ICC Sydney Prepares for World Class Success

The comprehensive simulation of the esteemed Reed Gift Fairs exhibition included a vast array of operational activities – from move in and exhibition set up, to reception, ticketing, food and beverage, and pack down and move out. The activity was one of 30 ‘test events’ being held by ICC Sydney to put every facet of the integrated precinct through its paces ahead of its first exhibition on 20 December.

The venue boasts 35,000sqm of internal exhibition space, 90 per cent of which is located across two floors in a smart, stacked layout. The exhibition halls have a clear ceiling height of 10.5m and loading dock areas at 20kPa allowing for up to 19 semi-trailers to unload at any one time, plus massive 5.6 metre wide doors provide outstanding accessibility for large, complex structures.

Each exhibition hall also has its own registration and ticketing facilities, along with food and beverage outlets offering dishes that fuel both body and mind, reflecting the venue’s unique Feeding Your Performance philosophy.

CEO of ICC Sydney, Geoff Donaghy, said that the event provided a valuable opportunity to ensure Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct is primed for success.

“Clients are increasingly requiring highly technical, bespoke events that can be set up and down at speed with advanced lighting and rigging capabilities. This test with Reed Exhibitions allowed us to gain valuable learnings and solidify our industry leading offering.

“In a testament to ICC Sydney’s unique offer and outstanding capabilities, we have over 50 exhibition bookings already secured for 2017. All of the major Australian operators are on board, including Reed Exhibitions, Diversified Communications Australia, Expertise Events, Gaming Technologies Australia, and Boating Industry Association.”

“ICC Sydney will open with a raft of exciting events including The Hunger Games: The Exhibition and Brickman, Rolling Stones Exhibitionism, Oz Comic Con and the Australian Tattoo Expo” he said.

Stephen Steenson, Director of Operations for Reed Exhibitions, said he was blown away by the $1.5 billion precinct’s facilities.

“Reed Gift Fairs is Australia’s premier trading platform for buyers and sellers in the gift and homewares industry. It’s important to us that we find a venue that can meet our high standards and I’m pleased to say that ICC Sydney is one of the most exciting spaces in the world. It has been fantastic to help the venue operators finesse their amazing offer and we cannot wait to come back with our full event next February, which will launch ICC Sydney’s 2017 exhibition season.”

Mr Donaghy added that ICC Sydney will deliver a new benchmark for consumers and the trade alike, creating a paradigm shift in how exhibitions are experienced in Sydney.

“In recent years, we have seen more than two thousand exhibitions staged nationally, attracting millions of visitors and tens of thousands of exhibitors. The economic and cultural impact of this industry should not be underestimated, and we look forward to building Sydney’s market share in this thriving sector.”

Over the next 25 years, ICC Sydney is set to generate at least $5 billion in economic benefits for NSW, making it one of the most important components of the State’s suite of infrastructure projects.”