As it nears one year of its successful opening and operation, ICC Sydney bosses unveiled a Legacy Program aimed at “giving back” to the community by increasing the involvement of local entreprenuers, the aborginal community and sustainability in events held at the international convention centre.
ICC Sydney chief executive Geoff Donaghy says the Legacy Program is designed to connect the world’s brightest minds, industry leaders and delegates across a diverse cross-section of Sydney’s vibrant community.
Rolling out from January 2018, the programme will foster knowledge exchange, collaboration and engagement across four key streams – innovators, Generation Next, Aboriginal Australia and sustainability.
Each stream will provide clients with an opportunity to connect with locals through dedicated initiatives – from direct exposure to Sydney’s network of entrepreneurs and startups, and fostering the next generation of thought leaders via student engagement, to working with local Aboriginal businesses, and measuring the ecological impact of events.
Donaghy says the scheme will support the creation of complete experiences that endure long after convention, exhibition and networking events take place at the Darling Harbour venue.
“At ICC Sydney, we are committed to driving meaningful social, economic and environmental outcomes and delivering world class events, and our robust Legacy Program will help us to continue doing just that.
“We have already been working collaboratively with a network of partners across the four streams and are thrilled to formalise a programme which will invigorate our clients’ event programmes, strengthen Sydney’s knowledge economy and support local businesses with tangible commercial benefit.”
Each stream will be delivered in partnership with private enterprise, government and education providers. Already, relationships have been established with the New South Wales Indigenous Chamber of Commerce (NSWICC), TAFE NSW, Sydney Water, the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship (SSE) and 11 New South Wales universities, among others.
Drawing from Sydney’s startup community, a high-profile steering committee has also been established to specifically support the Innovators stream.
Steering committee member and CEO of Arinex, Roslyn McLeod, said the programme is set to be a world leading example of stakeholder, industry and entrepreneurial cross-collaboration.
“International business events are incredibly important for building the intellectual capital of our city. ICC Sydney is setting an industry benchmark by bringing together key local stakeholders, industry leaders and entrepreneurs to collectively invest in innovation.”
Deb Barwick, chairperson of the First Australians Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CEO of the NSWICC, also welcomed the Legacy Program launch and said ICC Sydney is helping to build greater acknowledgement and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
“ICC Sydney is an important economic contributor to Sydney and New South Wales, and this initiative will help connect the millions of people it is expected to welcome through its doors each year with local Aboriginal businesses and culture in a purposeful and enriching way.
“From investment in the development of a Welcome to Country video, purchasing Indigenous Australian produce from local Aboriginal businesses, to facilitating cultural tours of Sydney and local artist collaboration, it will open up a myriad of opportunities.”
ICC Sydney’s Legacy Program launch is expected to deepen relationships with leading thinkers and innovators visiting Australia as it, and partner Business Events Sydney, continue to confirm some of the world’s most prestigious events for Sydney.
“We’re proud to be attracting some of the world’s most-highly regarded conferences and events to Sydney, including the likes of CeBIT Australia, Sibos 2018, COSPAR 2020 – dubbed the space Olympics – and the 18th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2021). With our new Legacy Program in place, ICC Sydney will be even better placed to support clients and build the city’s reputation as one of the world’s leading event destinations,” Donaghy said.
