International Convention Centre Sydney
Building in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia

International Convention Centre Sydney
Exterior view in March 2017
Alternative names
  • ICC Sydney
  • TikTok Entertainment Centre (theatre)
General information
LocationDarling Harbour, 14 Darling Drive
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°52′24″S 151°11′56″E / 33.8734°S 151.1990°E / -33.8734; 151.1990
Groundbreaking10 January 2014 (2014-01-10)
Opened12 December 2016 (2016-12-12)
CostA$1.5 billion
OwnerGovernment of New South Wales
ManagementASM Global
Design and construction
Architects
Structural engineerRobert Bird Group
Civil engineerHyder Consulting
Quantity surveyorESO Surveyors
Main contractorLendlease
Website
Official Website
International Convention Centre Sydney
Banquet/ballroom790 (Cockle Bay Room)
1,260 (Parkside Ballroom)
2,410 (The Gallery)
3,600 (Grand Ballroom)
Theatre seating
1,000 (Pyrmont Theatre)
2,500 (Darling Harbour Theatre)
9,000 (TikTok Entertainment Centre)
Enclosed space
 • Exhibit hall floor37,567 square metres (404,370 sq ft)
 • Breakout/meeting6,925 square metres (74,540 sq ft)
 • Ballroom7,289 square metres (78,460 sq ft)
Public transit access Exhibition Centre
Convention
ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre
TikTok Entertainment Centre

The International Convention Centre Sydney (also known as ICC Sydney and the theatre portion as the TikTok Entertainment Centre) is an exhibition and convention centre which opened in December 2016. 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 2,500 square metres (27,000 sq ft) and the largest ballroom in Sydney, able to accommodate 2,000 people. The ICC Exhibition Centre and Entertainment Centre includes 33,000 square metres (360,000 sq ft) 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 was developed by a consortium comprising AEG Ogden, Lendlease, Capella Capital and Spotless, with AEG Ogden acting as the venue operator.

Location

ICC Sydney is located in the Darling Harbour on the western side of the Sydney central business district.[1]

History and structure

ICC Sydney was designed by two architectural firms, Hassell and Populous.[2] It replaces the former Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre that was demolished in December 2013.[3] Construction began in early 2014; an estimated 32,000 cubic metres (1,100,000 cu ft) of concrete was used to construct the building.[4]

ICC Sydney is an A$1.5 billion development being delivered through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Government of New South Wales and Darling Harbour Live (comprising LendLease, Hostplus, Capella Capital, AEG Ogden and Spotless). The development of ICC Sydney is part of a broader A$3.4 billion works program at Darling Harbour[5] that includes a new 590 room hotel tower (under the Sofitel brand), a residential and commercial development (Darling Square),[6] pedestrian boulevard and improved public domain upgrade. The works also include a reconfiguration of Tumbalong Park to provide an additional 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) of green space acting as a new adaptable event space.[7]

In accordance with the contractual agreement with Darling Harbour Live and the NSW Government, secured First State Super, an equity partner in the PPP's consortium, as the naming rights sponsor for the venue's 9,000 seat entertainment theatre, which was called "First State Super Theatre". In 2020, following First State's rebrand to Aware Super, the theatre was named Aware Super Theatre.[8] These naming rights ended in December 2023 and the theatre reverted to its original name of ICC Sydney Theatre.[9] In November 2025, TikTok acquired the naming rights to the theatre and renamed it the "TikTok Entertainment Centre". The new name pays homage to the former Sydney Entertainment Centre, which the theatre replaced as Darling Harbour's main concert venue.[10]

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.[11]
  • 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.[12]

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 & Exhibition Centre completed in 1988, criticising the fact that the existing structures had not been incorporated into the new development.[13]

Facilities

ICC Sydney consists of three conjoined key structures:

  • TikTok Entertainment Centre (previously known as ICC Sydney Theatre (December 2016 – July 2019 and December 2023 – November 2025), First State Super Theatre (July 2019 – July 2020), and Aware Super Theatre (July 2020 – December 2023)
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre
  • ICC Sydney Convention Centre including a number of event spaces such as The Gallery, The Grand Ballroom and Event Deck.[14]
  • ICC Sydney Convention Centre lobby
    ICC Sydney Convention Centre lobby
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 2 lobby
    ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 2 lobby
  • TikTok Entertainment Centre lobby
    TikTok Entertainment Centre lobby
  • ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 4 Event Deck
    ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Level 4 Event Deck
  • Moriarty Walk
    Moriarty Walk
  • Tidal Cascades designed by Robert Woodward and retained from the original 1980s redevelopment.
    Tidal Cascades designed by Robert Woodward and retained from the original 1980s redevelopment.

Hosted events

Events held at ICC Sydney include:

  • The Script, January 2025
    The Script, January 2025
  • Train, May 2025
    Train, May 2025
  • Kelsea Ballerini, December 2025
    Kelsea Ballerini, December 2025

Netball

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.[27] The venue has not hosted any further netball, as both clubs have since moved into a permanent multi-purpose facility at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.

See also

References

  1. ^ "International Convention Centre Sydney". Business Events Sydney. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Sneak peek: Sydney's $1.1b International Convention Centre (ICC) by HASSELL and Populous [Video] - Architecture And Design". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Sydney's Convention and Exhibition Centre has wrecking ball date". 6 December 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  5. ^ "$1 billion plan to reshape Sydney - with separate $1.5 billion Lend Lease deal". 11 December 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  6. ^ "New urban neighbourhood: Sydney's future economy". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  7. ^ "'Refined' $2.5b facelift for Darling Harbour unveiled". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  8. ^ "ICC Sydney Reveals The New Look Aware Super Theatre". ICC Sydney.
  9. ^ "Venue, Ticketing & General". ICC Sydney Theatre. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  10. ^ "ICC Sydney Theatre becomes the TikTok Entertainment Centre!". TikTok Newsroom. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  11. ^ "ICC Sydney Hotel construction commences - ICC Sydney". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  12. ^ "Darling Harbour News". April 2015.
  13. ^ "Architect lashes out at 'stupid' demolition". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  14. ^ "ICC Sydney". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  15. ^ "RTX Sydney 2017".
  16. ^ "AIPC Annual Conference".
  17. ^ "Sydney secures another sought-after event for ICC Sydney 2017". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Sydney to host World Chambers Congress in 2017". New South Wales Business Chamber. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  19. ^ "Over 10,000 Amway China delegates expected in Sydney in 2017". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  20. ^ "Ariana Grande Announces 2017 'Dangerous Woman' Australian Tour". Music Feeds. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  21. ^ "RTX Sydney 2017".
  22. ^ "ICC lands Sibos event". 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  23. ^ "The Script". City of Sydney. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  24. ^ Pelser, Deb (30 January 2025). "Live Review & Gallery: The Script Light Up Sydney's ICC with New Beginnings and Classic Anthems 30.01.2025". Backseat Mafia. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  25. ^ "IEM Sydney 2023". ESL. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Train – Australian Tour". ICC Sydney Theatre. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Netball's plea: Don't forget us in stadium splurge". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 July 2018.
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