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How to work within display height limits at venues and shopping centres
Shopping centres, airports, showgrounds and exhibition shows often set height limits for displays, and in public spaces they are low. In a shopping centre mall the limit is often 1.4m or 1.5m. In an exhibition hall it might be 2.4m, 3m or 5m, depending on the venue, the show and where your stand sits.
Below are the limits we found in documents that centres, an airport, showgrounds and a show organiser have published. For the six major convention centres, see our guide to stand rules at Australian convention centres. Every site and every show can set its own rules, so always ask for the limit in writing before you order.
Height limits at a glance
| Where | Height rule | Published in |
|---|---|---|
| Vicinity Centres, standard mall sites | 1,400mm | Vicinity Fitout Guidelines |
| Vicinity Centres, activation sites such as centre courts | 1,800mm, without blocking sightlines to shops | Vicinity Fitout Guidelines |
| Vicinity Centres, stretch fabric banners | 1,500mm high and 900mm wide | Vicinity Fitout Guidelines |
| Sydney Airport T1 pop-up sites | 1,400mm solid, 2,400mm skeletal | Brand Connect T1 site cards |
| Sydney Royal Easter Show | Shell scheme stands 2.4m (space only higher with written approval); signage up to 3.5m with approval | Event Manual |
| Melbourne Showgrounds | Over 2.7m needs an engineer's certificate | Exhibitor Services Guide |
| Sydney Build at ICC Sydney | 3m without organiser approval, 5m maximum | Exhibitor Manual |
Why height limits exist
There are two reasons. The first is sightlines. Vicinity Centres says "inline retailer sightlines are maintained and respected" for the whole booking, and the Sydney Build manual says its limits stop tall stands from dwarfing or blocking the stands around them.
The second is safety. Above a certain height, a structure needs an engineer to sign it off. At Melbourne Showgrounds that line is 2.7m. A taller stand needs a structural engineer's Regulation 126A Certificate of Compliance for the proposed work, then a second certificate (or an engineer's report on site) once it is built, before the event opens.
Shopping centres
The centre owner Vicinity Centres publishes its rules for pop-up kiosks in its Fitout Guidelines for operational centres:
- Standard mall sites: "The maximum height is restricted in standard mall sites through the common mall to 1400mm."
- Activation sites: these are usually in larger spaces such as centre courts, so the limit rises to 1,800mm, "however design must not impact the line of sight to the surrounding retailers".
- Banners: stretch fabric banners can be up to 1,500mm high and 900mm wide, double-sided, kept inside the site, with no more than two per site.
- Your own equipment: anything you bring "must be sighted by your Centre Executive and approved prior to bumping in". Show the centre your display before you buy it.
- Vehicles: larger vehicles taller than 1.4m must not be displayed with the boot open.
Other centres set similar limits. Harbour Town Gold Coast's casual leasing guide says "Maximum 1.4m height from ground to avoid blocking sight lines." Our shopping centre display rules page compares the published limits of seven centres, along with their banner, power and bump-in rules.
Check banner rules separately: many Westfield centres have stopped allowing pull-up banners, so ask before you include one.
Airports
Sydney Airport's site cards for its T1 pop-up sites give the same limit for each site: "Maximum Height: 1400mm solid structure 2400mm skeletal". In practice, solid walls and counters stop at 1.4m, and anything taller has to be an open, skeletal frame. Every site is "subject to Sydney Airport approval". Our guide to airport activations in Australia covers the other rules, from goods screening to power.
Exhibition halls and showgrounds
Convention centres set their own limits, from 3.2m in MCEC's Level 1 and Level 2 Foyers to 5m in ICC Sydney's Halls 1 to 4, and our convention centre guide covers each venue in detail.
The show organiser's manual can then set a lower limit inside that. At Sydney Build 2025, held at ICC Sydney:
- walls, structures and signage could not exceed 3m without organiser approval, up to a maximum of 5m
- perimeter walls and storerooms stopped at 2.5m without approval, though structures against a venue wall could go to 4.5m
- any wall or structure 2.5m high or over needed approval from both the organiser and ICC Sydney
- walls facing an aisle could take up no more than 30% of that boundary.
Showgrounds have their own rules too. The Sydney Royal Easter Show's Event Manual says "All shell scheme stands must not exceed 2.4m height", and space-only stands need written approval to go higher. Signage above the 2.4m wall height needs approval, must stop at 3.5m from ground level, and must be plain white on the back where it can be seen. Around the grounds, one teardrop banner is allowed per 9m² invoiced, at no more than 2.4m from ground level.
Hanging signs
A hanging sign gets your brand above the height limit, but it has its own rules. At Sydney Build, banners and signage could not hang lower than 4.5m to their underside without the organiser's approval. Many venues control rigging too: ICC Sydney, for example, installs all primary rigging points in its exhibition halls. Check the rigging rules before you order hanging exhibition banners.
Raised floors count too
Some limits are measured from the ground: Harbour Town's 1.4m and the Easter Show's signage and teardrop limits all say so. Ask whether a raised floor counts towards your height. Floors also have limits of their own:
- Melbourne Showgrounds: flooring between 32mm and 115mm high needs a bevelled edge inside your stand, and anything over 115mm counts as a step and needs a ramp if visitors will walk on it.
- Sydney Build: a raised floor or platform above 115mm needed approval.
- Vicinity Centres: for pop-up kiosks, it recommends a maximum floor height of 32mm, used only where cables need hiding.
How to keep your impact under the limit
#1 - Choose displays made for the limit
Many of our displays come in a lower version. Our shopping centre pull-up banners stand 1.5m high and come double-sided, the Premier pull-up and extra-wide banners have 1.5m options for shopping centres, the SuperWall comes 1.5m high in 1, 2.4 or 3m widths, and our shopping centre pop-up displays are 1.4 to 1.5m high. Always check that 1.5m isn't over your site's limit, which may be 1.4m.
#2 - Go wide instead of tall
A wider display gives you more graphic area at the same height. An extra-wide banner can be 2.4m wide and 1.5m high for a shopping centre. Check the centre's width and banner rules first, though: Vicinity Centres, for example, caps banners in its malls at 900mm wide.
#3 - Put the message at the top
Keep the logo and the main line in the top third, where people and stock in front won't hide them, and keep the bottom clear for the base and any counter.
#4 - Use the floor
Vicinity Centres allows removable self-adhesive vinyl floor decals made to centre requirements. A decal adds branding without adding height.
Before you order: what to confirm
- The height limit for your exact site or stand, in writing.
- Whether it is measured from the venue floor or from the top of a raised floor.
- Whether signage, banners and hanging signs count, and their own limits.
- The height above which an engineer's certificate or approval is needed.
- Whether the organiser's manual sets a lower limit than the venue.
- Banner rules, especially in Westfield centres.
Send us the venue or centre rules with your floor plan, or call 1300 240 250. For custom builds, we design to the venue's height limits and rigging rules from the start.