BY MATHEW PAINE
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Our people deliver success. Earlier in the financial year we released the ICC Sydney Annual Performance Review which revealed that in 2018/19, the 1.4 million delegates and patrons who attended events at our venue generated A$896 million* in direct expenditure for New South Wales – a phenomenal achievement.
This achievement is the result of a team of 1,700 caring, passionate professionals who worked together to deliver 671 extraordinary events over 12 months, all while achieving an outstanding 99% delegate rating and a client satisfaction rating that has jumped up to 99%.
Five years ago we were busily preparing to open ICC Sydney and faced the challenge of recruiting, onboarding and training 1,700 new team members. Over the past two years, we have been working hard to lay down industry-leading HR practices and initiatives to keep employee engagement levels up, retain talent in a competitive industry and equip our team members with the skills they need to succeed.
It’s clear that our investment in our people and commitment to provide them with a great place to work where they can enjoy meaningful and fulfilling careers, not simply jobs, is delivering. In 2018/19, ICC Sydney team members reported 82% team engagement and a monthly average staff retention rate of 98% – well above the industry average.
But there is always room for improvement and we are placing a laser focus on helping our team build even clearer career pathways while nurturing and retaining high performing talent. Just one example of how we’re doing this is the formalisation of our ‘My Extraordinary Journey’ program which provides the opportunity for employees to hone their leadership skills by participating in one of three streams – talent, leadership and career development.