Business as Usual the Way to Meet Major Events Management Act

Rugby New Zealand 2011 has released guidelines about how the Major Events Management Act (MEMA) will impact on Stadium Taranaki’s ‘clean zones’. This includes the restriction of any advertising that suggests an association with RWC 2011 where there is none.

“These are rules put in place by the Ministry of Economic Development and we’re doing everything we can to raise awareness among local businesses and residents,” says New Plymouth District Council Manager Customer and Regulatory Services Simon Pickford.

“Essentially, business as usual will meet the requirements of the MEMA. Things like usual signage and advertising, dressing up premises as part of the celebrations, or showing support for a second team are all perfectly acceptable.

“Where the MEMA will impact the businesses and households around the stadium and its transport links is around things like using Rugby World Cup logos or protected words, or allowing an advertiser to use your property for ambush marketing, i.e. where an advertiser associates itself with and capitalises on a particular event without paying any sponsorship fee.”

Some specific restrictions under the MEMA include:

• Advertising in the clean zone, or that can be seen from within the clean zone (if it is not part of an existing business’s usual signage). This includes advertising placed on any private property.
• Street trading within the clean zone, other than by official RWC 2011 licensees.
• Businesses in the clean zone selling different products or services than they’d usually offer, e.g. a car yard selling food.
• Vehicles carrying branding or advertising that are parked or driven through the clean zone or along the clean transport route, unless they’re going about their usual business, e.g. a courier company.
• Distributing pamphlets, flyers or giveaway within the clean zone.
• Putting up advertising signs in a clean transport route.

“These sorts of rules are all part and parcel of hosting a major international event and are commonplace for other events such as the Olympics, Football World Cup and Cricket World Cup,” says Mr Pickford.

“The rules are to protect the rights of the Tournament’s major sponsors by ensuring other businesses do not take advantage of the tournament’s high profile for their own commercial gain.

“If businesses or residents are unsure about what they can and cannot do during the Tournament, then we encourage them to give us a call at the Council.”

RWC 2011, which kicks off on 9 September, will be the biggest event New Zealand has ever hosted. More than 85,000 overseas fans are expected, and economists estimate it will inject more than $540 million into the national economy.

More information on the MEMA, including maps of each clean zone and clean transport route, can be found at www.taranaki.info/rwc2011.