Advertising at Events

Stadiums Queensland (SQ) is responsible for the management, operation, use and promotion of major sports facilities.  To protect event sponsors from ambush marketing, the Major Sports Facilities Act 2001 (the Act) regulates advertising in the airspace that is visible from major sports facilities for events during restricted advertising periods.

“Ambush Marketing” is where an organisation displays advertisements in the vicinity of event venues but where the organisation has no bona fide association with the event nor made any financial contribution to the staging of the event.

To protect event sponsors from ambush marketing, the Act regulates advertising in the airspace that is visible from major sports facilities for events during restricted advertising periods. 

Under the Act, the following types of “Advertising” are regulated (refer to Section 30D of the Act):

• Skywriting or sign writing by an aircraft;
• Advertising on an aircraft, hang-glider, parachute, paraglider or similar, including banners and signs, on a person suspended from these things, or another matter on an aircraft; 
• Advertising on a building or structure, banner or other sign attached to a building or other structure;
• Advertising on a flag, other than a state or national flag that has an area of more than 5m2; and
• Any laser or digital projection of advertising.

The advertising restrictions do not apply to:

• advertisements, logos etc. on a building or other structure that are permanent; and
• commercial flights if the aircraft is in transit as part of a scheduled commercial flight.

Events where advertising is restricted include:

• prescribed events, which are events described at Schedule 3 of the Major Sports Facilities Regulation 2014 (Regulation); and
• declared events, which are published in the Queensland Government Gazette.

The prescribed events listed at schedule 3 of the Regulation are any event organised by the below organising bodies at the following SQ venues.  The advertising restrictions are in effect from 6am to midnight on event days.