Durban's flagship venue, the Spectacular ICC Durban Arena.
The state of the art indoor ICC Durban Arena heralds a new era for the Durban International Convention Centre and the city of Durban, having recently hosted the FIFA Preliminary Draw as well as acclaimed international artists.
The ICC Durban Arena built at a cost of R460 million, positioned on the south side of the existing ICC which integrates the adjacent Durban Exhibition Centre and Hilton Hotel, has not compromised the centre's unique ability to turn the entire area into a completely secure ''island site '' which is vital for Government and large events.
The Gala opening on the 20th March attracted the Grammy Award winners George Benson and Al Jarreau who refer to the ICC Arena as a Beacon. Hazel Feldman of Showtime and Attie van Wyk of Big concerts also expressed their approval of the long awaited venue and commented on the beauty and practicality of design and the convenient, cost effective loading in & out of venue.
The facility can accommodate from 2500 - to approximately 10 000 people depending on the configuration of the room which has operable walls that create flexibility to sub-divide into various combinations. The bleacher seats accommodate up to 749 seats
The Arena is uniquely practical, with Arena floor, loading bays and entrances all on one level, allowing for simple, cost effective setup logistics.
It has a floor loading of approximately 15kg per meter sq in Hall 5 and 5 kg per meter Sq in Hall 4.
The space can accommodate heights of up to 12meters and can also be divided into 8 smaller Hall or a full oval Arena.
There are floor pits every 6m sq which include connection to ISDN, Cat5, 15amp and 32amp power facilities and the ability to run cables under the floor.
The Grid system is able to hold 1000kg every 3m. The ceiling height is 12m enabling the Arena to accommodate relevant lighting angles and is ideal for car launches, exhibition tennis and basketball matches.
The venue was designed for Sport & Concerts and features 4 Media booths, a 40 seater VIP booth, Medical suites, Dressing Rooms 3 team change rooms and an Operations Centre, merchandising areas, tickets sales office, food and bar facilities, international standard facilities for the physically challenged including approx 1200 parking bays
Its unique design allows for sporting events in an oval with direct access from all points into the Arena and this is ideal for Wrestling, boxing and Concerts. Also ideal for large Ice shows and figure skating due to the retractable seating which can be brought to edge of ice rink.
The Arena's technical specifications are on a par with the best of the world, and include brand new roll-away, variable height Cisco staging system, intelligent lighting, trussing, curtaining and sound system which can be hired in-house. The built in Sport lighting is suitable for TV broadcast.
We have bulk power sources for large shows which are situated in the grid and floor left and right consisting of 400amp, 63amp and 32amp.
A fully integrated safety system and backup power sources ensure that the excitement of your event will be uninterrupted.
The backup generator is capable of running the entire lighting and sound rig in case of power failure.
24 screens in the main foyer can be used for advertising, directional signage, live TV broadcast and live to screen feed from the main venue.
The unique, open glass and natural wood feel of the main Arena foyer lends itself well to Art shows, fashion shows and cocktail parties to name but a few.
For those not aware, the ICC Arena call for tenders also included a social responsibility project whereby contractors involved had to contribute towards a Community upliftment project. After much debating a decision was made to build the Inkosi Msinga Mlaba Sports Arena in Kwa Qimba which was opened in 2007 at an estimated cost of R10 million.
The ICC Durban Arena will open new revenue streams and is planned to strengthen the Centre's value as a catalyst for economic growth for the region.
With a proven track record for reliability and service excellence, having hosted Heads of State, Royalty from around the world during high profile events, and recently the following shows: Chippendales, UB40, The Choral Music Festival and The Durban One World Music festival featuring Joyous celebration & Kirk Franklin, Enrique Iglesias, Mary J Blige, Freshly Ground, The Merchants of Bollywood, Chris Rock, Himesh Reshamiyya and over 6 International artists, including the WWE wrestling lined over the next few months, we believe ICC Durban Arena is well equipped to enter a whole new and exciting Era of Special events.