Alliances steer ICC Sydney to the forefront

Hosting hundreds of business events every year and welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to its iconic venue, the ICC Sydney considers itself to be at the heart of the city’s innovation ecosystem. As a meeting place of national and international renown, it acts as a platform in which connections are made.

To achieve this, the ICC Sydney continues to partner with local businesses in the Darling Harbour precinct. Members of its team are active participants in the Darling Harbour Alliance, a forum managed by Property NSW, where members share information and engage in support of major events to ICC Sydney and the broader precinct.

ICC Sydney CEO, Geoff Donaghy, said ICC Sydney is also a founding member of the recently formed New Sydney Waterfront Company which takes a strategic look at the entire Western Harbour, of which the venue is an integral part.

“Through this platform, we advocate for relevant activations that are curated and coordinated to enhance and promote the area as we collaboratively seek to solve common challenges through a more holistic, integrated approach,” Donaghy said.

Close connections with local venue operators are also a high priority. “Every hotel in the Darling Harbour precinct is important to us and we continue to keep them, along with all other major property operators such as restaurants and retail precincts, up to date with our event calendar and activation opportunities, including but not limited to the Sofitel Darling Harbour, Novotel, Hyatt Regency and the new W Hotel which is set to open in October this year.”

The ICC Sydney finds it can add the greatest venue to its clients and event attendees through its Legacy Program which fosters positive social impact and environmental sustainability initiatives while connecting participants with Australia’s First Nations Peoples, businesses and culture, the brightest minds of industry and academia, and the next generation of emerging creative talent.

“These partnerships help the venue and event organisers to deliver on sustainability and social impact objectives. For instance, we recently joined forces with Science for Wildlife - a leading Australian not-for-profit wildlife conservation organisation - to raise awareness about wildlife conservation under climate change and activate volunteering opportunities for the venue’s team,” said Donaghy.

Through its Legacy Program, the ICC helps clients connect with First Nations businesses and artists, and the talents of Sydney’s creative industries – enriching the delegate experience while providing positive social impacts to emerging artists in the community.