The International Convention CentreSydney is an exhibition and convention centre which opened in December 2016, in Sydney, Australia. ICC Sydney is Australia's first and largest fully integrated convention, exhibition and entertainment centre. Created as a multipurpose event space, ICC Sydney has over 70 meeting rooms, three theatres and two formal ballrooms. ICC Sydney includes convention spaces for 2,500, 1,000 and 750 people. It also includes a flexible space of and the largest ballroom in Sydney, able to accommodate 2,000 people. ICC Sydney is within walking distance to over half of Sydney's 33,000 hotel rooms and is just from the Sydney International Airport. The ICC Exhibition Centre and Entertainment Centre includes of exhibition space, which can be divided into smaller spaces according to requirements. The first major event held at the newly developed centre was RTX Sydney hosted by Rooster Teeth Productions on 4 - 5 February 2017. The ICC Sydney, part of Darling Harbour Live, is being developed by a consortium comprising AEG Ogden Lend Lease, Capella Capital and Spotless, with AEG Ogden playing the role of venue operator.
Location
ICC Sydney is located in the Darling Harbour, skirting the centre of the Sydney central business district and just from the Sydney International Airport. ICC Sydney is positioned on the waterfront, near Cockle Bay and Tumbalong Park. ICC Sydney opened adjacent to a new global financial services hub Barangaroo, as well as media, technology and knowledge centres. It features multiple public access points, with the option of visiting the precinct via a choice of walking or transport options including, road, light rail, train and ferry.
History and structure
ICC Sydney was designed by two architectural firms, Hassell and Populous, in a contemporary modern style. It replaces the former Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre that was demolished in December 2013. Construction began in early 2014; an estimated of concrete will be used to construct the building. ICC Sydney is an 1.5 billion development being delivered through a Public Private Partnership with the New South Wales Government and Darling Harbour Live. The development of ICC Sydney is part of a broader 3.4 billion revitalisation of Darling Harbour. Upon completion, ICC Sydney will adjoin a new 590 room luxury hotel tower, a residential and commercial development, pedestrian boulevard and improved public domain that are all being created as part of the Darling Harbour development. The development will also include a reconfiguration of Tumbalong Park, providing an additional of green space acting as a new adaptable event space. In accordance with the contractual agreement with Darling Harbour Live and the NSW Government, , an equity partner in the PPP's consortium, as the naming rights sponsor for the venue's 9,000 seat entertainment theatre on 1 July 2019. The 9,000-seat venue would now be known as the "First State Super Theatre" for the next 10 years.
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.
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.
Controversy
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.
Facilities
ICC Sydney consists of three conjoined key structures: 9,000-seat First State Super Theatre, ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre and ICC Sydney Convention Centre. The buildings contain a number of feature event spaces such as: The Gallery, The Grand Ballroom and Event Deck.
Hosted events
Twenty large international conventions are scheduled for ICC Sydney, including:
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. 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.
