Shopping centre display rules: footprint, banners, power and bump-in

Who sets the rules in a shopping centre?

Each centre's management sets and enforces the rules, usually through the casual mall licence you sign. Big owners also run activation teams. Scentre Group, which owns and operates Westfield in Australia and New Zealand, books pop-up, sampling and roaming activity in Westfield centres through its BrandSpace team.

The rules protect the retailers around your site, keep the mall looking the way the owner wants, and keep shoppers safe. Every rule below is an example from one named centre's published casual leasing guide or booking listing, quoted as it reads today, and some of those guides are several years old. Treat them as a guide to what to ask, not as the rules for your centre. Our shopping centre managers directory lists who manages each major centre.

Footprint and height: staying inside your marked site

Everything you bring, including chairs, stands, banners and stock, has to fit inside your site. Some centres mark it on the floor. Dalby Shoppingworld says markers are "visibly located on each site", and the display guidelines published by Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza say kiosks must stay "within the site dimensions which are clearly marked on the floors", which "also includes chairs, stands, and signage".

Height limits protect sightlines to nearby shops, and they vary:

Centres also protect access. Unley Shopping Centre, for example, rules out obstructing "walkways, entrances, shop front, service corridors or fire exits". Some set distances from voids: Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza's guidelines ask for at least 1m from a balustrade, and Mount Sheridan Plaza asks for 900mm from a handrail.

Banners and signage: printed, weighted and double-sided

The centres we checked publish similar signage rules:

• No handwritten signs. Harbour Town, Riverside Plaza, Mount Sheridan Plaza and Victoria Point all say so. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza's guidelines accept "only computer generated signage", including prices on sale items.
• No A-frames. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza, Harbour Town and Riverside Plaza all exclude them.
• Double-sided pull-up banners. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza's guidelines say pull-up banners "are acceptable provided they are double sided". Harbour Town says they are "subject to approval and must be double sided or have two banners placed back to back", with a maximum of two, and "All signage must be securely weighted".
• Name your business. Harbour Town, Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza and Mount Sheridan Plaza require your trading or company name to be displayed on the site.

Banner rules differ between centres and change over time, and many Westfield centres no longer allow pull-up banners. Ask your centre manager, or the BrandSpace team for a Westfield centre, which banner styles they accept before you order.

Tables, finishes and fire safety

Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza allows trestle tables only if they are "fully covered with pressed floor length tablecloths" (black, or approved company-branded cloths) and permits no card tables. Mount Sheridan Plaza and Dalby Shoppingworld both want boxes and storage out of sight.

On fire safety, Harbour Town, Dalby Shoppingworld and Victoria Point all ban open flames such as candles, and Victoria Point also bans helium unless centre management agrees. None of these guides lists a fire rating for display fabrics, but if your centre asks for one, ask us before bump-in. We work with you to supply fire-test certificates for our SuperWall, Big Mural and Brandframe fabrics.

Power, cabling and test-and-tag

Rules on leads are strict:

• Test and tag everything. Mount Sheridan Plaza requires electrical equipment to be "tested and tagged as per Australian Standards by a qualified electrician". Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza's guidelines add that this "includes any new leads".
• No trip hazards. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza wants leads out of sight and clear of customers' feet. Mount Sheridan Plaza suggests cable protectors or anti-slip mats.
• Check before you tape. Victoria Point allows cords to be "covered or taped down to the floor". Dalby Shoppingworld bans tape on its floors because it can damage the seal coat, and Riverside Plaza bans tape altogether.
• RCD protection. Harbour Town's contractor rules require electrical appliances, including portable ones, to be protected by an approved residual current device (RCD).

Ask for power when you book. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza has power at most sites, not all, and Mount Sheridan Plaza charges more for a powered site.

Bump-in, bump-out and floor protection

The guides we checked put set-up before trade. Harbour Town says bump in and out "must be done outside of the Centres core trading hours". Riverside Plaza lists bump-in from 7.15am to 9am, Monday to Saturday, with bump-out after trade. Victoria Point wants displays installed by 8am (9am on Sundays).

• Loading docks are short stays. Harbour Town allows 15 minutes for unloading.
• Bring your own trolley. Harbour Town asks clients not to use the supermarket's trolleys, and bars pallet trolleys from the mall after 10am.
• Protect the floor. Dalby Shoppingworld asks for carpet or cardboard under the wheels of any wheeled display item. Dalby Shoppingworld and Mount Sheridan Plaza make you pay to repair floor damage, and Victoria Point bills you for any damage.

Paperwork to send before you arrive

Send these early. Harbour Town declines a booking without the correct public liability cover:

1. Public liability certificate of currency. Harbour Town, Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza, Mount Sheridan Plaza, Unley, Riverside Plaza, Dalby Shoppingworld and Victoria Point all ask for at least $20 million. Harbour Town wants the certificate in the same name as the business on your application. Victoria Point also wants certificates two weeks before you move in.
2. Photos or a plan of the display. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza and Victoria Point review display photos or a layout before they approve a booking.
3. The signed licence agreement and payment. Harbour Town and Unley won't let you set up until payment has been received.
4. Your staffing plan. Centres also set rules on staff numbers and conduct. Harbour Town allows two staff at a time, and they must stay within arm's length of the site.

Displays built for shopping centre sites

These come in shopping centre heights, with double-sided graphics available (and included on the pop-up displays). Check each against your centre's limit: a 1.5m banner or Blade Stand is over a 1.4m limit. All prices exclude GST and freight. Lead times run from your order and print-ready artwork.

The Blade Stand, the subject of the 2017 version of this page, is a fabric alternative to a pull-up banner: 30mm deep, with a washable skin printed on one or both sides. The pop-up displays come in straight and curved frames, with double-sided graphics included.

To hire instead, our shopping centre hire packages include registration, foot traffic and consultant kits for casual leasing sites.

Next step

Get the centre's casual leasing guide first. Then send us the site size, height limit and dates, and we'll recommend a display that fits. You can see more of our work in shopping centres, or call 1300 240 250.