ICC’S new dawn

THE excitement around the pending opening of Sydney’s new International Convention Centre was palpable at an event at NSW Parliament House last month, where the state’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, spoke about his recent visit to IMEX in Frankfurt. Ayres admitted the construction period of the new venue had been a “challenging period” for the industry. Ayres said the ICC will be a “fantastic addition to the landscape and a significant enhancement to our capacity to support business events in this city,” with feedback at IMEX reflecting a genuine buzz around the globe. Such is the interest in the new centre’s debut that Ayres said he’s now becoming concerned about accommodation supply, with the centre’s opening set to further boost the already high occupancy levels experienced during the construction period.