Sydney’s meeting industry won’t be running at full force until 2016 with the opening of the International Convention Centre Sydney (see story on page 10), but that hasn’t stopped city officials from doing a brisk meetings business in the interim period.
With its large cosmopolitan urban population, iconic beaches and landmarks, plus its proximity to growing markets in both Southeast Asia and the Far East, Sydney continues to be a strong player in the international meetings industry. In 2014, the city is on task to attract 53,000 delegates for a combined 230,000 days of overnight visits. The estimated economic impact to the New South Wales economy is expected to generate close to $200 million.
“We estimate that about 20 percent of the 890,000 business travelers that come to Sydney each year are participating in conferences and conventions,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith with BESydney, a private-public partnership dedicated to securing meetings for New South Wales.
“We’re seeing business growth without the convention center, especially with short-term business with Asian firms,” she said. “And we’ve also secured large meetings that would typically require an exhibition center but have found innovative solutions at other venues in Sydney.”
The largest is the 105th Rotary International Convention, June 1-4 at Sydney Olympic Park, home of the 2000 Summer Games. About 18,000 delegates are expected to attend, with panels scheduled inside Allphones Arena, while networking events will take place inside the House of Friendship, renamed The Billabong in 2014 as an ode to the aborigines’ indigenous language. The Billabong is made from a massive timber structure and can house 50,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space and will be used to highlight art and other works from rotary clubs around the world.
“This will be the biggest business event in Sydney to take place outside of the convention center,” said Lewis-Smith. Other large events in 2014 include Pro-Health China’s Annual Conference for 4,500 attendees, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Parks Congress with 3,000 attendees and an incentive trip for the employees of technology firm LG, expected to bring in about 1,200 attendees.
Sydney Is Changing
The Sydney of 2020 will look quite different from the Sydney of 2014. Over $3 billion in construction projects are planned around the city, creating new meeting spaces and experiences designed to attract foreign meeting planners.
The biggest change is the construction of the $1-billion Sydney convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct. A consortium made up of AEG Ogden, Lend Lease, Capella Capital and Spotless Facilities Services will design, build and operate anchor venue International Convention Centre Sydney. That facility will feature a 430,000-sq.-ft. exhibition space, along with a 250,000-sq.-ft. secondary space and a 160,000-sq.-ft. tertiary space.
“The spaces will be directly linked, allowing the combination to be used for larger exhibitions,” said AEG Ogden Director of Convention Centres Geoff Donaghy, who will assume the role of CEO at ICC Sydney. “We’re very proud of our outdoor areas — visitors will also be able to take advantage of a (54,000-sq.-ft) event deck overlooking Sydney’s main harbor. It will be the location of some of the city’s most talked about events. New Year’s Eve on the outdoor deck will be very impressive.”
Architectural firms Hassell and Populous are the main designers on the project. The project will also include an 8,000-seat theater, mixed-use retail and entertainment districts and a new urban neighborhood at the south end of Darling Harbor.
“The land is government owned, and our consortium has been given the rights to build, develop, and operate all of these facilities on government land,” said Donaghy. The private consortium has the rights to operate it for 25 years.
The move comes, said Lewis-Smith, after a five-year period of losing events to other destinations with larger and more modern facilities. She estimates that Sydney lost out on about 175 conferences and events since 2009 because of size limitations.
The current construction boom in the city is designed to address that shortfall, and Lewis-Smith points to a number of new projects that could significantly increase the city’s available meetings inventory.
She points to Sydney’s Southern Central Business District, a design hub for architectural firms and the University of Technology. Legendary architect Frank Gehry is helping to design a $150-million conference center at the school that can be utilized for public talks, executive retreats, events and small conferences from 2014.
“The development is opposite Central Park, a $2-billion downtown Sydney destination featuring lofts, cafes and a maze of new public spaces to enjoy,” Lewis-Smith said.
Other new projects include Royal Randwick, an iconic racetrack that just underwent $150 million in renovations. Construction crews installed a state-of-the-art five level grandstand, along with a 1,000-seat ballroom and a 4,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater. A 170-room, four-star hotel will open nearby in 2015. Other projects include The Star, an $870-million entertainment and event destination designed by Sceno Plus, a Montreal firm responsible for The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Anchoring The Star will be a 3,000-capacity rooftop event space with an exterior shell that changes colors throughout the day.
A Helping Hand
When needed, officials with BESydney have provided assistance to organizations and large associations to help secure major conferences for the city. Lewis-Smith said her organization has coordinated dozens of site visits, helped negotiate hundreds of contracts and appeared in person for delegate presentations, all with the hope of bringing more business to Sydney.
She pointed to one of the most successful events, the 16th International Congress of Dietetics, which met in Sydney from Sept. 5-8, 2012.
“In 2000, we made a bid for the 2008 meeting but lost out to Japan,” Lewis-Smith recalled. “But our bid was very strong and four years later, we were asked by the ICD to resubmit our proposal."
The event was held at the Sydney Convention Centre and Lewis-Smith said she thinks her team was successful because they highlighted the region’s unique agricultural industry and, more importantly, the city’s ability to deal with dietary restrictions.
“We had 2,200 delegates attending and approximately 500 of them had unique dietary issues, including 100 who identified themselves as vegetarian,” she said. “Despite the diverse range of dietary requirements, all dishes were drawn from the center’s existing menu with the exception of a gluten-free pie created especially for the group’s opening reception.”
After the event, BESydney commissioned a survey of the delegates with the help of the University of Technology and about 75 percent of respondents said they were pleased with the selection of Sydney for their meeting and 67 percent said that they were able to conduct additional business outside of the conference during their visit
“Additionally, the majority of delegates stated that the congress’ large attendance and diverse program had enabled them to connect with other industry professionals from around the world,” she said. “Much of the feedback I got was that the 2012 event was the most broad international coalition of dieticians ever brought together.”
Interviewed for this story: Lyn Lewis-Smith, +61 2 9331 4045; Geoff Donaghy, +61 7 3363 3666