The International Convention Centre Wales is set to open in the summer of this year.

It will be the first of its kind in Wales, with promises of bringing thousands of visitors and events to the country's third largest city.

The £83m development, a joint venture between the Welsh Government and the Celtic Manor Resort, will provide 26,000 sqm of total floor space for meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

That's about the size of four international rugby pitches, and could accommodate 5,000 conference delegates at any one time.

But what can Newport expect from the arrival of the ICC Wales?

Inside the 1,500-seat auditorium
Construction work is reaching its advanced stages

Skeptics point to previous major events held at the Celtic Manor, such as the 2010 Ryder Cup and the 2014 NATO Summit, which many perceive benefited Cardiff more than Newport.

Some point to concerns visitors will filter through Newport for events but stay and spend their money in the capital.

Others believe the building itself is unattractive.

Estimates suggest the International Convention Centre could bring £70m into the Welsh economy annually

With much of that income thought to come from the demand for additional hotel beds needed to accommodate an influx of visitors, many hotel developments have been springing up in the city centre.

Jessica Marsh and her husband Simon are planning to open a new hotel on High Street in Newport in a few weeks time.

Hotel 55 will be located inside the former Yates' wine bar building and will include 62 bedrooms, a bar, cafe, and a restaurant.

The couple signed the lease for the property with the building's owner and developer Richard Hayward Properties after Premier Inn pulled out of a previous deal.

View out of the front entrance
Inside the convention centre space

Jessica said: "Obviously we have known for quite a while what's going on at the ICC.

"So we know that that's going to bring a lot of people into the area. We have been speaking to the ICC, that's a relationship that is already established really.

"It will bring in a lot of good trade to the area, so it's a really positive situation really."

Jessica said they are expecting much of their trade to come from ICC conferences, but are also expecting custom from people going to Cardiff by virtue of their close proximity to the train station.

The pair are hoping to employ around 15 people, and are aiming to be open in early March.

"I think it's going to have such a positive effect on all of the businesses here," Jessica said.

It's not the only hotel opening up.

Chartist Tower is currently undergoing a £10m makeover to become a four-star Mercure Hotel.

Computer generated image of the redeveloped Chartist Tower

The development will bring a further 163 hotel bedrooms to the city across the building's 11 floors, with added office and commercial space.

And its opening is scheduled to coincide with the soft opening of the ICC Wales in July.

Many business owners hope that by bringing in visitors who stay in the city centre, the burgeoning bar and restaurant trade in the city will get a kickback from increased custom.

It is a cause for excitement for Paul Young, owner of The Pod restaurant on Clarence Place, who is hoping for a boost in midweek trade. 

"Clarence Place is the gateway to Newport and we are right on that gateway on the bridge," Paul said.

"People coming from the ICC will be coming that way into Newport so we are in a great location.

"It's an exciting time for Newport. The place needs more investment and we need to get behind that."

Work continues
Artists' impressions of the International Convention Centre

The convention centre is scheduled for a soft opening in July with their first major event confirmed as the 2019 UK Space Conference in September.

Other large events already in the calendar include the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference in March next year, and more in coming years.

Just over ten years ago, the city of Liverpool were anticipating the opening of their own convention centre space.

The ACC Liverpool comprises the BT Convention Centre as well as the 11,000-seat M&S Bank Arena, and was built on a formerly deserted area of Kings Dock.

Sue Grindrod is CEO of Royal Albert Dock, a historic dock opposite the convention that is now a major multi-use attraction with many bars, restaurants and shops.

"We benefit hugely from the footfall that's created from the ACC," Sue said. "When they have events on the dock is absolutely packed."

BT Convention Centre, Liverpool

According to the ACC Liverpool 1,100 events have been held at the convention centre since they opened, attracting a total of 900,000 visitors.

They estimate the campus of facilities have generated £1.7bn in economic benefit for the city region since 2008.

Those visitors have needed to be catered for, and Sue said the steady flow of visitors into the city for those events have been met with a number of hotel developments.

"Certainly you can see the hotel stock has built up around the exhibition centre," Sue said.

"And any time visitors attend these big conferences, restaurants and bars through Albert Dock see a huge amount of custom."

Investors have been putting their money behind the hotel trade in Newport in anticipation of the ICC. 

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Chief executive of ICC Wales Ian Edwards said £4m worth of business is already on the books, with much more in the pipeline.

He said: "The economic impact to the local area of all the events booked so far is estimated at over £22m.

"There’s a real sense that figure is going to ramp up significantly in the six months before we open.

"We have over 30 events booked already, with tens of thousands of delegates set to visit ICC Wales during these events."

He added: "An economic impact study has forecast that ICC Wales will bring £70m to the South Wales economy per annum.

"The opening of ICC Wales is going to be a real game-changer for this region and, along with Business Events Wales and its partners, we will be making the most of this opportunity to ride the wave and show the industry just what our country can do when it comes to organising events."

Leader of Newport City Council Debbie Wilcox said: "There is no doubt that the ICCW will be a game changer for the city and the wider region.

"It has been estimated it will contribute £70 million to the local economy.

“Catering for 5,000 delegates at conventions which generally take place over a few or more days, it is also expected that there will be a demand for an additional 100,000 bedroom spaces each year.

"We are already seeing more hotels opening or being developed, and expect more to follow, in anticipation of this growth.”

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