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Exterior image of ICC Sydney's Convention Centre lit up in purple and blue.

Global stage ICC Sydney counts down to the return of SXSW Sydney®

04 Oct 2024

Multi award-winning International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), managed by ASM Global, will once again become a hub for Sydney’s premier festival for creatives, South by Southwest Sydney® (SXSW Sydney) when it returns in ten days.

In a move that will excite attendees and support the sustainable growth of creative industries, SXSW Sydney organisers have this year expanded the festival program, which will be anchored at ICC Sydney over seven days and nights from 14–20 October 2024. The packed Conference lineup will feature over 1,000 world-class speakers across more than 300 sessions, with talks covering 23 tracks, as well as workshops, mentoring, networking events, and more.

Canva’s Melanie Perkins will present the opening Keynote on Monday 14 October, where she will be joined by legendary investor Mary Meeker for a highly anticipated conversation uncovering insights from Canva’s evolution from an idea, to a world leading design and visual communication business.

Melanie Perkins and Mary Meeker join previously announced speakers including New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus Johann Hari, prominent human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, and GRAMMY®-nominated and multi-platinum ARIA®-award-winning Australian sensation The Kid LAROI, and more.

The SXSW Sydney Tech & Innovation Expo will take place in the ICC Sydney Exhibition Halls from October 16–19, showcasing groundbreaking new technologies from exhibitors such as Andromeda Robotics, B Lab, Charitabl, and more. Also, part of the Tech & Innovation programming is the SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024, which will see 22 startup finalists compete live at the event in front of a prominent panel of judges.

ICC Sydney will also host Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling UK sensation Jorja Smith when she brings her ‘falling or flying’ Australian tour to Sydney on Tuesday 15 October for an unmissable performance as part of the SXSW Sydney Music Festival. In addition, headline film premieres and screen launches will take place each day in Darling Harbour as part of the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the positive impacts of SXSW Sydney continue to resonate with both trade and consumer audiences, promising even more opportunities for Sydney communities to discover exciting talent, explore inspiring ideas, and make meaningful new connections in 2024.

Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox credited ICC Sydney’s world class infrastructure and its highly skilled event professionals for creating the perfect environment to showcase the Harbour City as a creative industries hub during SXSW Sydney 2024.

“As the anchor venue for SXSW Sydney, the outstanding event facilities at ICC Sydney contribute immensely to the success of the festival and to the event experience of attendees who will be visiting from around the world. With the support of the ICC Sydney team, SXSW Sydney 2024 will once again elevate Sydney’s reputation as the major events and creative industries capital of the Asia Pacific,” Mr Cox said.

ICC Sydney General Manager, Adam Mather-Brown said the venue’s well resourced team of passionate professionals were ready to welcome patrons of SXSW Sydney while making a difference for the community.

“Beyond providing an extraordinary experience for the diversity of SXSW Sydney visitors, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate on delivering a positive legacy for years to come – from the economic benefit across our dynamic city to environmental sustainability solutions and facilitating connections with First Nations Peoples and culture or our local, entrepreneurial and creative community – every area of our corporate social responsibility strategy is brought to the fore through SXSW Sydney,” Mr Mather-Brown said.

SXSW Sydney Chair and TEG Group CEO, Geoff Jones said: “TEG has partnered with ICC Sydney on the delivery of hundreds of events over the years. We are looking forward to again hosting SXSW Sydney in this world-class and state-of-the-art venue to showcase thought-provoking speakers, and the newest in games and entertainment from across the globe.”

Chosen as the SXSW Sydney leading venue, in recognition of its world class facilities and central location, ICC Sydney leverages its global platform to support successful major events including the Global Positive Nature Summit 2024, and Salesforce World Tour 2025.

Since its inception in Austin, Texas, in 1987, South by Southwest (SXSW®) has dedicated itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. SXSW Sydney is the official Asia-Pacific instalment of SXSW and proudly provides a global platform for creators and ideas from this region.

ICC Sydney is committed to supporting the NSW Government’s Creative Communities 10-year policy which is grounded in five guiding principles:

  • Prioritise First Nations culture
  • Embrace the arts, culture and creative industries
  • Advocate for the value of culture
  • Support sustainable growth
  • Take our creativity to the world and bring the world to our stories.
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