ICC Sydney Celebrates First Year Anniversary

20 Dec 2017

Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment venue marks major milestone

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) today celebrates its first anniversary, marking one year since the venue officially opened to the public, raising Sydney’s profile as a true hub for collaboration, inspiration and innovation on the global stage.

Three years in the making, the A$1.5 billion development, which comprises an industry leading convention centre, a world class theatre and 35,000sqm exhibition space capacity is a key component of the NSW Government’s recent suite of infrastructure projects.

NSW Minister for Finance, Services and Property, Victor Dominello said the NSW Government is proud to see its vision for the venue come to life.

“ICC Sydney is not just an iconic destination that our beautiful, international city requires, it is also a flagship of the NSW Government to deliver world class events to our great city. The ICC Sydney team have done an outstanding job in delivering a high number of first class events in such a short period of time.”

Since opening 20 December 2016, ICC Sydney has delivered 700 events, grown its team to 1,700 employees and welcomed 1.25 million delegates, visitors and attendees to some of Australia’s – and the world’s – most highly regarded business events.

CEO of ICC Sydney, Geoff Donaghy said that in just 12 months ICC Sydney has enriched the city’s financial and knowledge economies, underscoring its reputation as one of the world’s most desirable events destinations.

“We set out to open a world class venue, in a world class location with a world class team and I’m confident to say we have achieved this. Our presence has been felt on a global scale and we are well on track to contribute at least A$5 billion to the local economy in the next 25 years.”

Donaghy said that some key highlights from 2017 include hosting the 10th World Chambers Congress in Sydney for the first time, bringing the REED Gift Fairs back to the heart of the city after three years with a 23% increase in attendance, and welcoming 4,500 delegates from 128 countries to Sydney for the International Bar Association Annual Conference.

“As a result of putting innovation at the heart of our organisation, ICC Sydney has received strong praise and recognition for a raft of industry leading initiatives. We were the first conference venue in Australia to introduce a virtual reality video experience, our consortium achieved LEED Gold status for our all encompassing approach to sustainability, and we have delivered a raft of socio-economic benefits across the State through our unique Feeding Your Performance culinary philosophy.”

The innovation focus will continue at ICC Sydney in 2018, as the venue prepares to launch its unique multi-streamed Legacy Program in January. Spanning four streams including Innovators, Generation Next, Aboriginal Australia and Sustainability, the approach has been designed to connect the world’s brightest minds, industry leaders and delegates across a diverse cross-section of Sydney’s vibrant community with impactful end-to-end experiences.

Donaghy said it has been a truly remarkable year, with the team at ICC Sydney already looking ahead to 2018 and new ways to raise the bar within the events industry.

“With 1,200 events secured until 2026, including the likes of major national and international symposiums such as Sibos 2018 in October, the 2018 World Congress of Accountants in November, COSPAR 2020 – dubbed the space Olympics – and the 18th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2021), the future for Sydney is looking bright.

“As we look to the new year, we remain focused on ensuring that everything we do consistently reaches a world class standard, and that we help foster powerful long term economic, cultural and environmental benefits for our clients, partners and visitors which are felt long after their events take place at ICC Sydney,” Donaghy said.

Image credit: Camera Creations

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