QMS has today given an update on its rollout of the City of Sydney street furniture network, with recent record-breaking, extreme weather conditions causing an unavoidable delay and a revised start date for campaign-based advertising now set at 29 August 2022.
The installation of the new network started in late 2021 and has progressed steadily despite disruptions created by the pandemic and prolonged, heavy rainfall.
“It has been the wettest start to the year on record for Sydney, with March recording the highest rainfall in 30 years,” said QMS general manager, City of Sydney, Jemma Enright.
“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.”
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 added, “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.
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.
