QMS has announced that record-breaking, extreme weather conditions in recent months have caused an unavoidable delay to the rollout of the new City of Sydney street furniture network.
The outdoor media company has revised the start date for campaign-based advertising, now set for 29 August 2022.
The installation of the new network started in late 2021 and has progressed steadily despite disruptions created by COVID-19 and prolonged, heavy rainfall.
Jemma Enright, QMS general manager, City of Sydney, said: “It has been the wettest start to the year on record for Sydney, with March recording the highest rainfall in 30 years.
“Unfortunately, this has made it impossible for some works to take place such as concreting, electrical and civil works, which cannot be undertaken safely under these conditions.
“The current forecast for more rain in the coming weeks means further delays are inevitable. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to move our go-live date back three months to ensure our network can support the expected volume and strategic needs of advertisers’ campaigns,” she added.
The eight launch partners for the new City of Sydney network are already running on the network and will continue to receive priority access as the network builds. The 29 August date is when all other advertisers will be able to access the network.
Enright said: “We continue to work closely with the City of Sydney, our launch partners and clients on the rollout schedule and timelines. We greatly appreciate their ongoing support and unwavering commitment, and our thoughts continue to be with those who have been affected by the floods and extreme weather.
“Our installation teams are pulling out all stops to get this network live, including contracting additional civil works and installation teams who can accelerate when the weather allows. Our depot is bursting at the seams with inventory for bus shelters, ad bollards, communication panels and kiosks,” she added.
The City of Sydney covers 26 square kilometres, with 10 distinct precincts across 33 suburbs and is home to high-income, educated and high-spending audiences.
The City of Sydney suburbs are Alexandria, Annandale, Barangaroo, Beaconsfield, Camperdown, Centennial Park, Chippendale, Darlinghurst, Darlington, Dawes Point, Elizabeth Bay, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Haymarket, Millers Point, Moore Park, Newtown, Paddington, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Redfern, Rosebery, Rushcutters Bay, St Peters, Surry Hills, Sydney, The Rocks, Ultimo, Waterloo, Woolloomooloo and Zetland.
Read more: QMS and City of Sydney: First brand partners live in early December