Sydney’s convention centre welcomed 1,374,169 delegates and event attendees through its doors between July 2025 and June 2026, down from the 1,468,581 people who attended events at the venue in the previous financial year.
However overall spending by event patrons was up by $38 million to $784 million. This was likely driven by a larger proportion of event attendees travelling from interstate and overseas compared to the year prior – international delegates were up by almost 7,000 while interstate delegates were up by 4,000.
Delegate spend has still not recovered to pre-pandemic highs, achieved in the 2018-2019 financial year, following the convention centre’s opening in late 2016.
Overall ICC Sydney held 533 events in the 2025-2026 financial year, slightly down on the 546 held in 2024-2025. Of these, 17 were international conventions, 94 were national conferences – up from 88 the year before – 60 were exhibitions, 241 were single day gatherings, including corporate meetings and gala dinners, and 121 were live entertainment events at the TikTok Entertainment Centre.
The convention centre received perfect satisfaction scores from both event organisers and delegates – both were 100 per cent, with the delegate satisfaction score up from 98 per cent last year. Amongst its staff, satisfaction remained broadly stable, with an 81 per cent employee engagement score, down from 83 per cent in 2024-2025.
Over the last financial year, the convention centre spent $45.1 million with suppliers within New South Wales, including sourcing 99 per cent of its wine from within the state and 98 per cent of its food. ICC Sydney spent just shy of $258,000 with First Nations suppliers.
“Events are a powerful platform for driving economic growth, knowledge sharing and connection,” said ICC Sydney’s CEO, Adam Mather-Brown.
“Last year, we launched groundbreaking experiences that extend the impact of events beyond the venue walls.
“We are living through what I call a ‘Digital Woodstock’ moment driven by technology, creativity and digital engagement.
“In this way, ICC Sydney is both an economic and content creation engine, creating opportunities for audience engagement, brand storytelling and cultural legacies for our community.”
Aside from pure figures, ICC Sydney had a big year: it became the operator of The Cutaway, the just-renovated, unique, expansive subterranean venue in Barangaroo; it secured TikTok as the naming rights partner for its entertainment theatre – the first deal of its kind for the social media platform globally; added pickleball courts to its rooftop event deck; debuted a new content creation service through its AV team; launched podcast studios; spent another half a million dollars on lighting; and boosted its inclusivity offering through new digital tools.
