As one of the biggest annual trade events, REED Gift Fairs officially launched the exhibition season at International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) on 18–22 February 2017.
The REED Gift Fair is the largest and most successful fair brand in Australia, attracting the highest visitation in buyers from the gift and homewares industry.
The event was a major milestone for the new AUS$1.5bn venue and the first time ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre reached full exhibitor capacity. The venue brought the event back into the heart of city after three years, giving attendees unprecedented access to transport and accommodation.
Event delivery
Utilising all 32,567sqm of exhibition space across seven halls and numerous meeting rooms of ICC Exhibition Centre, ICC Sydney’s capabilities were on full show. “It was paramount ICC Sydney would meet expectations and deliver world class service at a world class venue. Extensive pre-planning with the client and stakeholders enabled ICC Sydney and REED Exhibitors to share the event’s vision and direction,” said ICC Sydney’s Geoff Donaghy.
“Challenges were anticipated and management plans implemented to provide the best possible preparation for a new building that had many unknown factors. Communication was a major key to reaching success and regular follow-ups with all involved were conducted. ICC Sydney liaised with government agencies to assist with identified issues and the exhibition industry was engaged with throughout the entire process.“
Due to the large scale, the event was split into two separate events with a dedicated team for each floor to cover presentation, security and logistics. Reprogramming of six elevators across the exhibition halls allowed for smooth movement for exhibitors and attendees between the various levels.
ICC Sydney’s culinary team developed tailor-made menus for the associated events. Exhibitor cocktails in The Gallery Foyer, a Gala Dinner and Awards Night in the Grand Ballroom and pop up restaurants on the exhibition floor delivered a food and beverage experience in line with ICC Sydney’s philosophy of ‘Feeding Your Performance’. The level of delivery was particularly notable in the team’s effort to cover the overflow during the exhibitors cocktails that resulted in an extra 300 attendees.
Attendance increase
The seamless delivery of the REED Gift Fair is reflective in the 23 per cent increase in visitation from last year. Almost 18,500 people attended over the five days and feedback demonstrated a positive customer experience. Industry peers were impressed with both the event and ICC Sydney’s service and facilities, demonstrating the venue’s ability to deliver world class service at a world class venue.
An added element of pressure to the event was the attendance of the REED Global Senior Management team, headed by Global CEO, Chet Burchett.
Stephen Steenson, group director of operations at REED Exhibitions, said he had thought about the event day for three years and was most pleased to see everyone work together as a united team. “I would like to thank each of you and your teams for a super performance over the past 10 days.
“You have all put in a fantastic effort and it is a true testament to your work ethic and commitment that we sit here today in a very strong and successful position with many happy and excited exhibitors and visitors
“As many industry peers watch on monitoring the outcome of the move in and the opening days, they are all overwhelmed and impressed with the delivery, presentation, quality of products , features and skill of each discipline.
“Your dedication and diligence has been the difference in opening on time with the wow-factor we aspired to,” said Steenson.
With more than 50 exhibitions booked for 2017 alone, ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre is on track to be Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct. EW
