International Convention Centre Wales (Newport)

The International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales) (Welsh: Canolfan Gynadledda Rhyngwladol Cymru) is a 5,000-capacity venue in the city of Newport, Wales. The venue has a main auditorium with fixed seating for 1,500 delegates, six rooms of exhibition space, and 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2) of pillar-free space. ICC Wales is located on the Celtic Manor Resort site which hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup and 2014 NATO summit.

General information

Official website: iccwales.com

Arena capacity: 5,000 spectators

Address:The Coldra, Catsash Rd, Caerleon, Newport NP18 1HQ, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51°36′09″N 02°55′44″W

Year of construction: 2019

Construction cost: £84 million

Seating plan of ICC Wales

Where to buy tickets?

The best way to purchase tickets is to visit the center’s official website – www.iccwales.com/whats-on and click on the event you want to attend. The purchase link will appear right away.

How to get there?

They may be surrounded by fresh mountain air, but luckily for them and you, the centre is a stone’s throw from the M4, Cardiff Airport and main train stations.

Car

Built within stunning woodland, yet a stone’s throw from the M4, the ICC Wales is so well connected.

The dedicated parking for production and exhibition vehicles provides direct loading into the main hall and auditorium with plenty of parking spaces.

There are also over 2,000 visitor parking spaces located on-site, with 700 spaces on levels -1 and -2.

Train

Delegates attending a conference at ICC Wales can now enjoy an exclusive rate when travelling by train with Great Western Railway to Newport.

Standard Return example (London Paddington – Newport) – £42 per person

First Class Return example (London Paddington – Newport) – £86 per person

Please be aware that these train tickets will be valid only with proof of attendance at a conference. Tickets can be booked up to 3 months in advance, subject to availability, one ticket at a time.

Bus

Newport Bus services travel along and nearby Chepstow Road, with the closest bus stop located a five-minute walk from ICC Wales.

Cycling and Walking

The parking area at ICC Wales includes 20 cycle racks with direct access to the Convention Centre atrium.

There are four National Cycle Network routes in Newport as well as a cycle path linking the city to Cardiff. More details can be found on the Newport City Council website.

As well as being on the site of the Celtic Manor Resort, ICC Wales is conveniently located within a 10-minute walk of neighbouring hotels including the Holiday Inn, Premier Inn and Coldra Court Hotel by Celtic Manor.

Parking

A real USP here at ICC Wales is the convenient onsite parking.

• 700 underground parking spaces with direct access to the main atrium;
• Intelligent vehicle registration recognition barriers allowing quick egress;
• Dedicated and separate access for both Auditorium and Main Hall crews;
• Space for 4 articulated vehicles to unload simultaneously to Main Hall;
• Dedicated parking for articulated lorries and up to 60 exhibitor vehicles behind the centre.

Where to eat and sleep?

They’re raising the benchmark with their innovative culinary thinking and setting exciting new standards in outstanding conference catering with the Mind, Body and Soul Food philosophy which you can experience across ICC Wales in the following locations:

• Two coffee shops;
• Aspect Bar;
• Outside street food stalls;
• Hydration stations;
• 7 Restaurants in the neighbouring Celtic Manor Resort.

Facilities

Dedicated exhibitor parking, tick. Meeting rooms and breakout rooms, tick. Fabulous food created, cooked and served on site, tick. HGV loading and parking, tick.

They’ve even taken on some seriously big requests. A 4,000 sqm pillar free main hall and 700 car parking spaces. All this and a stone’s throw from the M4, major train stations and 2 international airports. With a proven track record of hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup and 2014 NATO Summit, they know how to run and implement events with passion, care and distinction.

Key features:

• Auditorium with tiered seating for 1,500 with 762 on the upper level and 738 on lower level;
• 4,000 sqm pillar free space, flexible and divisible into 6 sections;
• 15 flexible meeting rooms;
• 26,000 sqm of total floor space;
• Up to 5,000 delegates at one time;
• Generous atrium entrance with 2,500 sqm outdoor plaza;
• Natural daylight in all meeting rooms and the main hall;
• Networking spaces on all levels;
• Dedicated facilities for clients and production teams;
• Direct loading for production and exhibition vehicle.

Accessibility

Over a quarter of a million people need Changing Places toilets to enable them to get out and about and enjoy the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted.

Changing Places are designed for those who find that standard accessible toilets do not meet their needs. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well people with other physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis often need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably.

Committed to ensuring access for all, ICC Wales will provide a dedicated Changing Places facility designed to meet these additional needs featuring:

• A centrally placed WC with space either side;
• Adjustable height adult-sized changing bench;
• Ceiling mounted hoist to enable ease of movement around the room;
• Adequate space to accommodate the disabled person and up to two carers.

Architectural Aspects

Architectural aluminium glazing systems from the complete Kawneer portfolio have been used on Wales’, if not the UK’s, new leading business tourism complex.

Two variants of the AA®110 curtain walling system, as well as window vents, doors and “roof glazing” feature on the International Convention Centre for Wales at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

Kawneer’s AA®110 zone-drained curtain walling, with 65mm sightlines, has been used for the majority of screens to conference rooms, entrances and circulation areas while the mullion-drained equivalent has been used to the auditorium bar and atrium roof light. In addition, AA®545 side-hung, open-out window ventilators feature on the ground-floor offices and Series 190 heavy-duty doors, both manual and automatic sliding, on the ground-floor entrance and circulation areas.

The £83.7 million building, built over two years by main contractor John Sisk & Son on land adjacent to the existing facilities at Celtic Manor, is run as a 50/50 partnership between the Welsh Government and Celtic Manor Resort and was also funded by NatWest (part of the RBS Group).

ICC Wales can accommodate up to 5,000 delegates with a total floor space exceeding 26,000m2. It houses a 1,500-seat auditorium and separate exhibition hall which, at 4,000m2, provides one of the largest pillar-free ballrooms in Europe, capable of hosting 2,400 people for a gala dinner.

Included in the design by Boyes Rees Architects are five divisible meeting rooms that create a further 12 flexible spaces, breakouts at all levels to outdoor networking spaces, state-of-the-art technology with fully-integrated audio visual facilities, and fully serviced client offices, green rooms and production facilities.

The Kawneer systems were installed over five months by a team of up to eight from specialist subcontractor and approved Kawneer dealer APiC UK.

History

The construction work, which was carried out by Sisk Group, began in 2017 and the facility opened its doors for the first time on 14 September 2019. It was officially opened 24 September 2019.