Debtset – Bailiff-Sheriff Aust MEMBER Login
AEG Ogden takes lead on 'new' Darling Harbour events precinct
The Destination Sydney consortium -- led by AEG Ogden with Lend Lease, Capella Capital and Spotless Facilities Services -- is the New South Wales Government's preferred developer of a rejuvenated and integrated convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct at Darling Harbour.
Dubbed the International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney), it will replace the existing Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. Construction will start in December this year and is due for completion in December 2016.
AEG Ogden, with its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Brisbane, is the leading venue manager in the Asia Pacific region and will be the operator of the $1.1 billion ICC Sydney.
AEG Ogden chairman and CEO Harvey Lister commended the NSW Government’s vision to create a world-class, integrated facility that will ensure Sydney is a leading player in the business and events industries well into the 21st century.
“AEG Ogden is privileged and excited by the opportunity to work with Government and industry in ensuring the venue is a key contributor to economic growth in Sydney," Mr Lister said.
“ICC Sydney is destined to be a showcase international venue in one of the world’s leading cities and is a welcome addition to the AEG Ogden family of award winning venues in Australia, Asia and the Middle East."
AEG Ogden’s director of convention centres, Geoff Donaghy said the new venue, featuring waterfront facilities in a prime CBD location, would position Sydney as one of the world’s most desirable meeting destinations.
“Utilising our international operational and marketing experience and our global venue network, we plan on taking the meeting and events business to a new level through ICC Sydney,” Mr Donaghy said.
Mr Donaghy, who will also assume the role as CEO of the new venue’s management company and is a former chairman of the Business Events Council of Australia, said the ICC Sydney would include a convention facility capable of holding four fully separated concurrent events of over 12,000 delegates in a total exhibition capacity of 40,000sqm.
There would be an external event deck of 5,000sqm featuring spectacular views of the Sydney CBD and a premier red carpet theatre with a capacity of 8,000 suitable for international entertainment acts and being used for major convention plenary sessions.
There would be a Grand Ballroom to provide Sydney’s premium banqueting space for more than 2,000 and a new ICC hotel complex with up to 900 rooms.
Destination Sydney will take control of the project and site in December 2013 when construction of the new facility begins. The ICC Sydney will replace the existing Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Up to 1,600 jobs will be created in the construction period, according to AEG Ogden, which is a joint venture between Australian interests (AEG Ogden originally began managing the Brisbane Entertainment Centre when it opened in 1986) and AEG Facilities of the United States.
AEG Ogden manages venues throughout the Asia Pacific region, including the Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur and Qatar and Oman (under construction) Convention Centres, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and live theatres including Perth’s His Majesty’s Theatre and the Perth Concert Hall. Sydney’s Allphones Arena, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, and the Perth Arena.
In Western Australia, AEG Ogden also manages the State Theatre Centre, Albany Entertainment Centre, and Subiaco Arts Centre.
AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world.
AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with 100 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, and works in concert with affiliated AEG entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships, AEG Development and AEG 1Earth to support the success of AEG venues across the globe.
AEG owns, operates or provides services to venues including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.), Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE (Los Angeles, Calif.), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, Calif.) Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), XL Center and Rentschler Field (Hartford, Conn.), The Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.), KeyArena (Seattle, Wash.), KFC YUM! Center (Louisville, Ky.), American Airlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), AT&T Center (San Antonio, Texas), Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, N.C.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), O2 World (Berlin, Germany), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Pernambuco Stadium (Recife, Brazil), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia), Globe Arenas (Stockholm, Sweden), Ulker Sports Arena (Istanbul, Turkey) and the Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha, Qatar).
ends
