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Exhibitions Return to ICC Sydney

02 Nov 2020

Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment venue reveals critical return of exhibition market.

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has today announced exhibitions will return to the premier venue, following advice from the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Health that ICC Sydney is able to proceed with public exhibitions, subject to one person per 4 square metres of space and no capacity limit.

ICC Sydney will immediately move ahead with the restart of this important market segment, welcoming two of Sydney’s most popular exhibitions – the Reed Gift Fairs and Life Instyle – in February 2021 over four days.

ICC Sydney CEO, Geoff Donaghy said the exhibition industry plays a fundamental role in the venue’s success.

“The exhibition market accounts for approximately one quarter of our turnover, which in a typical year can be up to 70 events, so this updated advice from the NSW Department of Health is a significant step forward for the business events industry following the impact of COVID-19.”

The return of ICC Sydney’s exhibitions calendar is expected to deliver significant benefits to Sydney and NSW with direct and indirect delegate expenditure boosting the state economy and positively impacting suppliers up and down the business events supply chain. In a stabilised year, exhibition attendees spend more than $340 million in the local economy

Committee for Sydney CEO Gabriel Metcalf said: “This is very welcome news for Sydney and our tourism and events sector which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Attracting investment through trade events and exhibitions keeps people in jobs and is a key driver to our economic recovery.”

The annual economic impact of Reed Gift Fairs and Life Instyle alone is estimated by event organisers to exceed $30 million.

Reed Exhibitions Managing Director, Brian Thomas, said the return of the Reed Gift Fairs and Life Instyle to ICC Sydney in 2021 will be a catalyst for Australia’s recovery to begin.

“We are delighted that Australia’s gift and homewares industry will be one of the first to benefit from exhibitions recommencing at ICC Sydney. Trade events and exhibitions have always been places where entire industries come together in one place to celebrate what they do, build connections and, of course, trade. The flow on benefits of this are substantial and we hope this update will be the catalyst for the recovery of other industries.”

All exhibitions held at ICC Sydney will be delivered in line with the venue’s rigorous ASM Global Venue Shield EventSafe Operating Guide while meeting the current NSW Government restrictions, to ensure the safe running of exhibitions in an environment transformed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The comprehensive set of protocols spans 16 key areas of event management and integrates best practice from parent group ASM Global’s VenueShield – a program of the most advanced hygienic safeguards, informed by public health authorities, medical and industry experts – which is deployed in ASM Global’s 325 worldwide facilities.

Donaghy continued: “ICC Sydney’s Exhibition Centre boasts 35,000 sqm of internal exhibition space across seven halls, providing exhibitors and visitors’ ample space to trade with peace of mind. We are working closely with Reed Exhibitions to ensure stringent safety measures are in place.”

ICC Sydney is open and currently running a range of in person events at the venue, as well as running virtual and hybrid events, in line with current regulations. Exhibitions that form part of a corporate event, such as conferences, are still subject to NSW Government capacity limits of 300 persons per event.

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