The Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre Complex often abbreviated as ICC Durban is a large events facility located in the city centre of

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, KwaZulu-Natal,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It is named after 1960 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president of the African National Congress, Inkosi Albert Luthuli. Opened by former president Nelson Mandela in 1997, the Durban ICC was South Africa’s first International Convention Centre and has played a pioneering role in attracting international events to Durban since its inception. The complex is composed of an arena, hotel, convention and exhibition centre. The venue has hosted various high-level conferences and meetings since its inception, namely: the International AIDS Conference in 2000 and again in July 2016; the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1999 The 1999 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was the 16th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Durban, South Africa, between 12 November and 14 November 1999, and hosted by President Thabo Mbeki. ...

; and the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

in 2004. It hosted the preliminary draw for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

and final draw for

2013 African Cup of Nations The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 for sponsorship reasons, held from 19 January to 10 February 2013, was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized ...

. It also hosted the

COP17 The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. A treaty was not established, but the conference agreed to est ...

meeting in 2011 and the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in 2022.

Facilities

*Durban International Convention Centre: The main facility of the complex. Its design allows the centre to be converted into 22 individual halls. **Hall of Stars: A plenary-styled auditorium that can seat over 1,500 guests. **Fig Tree Courtyard: An outdoor event space with an adjoining lawn area. Used for cocktail parties, banquets and small weddings. *Durban ICC Arena: The arena and main event center of the complex. It is composed of Halls 4–6 of the Durban ICC. Depending on configuration, it can seat anywhere from 3,000–10,000. Construction began in 2004 and the arena opened 20 March 2007. The arena cost R460 million. Many international acts have performed at the arena, including:

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

, Al Jarreau,

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

Michael Buble Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

, and

Migos Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...

*Durban Exhibition Centre: A series of exhibition halls originally built/opened in the 1980s. In 2000, the DEC became a part of the complex. **Coast of Dreams and Mystrals: Banquet halls. **East Park: Outdoor space used for cocktail parties and open-air events. Includes at waterproof Bedouin Tent that is erected for weather issues. *Hilton Durban Hotel: A 324-room hotel that opened August 1997.

History

Discussions in the city of Durban on the merits of a major convention centre date back to the 1960s. However, planning for the convention centre began in 1991. After consultations by the whites-only municipal authorities with unrepresented political groupings in 1993, construction commenced in 1994. The Convention Centre hosted the 123rd

IOC Session This is the list of International Olympic Committee (IOC) meetings. Olympic Congresses IOC Sessions There has been a session during all Olympic Games except the 1900, 1904 and 1908 Summer Olympics and the 1924, 1928 and 1932 Winter Olympics ...

where

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

was elected host city of the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

Change of name

It was proposed on Feb 1, 2006 that the name of the centre be changed from Durban International Convention Centre

Awards

The Durban ICC has received a number of awards, some of which are listed here: * Africa's Leading Meetings and Conference Centre: 2001 - 2006, 2008 - 2014 ( World Travel and Tourism Council, World Travel Awards

* World's Top 15 Congress Centres: 2014 (International Association of Congress Centres - AIPC

* World's Top 15 Congress Centres: 2016 (International Association of Congress Centres - AIPC)

References

*Conflict over tenders at Durban ICC *Disney on Ice! returns to SA *Not left to ‘bleed to death’

External links

Durban ICC website
{{Indoor arenas in Africa Buildings and structures in Durban Convention centres in South Africa Tourist attractions in Durban Netball venues in South Africa