International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney management is attributing strong leadership, a culture of innovation and a focus on sustainability as the major contributors to increasing event attendance and economic returns to the local community during the 2022 financial year, with the venue projecting a sooner than expected return to FY 2019 figures. Managed by ASM Global, ICC Sydney has reported that its event visitor attendance and visitor spend in the community have doubled since the previous financial year following the release of its 2021/22 Annual Performance Review on 8 September. The venue welcomed over 470,000 visitors that delivered A$190m (US$127.8m) in visitor expenditure across 300 events — up from 200,000 visitors and an economic contribution of A$80m in FY 2020/2021. ICC Sydney CEO and ASM Global (APAC) group director of convention centres, Geoff Donaghy said the efforts of the team over the first eight months of the year had been rewarded in the final four months of the year when operating restrictions were eased in Sydney. “Our ability to stay open, keep our core team engaged with clients and stakeholders while fostering a culture that enables our people to deliver new solutions to fluid challenges has delivered this outstanding result,” Donaghy said. Over the year, ICC Sydney held 300 events – 261 or 87% of them held in person – which included 31 events that were a hybrid of in person and online. The venue delivered the majority of in person events and welcomed most of the 470,000 plus people that attended them, between March to June 2022. Condensed largely into four months, the number of in person events was up significantly on the previous year when only 56% of events were held in person. New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet said: “The venue bounced back as soon as operating conditions allowed and are set to return to contributing around A$1-billion a year to Sydney and regional communities across New South Wales. “Thousands of visitors attending events at ICC Sydney each week are filling up hotels, restaurants and retail outlets, as well as tourism opportunities. It’s great to see the CBD come alive again.” The earlier than expected return of international events and the changing values shift of clients and attendees towards sustainable venues and communities have also played a role in keeping strong levels of business flowing to ICC Sydney, management said. “Pent up demand meant domestic business levels returned at pace and in volume. Add to this the return of international events and we are now forecasting a return to FY 2019 figures in FY 2025 – a year earlier than previously projected,” Donaghy said. Between March and June, ICC Sydney delivered high impact, high volume events, including:
- A record-breaking INDO PACIFIC 2022 International Maritime Exposition attracted over 25,000 visitor attendances to interact with 736 participating exhibitor companies from 23 countries, across an exhibition space 11% larger than the 2019 record.
- The Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition welcomed 3,800 in person attendees and 90 exhibitors to the venue. Attendees included Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.
- Tourism Australia’s Australian Tourism Exchange this year was the highest selling event in its series.
- The International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering held in May welcomed 1,360 in person attendees, half of these were international delegates from 76 countries.
Donaghy cautioned that the return to ‘business as usual’ for the international market depended on Business Events Sydney and Tourism Australia retaining the increased investment in their international marketing of Sydney and Australia, faster visa processing and the current operating conditions remaining in place. ICC Sydney has also released its second Reconciliation Action Plan, renewed its Legacy Program guide for event organisers wanting to creative positive social impacts or lighten their environmental footprint through their events. The new financial year will see iconic events hosted at ICC Sydney including international events MDRT Global Conference, the Congress of the International Academy of Pathology in October, Sydney World Pride’s Human Rights Conference in March and the International Congress of Actuaries in May.
