ICC Belfast

What ICC Belfast does

ICC Belfast is Northern Ireland's only purpose-built international convention centre, operating as a flagship venue within Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd (BWUH Ltd.), a private company wholly owned by Belfast City Council and established in 2016. The venue offers 7,000 square metres of flexible event space across Hall 1, Hall 2, and a Main Auditorium that accommodates up to 2,000 delegates, with total capacity for 5,000. It serves enterprise corporates, professional associations across healthcare and science, government bodies, event agencies, and cultural organisations through conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, AGMs, product launches, and hybrid events. Recognisable enterprise customers include AstraZeneca, Coca-Cola HBC, AllState NI, TATA Genuine Parts, Deloitte, and the Royal College of Nursing.

The core technology stack centres on hybrid event infrastructure with live streaming, a proprietary cloud-based Speaker Preview Solution for content management and distribution, LED lighting throughout, and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit that supplies lower-carbon energy. The venue holds a set of distinct sustainability certifications: it is the first Green Meetings Gold certified venue on the island of Ireland, the only Northern Ireland venue with ISO 20121 accreditation, and is GDPR-compliant and Disability Confident Committed. Award-winning in-house technical production, including staging, AV, and lighting, is delivered directly rather than outsourced.

Revenue is generated through three streams: venue rental and event space hire (quote-based, multi-year contract cadence), in-house event production services, and ISO 20121 accredited catering delivered via partnership with Hospitality Belfast. The go-to-market model is enterprise field sales driven by website enquiry forms, phone contact, site visits, and referrals from Tourism Northern Ireland, Tourism Ireland, and Visit Belfast. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured around event type, duration, space requirements, and attendee count (50–100, 100–250, 250–500, 500–1,000, 1,000+). Marketing combines content marketing, social media, PR via Brown O'Connor, and industry event sponsorship to attract corporate and association clients globally.

Name

ICC Belfast

Legal name

Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd

Website

https://iccbelfast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ICC Belfast is Northern Ireland's only purpose-built international convention centre, offering 7,000m² of flexible event space for up to 5,000 delegates and serving enterprise corporates, professional associations, and government bodies with conferences, exhibitions, and hybrid events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention and Event Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB), Venue-Owned/Operated Event Organizers (In-House Promoters) (MPAKADAI), Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

Keywords

• Convention centre services
• Event venue hire
• Corporate event hosting
• Conference production
• Hybrid event solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Venue Rental and Event Space Hire: ICC Belfast generates primary revenue through hiring out its 7,000m² of flexible event space for conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, award ceremonies, AGMs, and other events. Pricing varies based on event type, duration, space requirements, and attendee count.
2. Event Production Services: Award-winning in-house technical production services including AV equipment, staging, lighting, and sound systems for events.
3. Event Hospitality and Catering: Catering and hospitality services through partner Hospitality Belfast, offering on-site food preparation, ISO 20121 accredited sustainable catering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICC Belfast operates a purpose-built convention and events venue in Belfast, Northern Ireland, offering event space hire, full event production services, hospitality and catering, and hybrid event delivery. The venue hosts conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, and large-scale corporate events for organisations, associations, and government bodies, complemented by in-house audiovisual production and event management expertise.

Product overview

ICC Belfast is Northern Ireland's only purpose-built International Convention Centre operating as a unified venue product with multiple interconnected spaces and services. The core offering includes the main venue with Hall 1, Hall 2, Main Auditorium (up to 2,000 delegates), and flexible multi-level event spaces totaling 7,000m² accommodating up to 5,000 delegates. This is complemented by value-added service modules including award-winning Event Production Services (AV, staging, lighting), ISO 20121 accredited Event Hospitality Services (catering), Event Management Services, Speaker Preview Software (cloud-based content management), Hybrid Event Solutions for virtual attendance, and Conference Support services. The venue also offers Virtual Tour capabilities for remote space exploration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conference and Exhibition Venue Hire
• Event Production Services
• Hospitality and Catering Services
• Hybrid Event Solutions
• Gala Dinner and Banqueting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Estimated £90.5 million economic impact for Northern Ireland
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Visit BelfastcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVisit Belfast is a key marketing partner that promotes Belfast internationally as a leading business events, cruise and group tour destination. Their executive leadership team works closely with ICC Belfast to attract inclusive and sustainable growth for Belfast's tourism sector.
• Tourism Northern IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism NI's Business Events team focuses on attracting and supporting major events to boost Northern Ireland's tourism and economic profile. They work to bring both global events and homegrown world-class festivals to Belfast.
• Tourism IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism Ireland, in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland, promotes the island of Ireland as a destination for business events, aiming to grow the business events sector and support tourism enterprises across the island.
• SistersINflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerICC Belfast is a founding partner of SistersIN, an eight-month leadership programme dedicated to empowering and nurturing female students as tomorrow's leaders. The initiative emphasises confidence building, leadership training, and mentorship opportunities. ICC Belfast provides a platform for participants to showcase achievements.
• Hospitality BelfastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospitality Belfast is ICC Belfast's catering and hospitality partner, providing ISO 20121 accredited sustainable catering services with a focus on local produce and 'farm to fork' traceability.
• Innovation FactoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organisation supporting NIDC 2025 (Northern Ireland Developers Conference) at ICC Belfast, along with Farset Labs
• Farset LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal tech community organisation supporting NIDC 2025 (Northern Ireland Developers Conference) at ICC Belfast, facilitating knowledge sharing among the region's tech community
• Changing the Menu. For GoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable tourism project that ensures venues, caterers and event organisers raise funds for local food banks including The People's Kitchen. ICC Belfast has supported this initiative by donating food, toiletries, and clothes since its launch.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olympia London: London's historic exhibition and events venue undergoing major redevelopment; competes with ICC Belfast for exhibition-led and large corporate event business in the UK.
• ICC Birmingham: Birmingham's International Convention Centre, part of the NEC Group; similar tier of UK purpose-built convention centre competing for mid-to-large association meetings and corporate events.
• RDS (Royal Dublin Society): Dublin's long-established exhibition and events campus; competes for association and trade exhibitions on the island of Ireland with a similar event-services-plus-venue model.
• Manchester Central: Manchester's converted-railway-station convention and exhibition venue; comparable UK regional conference venue offering flexible event space for association and corporate clients.
• P&J Live Aberdeen: Aberdeen's major events venue operated by ASM Global; comparable UK regional venue targeting association and energy-sector conferences with similar hybrid event capabilities.
• ACC Liverpool: Liverpool's convention centre on the Mersey waterfront; another UK regional purpose-built venue competing for association congresses in the British Isles market.
• ExCeL London: London's largest convention and exhibition venue (>100,000m²); competes with ICC Belfast for international association congresses and corporate events, but at materially larger scale and with stronger inbound airline connectivity.
• The Convention Centre Dublin (CCD): Ireland's flagship purpose-built convention centre in Dublin's docklands; ICC Belfast's closest geographic peer competing for association conferences and corporate events on the island of Ireland.
• SEC (Scottish Event Campus): Glasgow's multi-venue event campus (including OVO Hydro and SEC Centre); comparable UK public-sector-aligned venue competing for the same association and corporate event pipeline.
• QEII Centre London: Westminster conference centre focused on mid-size association meetings and government events; comparable scale to ICC Belfast's mid-tier events and overlapping association/government client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/belfasticc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCacMfWOxzZ2xX5_qSEf5WJg
• Facebookfacebook.com/theiccbelfast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iccbelfast-whuh
• Instagraminstagram.com/iccbelfast

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICC Belfast