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Why kindness in business matters

01 Nov 2022

Successful business begins with successful relationships. Fostering a collaborative, transparent and compassionate business culture is critical to the success of any organisation. The act of simply being kind plays an ever more important role. Industry leaders, such as those representing the United Nations, have shared how corporations can act with kindness to reach both organisational and corporate social responsibility goals.

At ICC Sydney, we are driven to make meaningful connections and make a positive difference for our clients, industry stakeholders, team and community through the world class events we deliver every day. Over the last financial year, clients and delegates alike rated their satisfaction with ICC Sydney as 99%. The power of positive relationships built on a foundation of honesty and kindness has helped us deliver ever better experiences for both clients and visitors while fostering prosperous communities and teams.

Our journey to deliver an extraordinary event traditionally begins with our business development team who works closely with each client to nurture and understand their every need before hosting an event at our venue. This relationship is the basis of any successful event.

Never before was the value of strong relationships more evident than during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the last two and half disrupted years, the team worked diligently to support the ongoing, changing needs of our clients in the face of uncertainty. Through clear and regular communication, we successfully supported clients to transition to new innovations when delivering events as well as flexing to adapt to evolving operating conditions. By offering solutions such as ICC Sydney’s award winning Connect Hub – the one stop destination for speaker preparation and digital event solutions, the venue was able to remain open throughout the pandemic and provide clients with increased flexibility through our integrated and enhanced services.

Beyond proactive communication and driving innovative solutions, the last two years have once again put a premium on a previously and perhaps underrated aspect of business relationships – kindness. Our colleagues, clients, stakeholders and communities have collectively had a turbulent and challenging experience through this time and it is my hope that we have developed an unprecedented level of empathy for each other.

With this deeper understanding of our clients and delegates in mind, delivering successful, world class events is even more grounded in our commitment to elevate in person experiences, working with greater levels of emotional intelligence to inform our everyday interactions. In a practical sense we strive to make a positive difference and reduce the environmental impact of events via ICC Sydney’s Legacy Program.

Through our industry leading Legacy Program and commitment to the ASM Global Acts framework, event organisers and delegates are invited to act with kindness by considering the lasting legacy they leave through their business events. Working with our strong network of community partners and charity organisations such as the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land CouncilKARI FoundationScience for WildlifeTalent Development Project and the University of Technology Sydney among others, we enable clients and delegates to form meaningful relationships with members of our local community and enrich the experiences of delegates while adding to the vibrancy of Sydney. This approach has resonated with our clients as together we cultivated powerful legacies with 37 enquiries and 23 activations in the last financial year.

The Culinary team oversaw the donation of seven tonnes of quality surplus food to Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo, OzHarvest, PlateItForward and Youth Off The Streets, equating to 21,000 meals.

We have also strengthened our commitment to respect, celebrate and acknowledge Australia’s First Nations community through the launch of our second Reconciliation Action Plan in March this year. As an iconic destination which stands and operates on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, it is our unique responsibility to foster and promote respect of Australia’s First Nations people through our business practices.

People are at the core of every successful business. At ICC Sydney – which is proudly managed by ASM Global, our culture is enriched by our diverse team. Diversity is about recognising and valuing the different knowledge, skills, backgrounds and perspectives that people bring to work, regardless of whether those differences are based on age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social background or other factors. To be a global leader, we believe that diversity must not only be visible within ICC Sydney’s workforce but also across our partners, supplier base and content. This is how we build organisational capability and diversity of thought to deliver the best guest experience for the people and community that ICC Sydney serves.

Our approach to justice, reconciliation, diversity, equity and inclusion allows our talented team to deliver extraordinary results for our diverse clients and their broad reaching event portfolios. The team operates with our values of integrity, connected and creative at the heart of everything we do, where kindness and compassion are fundamental to building strong relationships.

Beverley Parker
Director of Business Development