ICC Sydney’s Manager, Event Delivery, Jake Piccirillo took part in the second International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) ANZ Academy – a premier regional leadership and professional development program that was delivered in partnership with the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) and Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA). The five-day immersive program was hosted at the newly opened NZICC in Auckland and equipped industry professionals such as Jake with the tools, knowledge, and connections needed to advance excellence in convention centre operations through expert-led sessions, practical exercises, and meaningful peer exchange. Following a competitive pitch, Jake Piccirillo’s team was named the winner of the team challenge.
Jake Piccirillo, Manager, Event Delivery, ICC Sydney
One of the most valuable aspects of the 2026 AIPC ANZ Academy was the people in the room. Thirteen participants came from across the events ecosystem: operations, sales, venue leadership, agencies, associations and design representing ICC Sydney, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darwin Convention Centre, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Te Pae Christchurch, Auckland Conventions Venues & Events, Constellar Venues Pte Ltd, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, NZICC and Populous.
We represented different cities, different venue models and different ways of thinking about events. At first glance, it felt like a diverse cohort. By the end of the week, it became clear that this diversity was actually the most powerful part of the experience.
Seeing the Bigger Picture
In day-to-day operations, it’s easy to view events through a delivery lens — timelines, logistics, floorplans, execution. But being surrounded by peers from across the value chain shifted that perspective quickly. Hearing directly from those in sales, agencies and client-side roles reinforced that events are no longer just about delivering against a brief. They are about shaping outcomes, commercially, experientially and strategically.
The daily agendas were packed with a mix of activities, case studies, panels and high calibre speakers. Led by Sven Bossu, CEO, AIPC, the cohort explored global trends shaping the events industry and their impact across the event value chain. The discussion highlighted how the industry is increasingly interconnected and how operations, technology, finance, design and customer experience must align. We spoke about how incremental improvement driven by frontline teams is essential for long term competitiveness, which is something that is embedded here at ICC Sydney with our culture of driving innovation.
ICC Sydney Chief Financial Officer, Martin Clapham upskilled the cohort on financial literacy in decision-making, KPIs, business cases, and event profitability. Business leadership speaker Sandy Kennedy ran an interactive session on leading through ambiguity, risk and disruption and how uncertainty is now the norm in events, be it weather, security, logistics, tech or client change. How focus should be given to decision frameworks, and coaching teams to think in scenarios and contingency planning rather than rigid plans, to prepare for uncertain situations.
Adam Paulitsch, Design Director, Populous (architecture firm that designed ICC Sydney) shared how great outcomes stem from deliberate design, production flow, and insight-driven planning and emphasised that design is about how events work, not just how they look.
Momentus Chief Information Officer, Steve Mackenzie covered the growing role of technology in safety, digital events, and data-driven insights for venues. That we should be preparing teams for greater integration of systems and digital workflows and to champion smarter use of event data to improve planning accuracy and post-event reporting.
Kingi Makoare, Māori cultural consultant and advisor, provided cultural perspective on connection to place, people, and purpose. How authentic cultural understanding enhances event experience and community trust and to continue embedding respect for local culture and storytelling in events.
Learning What’s Shared vs What’s Different
Another key learning was understanding what is universal across the industry, and what is unique to individual venues.
Every organisation had different challenges — scale, governance, resourcing, market maturity — but many of the underlying themes were the same: increasing client expectations, pressure on margins, and the need to adapt quickly.
That distinction is powerful. It allows you to recognise where your organisation is already performing strongly, and where there is an opportunity to adopt ideas that have been tested elsewhere. For me, it created a greater confidence in both what we’re doing at ICC Sydney, and where we can continue to evolve.