International_Convention_Centre_Sydney

International Convention Centre Sydney

International Convention Centre Sydney

Building in Darling Harbour

For the former convention and exhibition center located on the site of ICC Sydney, see Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) is an exhibition and convention centre which opened in December 2016, in Sydney, Australia.[1][2] ICC Sydney has over 70 meeting rooms, three theatres and two formal ballrooms.[3]

Quick Facts Alternative names, General information ...
Quick Facts Banquet/ballroom, Theatre seating ...
ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre
Aware Super Theatre

ICC Sydney includes convention spaces for 2,500, 1,000 and 750 people. It also includes a flexible space of 2,500 square metres (27,000 sq ft) and the largest ballroom in Sydney, able to accommodate 2,000 people. The ICC Exhibition Centre and Entertainment Centre includes 33,000 square metres (360,000 sq ft) of exhibition space, which can be divided into smaller spaces according to requirements.[4] The first major event held at the newly developed centre was RTX Sydney hosted by Rooster Teeth Productions on 4–5 February 2017.[5]

The ICC Sydney, part of Darling Harbour Live, was developed by a consortium comprising AEG Ogden (now ASM Global[6]) Lend Lease, Capella Capital and Spotless, with AEG Ogden the venue operator.[7]

Location

ICC Sydney is located in the Darling Harbour on the western side of the Sydney central business district.[8]

History and structure

ICC Sydney was designed by two architectural firms, Hassell and Populous.[3] It replaces the former Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre that was demolished in December 2013.[9] Construction began in early 2014; an estimated 32,000 cubic metres (1,100,000 cu ft) of concrete was used to construct the building.[10]

ICC Sydney is an A$1.5 billion development being delivered through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the New South Wales Government and Darling Harbour Live (comprising Lend Lease, Hostplus, Capella Capital, AEG Ogden and Spotless). The development of ICC Sydney is part of a broader A$3.4 billion works program at Darling Harbour[11] that includes a new 590 room hotel tower (under the Sofitel brand), a residential and commercial development (Darling Square),[12] pedestrian boulevard and improved public domain upgrade. The works also include a reconfiguration of Tumbalong Park to provide an additional 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) of green space acting as a new adaptable event space.[13]

In accordance with the contractual agreement with Darling Harbour Live and the NSW Government, secured First State Super, an equity partner in the PPP's consortium, as the naming rights sponsor for the venue's 9,000 seat entertainment theatre, which was called "First State Super Theatre". In 2020, following First State's rebrand to Aware Super, the theatre was named Aware Super Theatre.[14]

Construction milestones

  • July 2015, ICC Sydney Hotel construction commenced. The hotel consists of 35 storeys and approximately 600 rooms. It is managed by AccorHotels under its Sofitel brand.[15]
  • September 2015, Topping Out Ceremony for the ICC Sydney Theatre. The ceremony that marked the completion of the concrete pour for the top floor of the ICC Sydney Theatre was attended by NSW Premier Mike Baird and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance.[16]

Controversy

Main article: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre

The 1989 Sir John Sulman Medal for Public Architecture was awarded to Philip Cox Richardson Taylor Partners as joint winners for Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour which was demolished in 2014 to make way for the new development. Architects John Andrews and Philip Cox spoke out over the demolition of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre completed in 1988, criticising the fact that the existing structures had not been incorporated into the new development.[17]

Facilities

ICC Sydney consists of three conjoined key structures:

  • Aware Super Theatre (previously known as ICC Sydney Theatre (December 2016 – July 2019) and First State Super Theatre (July 2019 – July 2020))
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre
  • ICC Sydney Convention Centre including a number of event spaces such as The Gallery, The Grand Ballroom and Event Deck.[18]
  • ICC Sydney Convention Centre lobby
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 2 lobby
  • Aware Super Theatre lobby
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 4 Event Deck
  • Moriarty Walk
  • Tidal Cascades designed by Robert Woodward and retained from the original 1980s redevelopment.

Hosted events

Events held at ICC Sydney include:

Netball

During the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season, the main theatre hosted two netball matches, one an intra-city derby between Giants Netball and the New South Wales Swifts and the other between the Giants and the West Coast Fever. Despite not being designed with indoor sport in mind, the theatre was utilised by the league due to a lack of stadium availability elsewhere in the city.[29] The venue is unlikely to host netball again, as both clubs will move into a permanent multi-purpose facility at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in 2020.

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "BEA - Business Events Australia Newsletter – March 2015". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  2. [2]
    Wright, Louisa (13 December 2016). "International Convention Centre Sydney opens". ArchitectureAU. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  3. [3]
    "Sneak peek: Sydney's $1.1b International Convention Centre (ICC) by HASSELL and Populous [Video] - Architecture And Design". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  4. [4]
    "Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct - Design Build Network".
  5. [5]
    "RTX Sydney 2017".
  6. [6]
    "AEG Facilities and SMG Merger - ASMGlobal". ICC Sydney. 2 October 2019.
  7. [7]
    "Sydney paints clearer picture of future Darling Harbour precinct Sydney". 12 December 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  8. [8]
    "International Convention Centre Sydney". Business Events Sydney. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. [9]
    "Sydney's Convention and Exhibition Centre has wrecking ball date". 6 December 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  10. [10]
    "Convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  11. [11]
    "$1 billion plan to reshape Sydney - with separate $1.5 billion Lend Lease deal". 11 December 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  12. [12]
    "New urban neighbourhood: Sydney's future economy". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  13. [13]
    "'Refined' $2.5b facelift for Darling Harbour unveiled". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  14. [14]
    "ICC Sydney Reveals The New Look Aware Super Theatre". ICC Sydney.
  15. [15]
    "ICC Sydney Hotel construction commences - ICC Sydney". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  16. [16]
    "Darling Harbour News". April 2015.
  17. [17]
    "Architect lashes out at 'stupid' demolition". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  18. [18]
    "ICC Sydney". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  19. [19]
    "RTX Sydney 2017".
  20. [20]
    "AIPC Annual Conference".
  21. [21]
    "Sydney secures another sought-after event for ICC Sydney 2017". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  22. [22]
    "Sydney to host World Chambers Congress in 2017". New South Wales Business Chamber. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  23. [23]
    "Over 10,000 Amway China delegates expected in Sydney in 2017". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  24. [24]
    "Ariana Grande Announces 2017 'Dangerous Woman' Australian Tour". Music Feeds. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  25. [25]
    "RTX Sydney 2017".
  26. [26]
    "ICC lands Sibos event". 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  27. [27]
    "The Script". City of Sydney. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  28. [28]
    "IEM Sydney 2023". ESL. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  29. [29]
    "Netball's plea: Don't forget us in stadium splurge". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 July 2018.
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