What paperwork does a shopping centre need before an activation?

A shopping centre won't let your activation in until centre management has the paperwork. Most of it is the same from centre to centre: a booking form, proof of insurance, a picture or plan of the display, a bump-in time, and details of anyone building it. Food, chemicals and prize draws add their own approvals.

Here's what centres ask for, who usually supplies each item, and how early to send it. The examples come from casual leasing and contractor guides that centres publish on their own websites, checked on 4 October 2026. Some are several years old, and every centre sets its own terms, so ask your centre for its current pack. For the display rules themselves (height, signage, cabling), see our shopping centre display rules.

#1 - The booking form, filled in properly

Centres approve a booking before they confirm it, and the form is where that starts. Mount Sheridan Plaza in Queensland (June 2025 terms) wants its agreement submitted "for approval no less than 5 business days before the booking date", and its form asks you to "Describe the display" and whether you need power.

If you're an agency, say so. The same form asks, "If you are an agency booking on behalf of a client, name them here".

Who supplies it: whoever holds the booking, brand or agency.

#2 - A certificate of currency that matches the booking

Harbour Town Gold Coast, Mount Sheridan Plaza, Dalby Shoppingworld, Victoria Point and Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza all ask for public liability cover of at least $20 million. The detail that trips people up is the wording on the certificate:

• Same name. Harbour Town Gold Coast (2021 guidelines) wants the "Certificate in the same name as the business on your application", and says incorrect cover "will result in your booking application being declined".
• Where it covers. Harbour Town wants the situation shown as either the centre, "Anywhere in Australia or Worldwide". Mount Sheridan Plaza accepts Australia-wide cover, or the centre or its owner listed "as an interested party".
• What it shows. Dalby Shoppingworld's online terms (current in 2026) list "situation (either QLD or Australia wide); expiry date; amount insured for and organization covered by the policy".
• When. Victoria Point Shopping Centre (2020 guide) wants certificates "no less than two weeks prior to occupation". Dalby will deny access if it hasn't arrived "at least 1 business day prior".

Who supplies it: the business named on the booking, through its broker. If an agency books but the brand's policy is used, sort out the names before you submit.

#3 - Photos, a plan and a product list

Centres want to see what's going on the floor. The display guidelines published by Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza ask for photos "and/or a plan of proposed kiosk/layout including dimensions and description of all products". Victoria Point asks for "Photographs of proposed display equipment".

A good pack has:

• a dimensioned plan showing the display inside the site, with walkways kept clear
• a render or photo of the display, with heights marked
• the product list, so the centre can check nothing clashes with its tenants.

Check banner rules at the same time. Many Westfield centres no longer allow pull-up banners, so ask before you include one. Where banners are allowed, ours for shopping centres are 1.5 m high and double-sided.

Who supplies it: your display supplier, with your artwork and product list.

#4 - A bump-in plan

Set-up almost always happens outside trading hours. Lendlease's Macarthur Square pop-up pack (January 2025) lists bump-in and bump-out times before trade (6.30am to 8am) and after trade (7pm to 11pm, or after 9pm on Thursdays), and asks you to "coordinate after hours access with Security and sign-in prior to bumping in and out". Victoria Point wants displays installed "no later than 8.00am" (9am on Sundays).

Your plan should give the date and time, the vehicle and loading dock, who's on site, and how long the build takes. Harbour Town's contractor rules say materials must not be moved through public areas during trading hours, and shopping trolleys must not be used to move goods.

#5 - Contractor paperwork: SWMS, inductions and insurance

If a contractor builds or installs your display, the centre may treat it as contractor work. Harbour Town's "Centre Rules, EHS & Other Requirements for Contractors" (PDF last saved January 2023) lists the documents contractors provide: safe work method statements (SWMS), public liability of at least $20 million, a "Workers Compensation Certificate of Currency", and a full site induction for everyone "prior to working on site".

Under the model WHS laws, a SWMS is required for high risk construction work. Safe Work Australia lists that work: for example, where there's a risk of a person falling more than 2 m, work near energised electrical installations, or work where powered mobile plant is moving. For other construction work, Safe Work Australia says a SWMS is not required, but a centre can still ask for one, or for a risk assessment, as a condition of entry. Harbour Town requires a site-specific SWMS for its own list of high risk activities, which includes using a scissor lift or cherry picker. If your build needs one, expect to supply a SWMS for it.

Who supplies it: the installer, for their own team.

#6 - Power and test-and-tag records

Power is part of the booking, not something to sort out on the day. Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza says power is available at most sites, and asks you to tell the centre "if power is required at time of booking". Centres also expect every lead and appliance to be tagged by a qualified electrician, and Mount Sheridan Plaza puts that in its terms. Keep the tag dates current for the whole booking. The display rules guide linked above covers cabling, trip hazards and RCDs.

Who supplies it: whoever owns the equipment, and the electrician who tests it.

#7 - Extra approvals for food, chemicals and prizes

Some activations need approvals that come from outside the centre:

• Food. In NSW, the NSW Food Authority says all retail food businesses, including "food stall holders at regular, temporary or one-off events", must notify their local council before they trade. Food operations that "provide food free to the community" are listed as exempt, so check with the council how that applies to brand sampling. Under Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Standard 3.2.2A, food service, catering and retail businesses that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food need at least a food safety supervisor and trained food handlers.
• Chemicals. Victoria Point wants hazardous materials reported before they come in, with "A copy of all safety documents including MSDS".
• Prize draws. A game of chance is a trade promotion with its own state rules. In NSW, an authority is required if the total prize value exceeds $10,000. Our guide to what a shopping centre or supermarket will ask before a prize promotion covers the centre's side and each state's permits.

Who supplies it: the brand, or the agency running the promotion.

#8 - Your final checklist before you send

Send everything in one pack, at least two weeks before bump-in. That covers the longest deadline in the guides above: Victoria Point's two weeks for certificates, against five business days for Mount Sheridan Plaza's agreement and one week for payment at Harbour Town. Then check:

• the certificate of currency matches the booking name, the amount and the situation
• the plan shows the display inside the site, with heights
• the bump-in time, dock and security contact are confirmed
• installer SWMS, inductions and workers compensation are attached, where the centre asks for them
• leads are tagged, and power is booked
• any food, chemical or prize approvals are in hand
• the signed licence agreement and payment are in.

Find the right centre contact in our shopping centre managers directory. Our team knows the major centres' compliance rules. We can help prepare what the centre needs to approve your display, then handle the installation and pack-down as part of our project management. Call us on 1300 240 250 with the centre, the dates and the site size.