in NSW, and a completely quarantine-free travel bubble with New Zealand opened on 19 April. It’s pleasing to see positive momentum towards recovery.
In another step towards recovery, it is terrific to see that Business Events Sydney is administering the NSW Government’s Kickstart 2021 Sydney Business Events Fund in support of our industry which was so severely impacted by COVID-19.
Over the month, ICC Sydney has welcomed the further easing of restrictions in NSW. Entertainment venues including theatres have now returned to 100% seated capacity and all venues are operating with the 2sqm rule. It has been heartening to see events returning and brilliant to see the team doing an exemplary job delivering these successful events within a COVID-safe framework.
We recently hosted a number of larger scale events, and it was wonderful to welcome major exhibitions into the Exhibition Centre, such as the Australian Healthcare Week exhibition which attracted over 4,500 visitors to the trade exhibition and a further 400 medical and healthcare professionals safely attending the conference sessions. Similarly, Reed Gift Fairs, occupying three halls of our Exhibition Centre, was held for the first time since February 2020.
The Committee for Sydney’s inaugural Sydney Summit brought together diverse leaders to discuss the future of Sydney. The in-person event highlighted the collaboration and discussions which are uniquely only possible when in the same room. From the pre-arrival preparations, through to the onsite delivery of the event, our team implemented contact tracing, logistic arrangements, COVID-safe morning tea and lunch service, and hygiene measures to ensure attendees could meet with peace of mind knowing that safety measures were rigorously planned and in place.