The ICC Birmingham

What The ICC Birmingham does

The ICC Birmingham is a purpose-built international convention centre located at 8 Centenary Square in central Birmingham, United Kingdom. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991 on the site of the historic Bingley Hall, the venue operates 10 conference halls and 10 executive meeting rooms and hosts approximately 400 events per year, welcoming more than 350,000 delegates annually and over 8 million cumulatively since opening. It is wholly owned and operated by the NEC Group (rebranded to 'Nation's Experience Capital' in March 2026) and serves corporate, association, government, and consumer event organizers with in-house catering led by Executive Chef Simon Hellier, in-house AV and production services, hybrid event broadcast capability, and a curated supplier directory. The ICC generates revenue through four primary streams: venue space hire, catering and food services (serving roughly 130,000 delegates per year), event production and AV services, and standalone banqueting (over £5m annually across ICC and Vox combined). Pricing is quote-based for enterprise and association bookings, with standardized per-head tiers (£83-£116) for consumer-facing Christmas party packages. The venue holds ISO 14001 environmental certification, RaisingNutrition accreditation (first UK venue, 2024), and Food for the Brain accreditation (2017), and operates dedicated sales teams segmented by Associations, Corporate & Agency, and Banqueting, supported by dedicated Event Managers from enquiry through execution.

Name

The ICC Birmingham

Legal name

The International Convention Centre

Website

https://theicc.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The ICC Birmingham is a purpose-built convention centre in Birmingham, UK, hosting ~400 events and 350,000+ delegates annually across 10 halls. It serves corporate, association, and government clients with integrated venue hire, catering, AV production, and hybrid event services under the NEC Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conference and Event Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Conference venue hire
• Event catering services
• Corporate event hosting
• Exhibition facilities
• Banqueting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Space Hire: Revenue from hiring conference halls, exhibition spaces, and executive meeting rooms for events ranging from intimate meetings to large-scale conferences.
2. Catering and Food Services: In-house catering through Amadeus and Levy UK+I partnerships, providing conference day packages, banqueting, and on-stand hospitality. Includes award-winning culinary team serving 130,000+ delegates annually.
3. Event Production Services: AV equipment rental, technical production, rigging, graphics, IT support, and venue decoration services provided through in-house teams.
4. Banqueting Events: Standalone banqueting events generating over £5m revenue annually across ICC and Vox venues, serving 71,500 delegates at 230+ events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The ICC Birmingham is a purpose-built international convention centre offering 10 conference halls and 10 executive meeting rooms for events ranging from large-scale conferences of 2,500+ delegates to intimate boardroom meetings, supported by in-house catering led by Executive Chef Simon Hellier, integrated production and AV services, hybrid event broadcast technology, on-stand hospitality, and dedicated Event Managers from planning through to execution. The venue operates as part of The NEC Group campus alongside Vox Conference Venue, Utilita Arena Birmingham and the NEC, and hosts roughly 400 events per year with 350,000+ visitors annually.

Product overview

The ICC Birmingham is a purpose-built international convention centre offering a comprehensive portfolio of event services. The core offering consists of 10 conference halls and 10 executive meeting rooms for events ranging from large conferences for thousands to intimate meetings. Supporting services include award-winning in-house catering (over 650 industry awards) led by Executive Chef Simon Hellier, and complete production/technical support with state-of-the-art AV equipment and digital screens. Additional services encompass exhibitor support, on-stand hospitality, a supplier directory, and the Fully Connected exhibition build service. The venue also offers specialized sub-brands including Asian Weddings (with Madhu's catering partnership), Christmas party packages (Winter Carnival shared events and Jingle & Mingle private parties), and hybrid event technology. Partnerships include Levy UK&I for catering and HotelMap for accommodation booking. The venue hosts approximately 400 events annually welcoming 350,000 visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conference Halls and Executive Meeting Rooms 10 conference halls (including tiered auditorium Hall 1, flat-floored 3,050m² Hall 3) and 10 executive meeting rooms configurable for events spanning boardrooms, U-shape, theatre, classroom, cabaret, banqueting and exhibition layouts, serving corporate event organisers, associations and agencies.
• In-House Catering Services Conference day packages, banqueting menus, and on-stand hospitality delivered by the in-house Amadeus team under Executive Chef Simon Hellier, with focus on seasonal ingredients, 50% plant-based menus (post-2025 Levy UK+I partnership), Asian-wedding specialist menus via Madhu's Limited, and 650+ industry awards.
• Production and Technical Support Audio-visual equipment rental, sound systems, lighting (including colour-changing LED), live videowalls, set and staging, rigging, graphics, IT support, and technical production management for conferences, exhibitions, and banqueting events, with in-house Production Managers assigned to each event.
• Event Services (Graphics, Security, IT Support, Venue Decoration) Comprehensive in-house services including graphics production and installation, heavy-duty security (Venue Protect multi-layered framework: CCTV, search and screening, vehicle checkpoints, hostile vehicle mitigation, security dog team), free Wi-Fi and connectivity, and venue decoration with floristry and event dressing.
• Asian Weddings Award-winning wedding offering at the venue with bespoke catering delivered through the partnership with Madhu's Limited (UK's leading South Asian caterer with 45+ years' heritage and fourth-generation expertise) and versatile event spaces for both lavish and intimate South Asian weddings.
• Jingle & Mingle Christmas Party Package Private themed Christmas party package for 150–250 guests featuring a Winter Wonderland theme, exclusive space hire, festive three-course meal, welcome drinks, DJ entertainment, dedicated event manager and event styling.
• Winter Carnival Shared Christmas Party Shared Christmas party experience with Winter Carnival theme running 3rd–19th December 2026, with 3-course festive dinner, live production and entertainment, offered in three tiers: Standard (£83 per person), VIP (£98 per person, rows 3–5 priority seating and table service) and Super VIP (£116 per person, front 2 rows, private drinks reception with canapés and midnight breakfast).

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NEC Group (Nation's Experience Capital)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026The ICC is owned and operated by The NEC Group, now rebranded as Nation's Experience Capital. The Group encompasses NEC Campus, bp pulse LIVE, Vox Conference Venue, Utilita Arena Birmingham, and ICC Birmingham. The conventions team has welcomed 8.6 million visitors to over 14,500 events.
• Vox Conference VenuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister venue within NEC Group offering flexible contemporary conferencing in a unique location. Works seamlessly with ICC to offer versatile venue options across Birmingham.
• Utilita Arena BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister venue and closest parking option for ICC visitors. Part of NEC Group venue portfolio offering arena-scale events.
• Levy UK+IcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership announced in 2025 ensuring food sits at the heart of every event with focus on seasonal ingredients and 50% plant-based menus.
• Amadeus CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-house catering partner at the ICC providing conference and banqueting food services. Led by Executive Head Chef Simon Hellier with over 32 years at the venue.
• Madhu's LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Asian event catering specialist with over 45 years heritage and fourth-generation expertise. Provides bespoke catering for South Asian weddings and high-profile events at ICC.
• Carbon Consultancy by Conference CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sustainable event delivery using five-step approach: Measure, Aim, Reduce, Assess, Offset. Helps organizations achieve carbon neutral events.
• West Midlands Growth CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic marketing partnership driving Birmingham's reputation as a place to visit, meet and invest. Supports event bidding and Ambassador programme development.
• Westside BIDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Improvement District partnership ensuring attractive, well-promoted, safer and cleaner business environment around ICC venue.
• Town Hall Symphony Hall (TSHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIconic Birmingham landmark with Symphony Hall located within ICC Mall. Manages one of the world's finest concert halls with direct entrances from ICC.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Messe Frankfurt: Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's largest trade fair and congress organisers, operating its own convention centre alongside large-scale exhibitions. As a broad incumbent in the global events infrastructure market, it provides a benchmark for venue-driven MICE operations similar in scope to ICC Birmingham's integrated offerings.
• GL Events: GL Events is a major French-listed venue operator and live event services group that manages convention centres, exhibition halls, and event services globally. It overlaps with ICC Birmingham's integrated venue-management and event-services model and represents a benchmark institutional operator in the same industry.
• Barbican Centre: The Barbican is a major arts and conference centre in central London operated by the City of London. Its business events space competes with ICC Birmingham for corporate conferences while its broader programming (theatre, cinema, exhibitions) makes it a broader incumbent in the UK venue and live-events space.

Direct peers

• Olympia London: Olympia London is a central London exhibition and conference venue undergoing major redevelopment. It targets similar trade show, exhibition, and corporate event demand as ICC Birmingham with overlapping in-house production, catering, and hybrid event offerings.
• QEII Centre, London: QEII Centre is a central London conference venue owned by the Greater London Authority that hosts corporate and association conferences. It shares The ICC Birmingham's focus on tiered auditoriums, plenary capacity, and turnkey event delivery for mid-to-large conferences in the UK market.
• ExCeL London: ExCeL London is the UK's largest dedicated exhibition and conference venue, operating two phases plus the International Convention Centre. Like The ICC Birmingham, it offers integrated event services, in-house catering, AV production, and hybrid event capability at a comparable scale, targeting the same UK and international corporate and association event market.
• ACC Liverpool: ACC Liverpool (alongside Exhibition Centre Liverpool and M&S Bank Arena) is a regional UK convention and events complex on the Liverpool waterfront. It competes directly with ICC Birmingham for regional association and corporate events with similar multi-purpose hall and auditorium formats.
• Manchester Central: Manchester Central is a purpose-built conference and exhibition venue in Manchester offering tiered auditoriums, exhibition halls, and meeting rooms. It directly competes with The ICC Birmingham for UK association conferences and corporate events with comparable capacity and turnkey event services.
• Scottish Event Campus (SEC Glasgow): SEC Glasgow operates the OVO Hydro, SEC Centre, and SEC Armadillo — a multi-venue events campus comparable to the NEC Group's portfolio model that includes ICC. It targets the same corporate, association, and entertainment events segment across the UK.
• Vox Conference Venue (Birmingham): Vox is a sister venue within NEC Group that offers flexible contemporary conferencing adjacent to the Resorts World Birmingham complex. While owned by the same parent as ICC Birmingham, it competes for and complements mid-size association and corporate conferences in the same West Midlands market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICC_Birmingham
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheICCBirmingham
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-icc-birmingham

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The ICC Birmingham