Deadline extended to apply for permission to trade or advertise near London 2012 venues

[richard]

Businesses wanting to trade or advertise near London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic venues have been given an extra month in which they can apply for permission.

Traders who require authorisation must apply by the end of March for permission to operate at 27 special ‘Event Zones’. These usually stretch no more than 200 metres from stadiums and sports facilities. The deadline for advertisers who require approval to advertise in these areas has also been extended to 31 March 2012.

There are a number of exceptions where certain forms of trading and advertising do not require authorisation. Examples include food and newspaper deliveries, advertising on buses and taxis carrying passengers through an Event Zone, advertising inside a building, and most existing shop signage.

With now less than six months to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, businesses are being urged to ensure they have got their paperwork in order and got permission, where it is required.

The rules, which can be found on London 2012’s website - www.london2012.com/advertisingandtrading - will ensure that spectators and those taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games can access venues easily and safely, and that the Games have a consistent look, without unauthorised marketing close to venues.

The website explains where rules on advertising and outdoor trading near venues will be implemented (with a postcode checker), how they will be enforced and when they will apply – on competition days, often the day before and, in the case of the Olympic Park, a few days earlier. The website spells out the application process and authorisation criteria, includes a detailed guide and shows examples of practices that do not require authorisation, or can only be carried out if authorisation has been obtained.

Restrictions on advertising and outdoor trading are a requirement of the contracts that host cities sign with the International Olympic Committee. They are now common practice at major international sporting events.

The Advertising and Trading Regulations cover all trading in open public places within ‘Event Zones’ during the periods in question - including roads and any land that the public has access to, and all forms of advertising.

Authorisation has to be obtained for all open air trading activities including selling from temporary buildings like marquees, busking and collecting for charity. It will also have to be obtained for advertising, though on billboards and poster sites, for example, authorisation will be reserved primarily for sponsors of the Games.

Advertising that is not expected to be permitted includes advertising by non-sponsors which aim to engage in ‘ambush marketing’, such as temporary advertising, distributing direct advertising literature, and arranging for advertising ‘giveaways’ in an Event Zone.

The public application process for advertising is now open until the end of March 2012, and applications can be made to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) by email or by post.

Applications for permission to trade outdoors need to be made to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) by the same date – this can also be done online. There is a right to ask for a review of the two organisations’ decisions by the ODA, which is a public body.

The ODA is responsible for enforcement of the Regulations and is working with 36 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, reflecting the Olympic events in Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Essex and Hertfordshire, cycling in Surrey, football in Cardiff, Coventry, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as at the Olympic and Paralympic venues in London.

The ODA will designate around 250 trading standards officers and other enforcement officers who will be fully trained in the detail of the Regulations and better regulation objectives.

ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone said: 'We want to give businesses every opportunity to understand the rules and apply for permission, where this is needed. That is why we have extended the closing date. Advertising and trading regulations are temporary measures in place for only a few weeks near Olympic and Paralympic venues. Our aim is to make sure that spectators can get to watch the sport they have paid for - without delay or risk.'

Notes to Editors:

1. The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 required the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and Ministers in Scotland and Wales to make regulations about trading and advertising in the vicinity of London Olympic events. Detailed regulations are currently being considered by the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the National Assembly for Wales.
2. Contravening the Regulations is punishable by fine of up to £20,000 at Magistrates’ Courts in England and Wales, and Sheriff Courts in Scotland. There is no limit to the fine that a Crown Court may apply, however conviction would not lead to imprisonment.
3. No compensation will be available for people who are prevented from trading or advertising. However the ODA is empowered to offer financial assistance to ‘habitual’ traders who are not able, for instance, to site pitches in their usual places and have to seek to trade elsewhere – for instance by obtaining an additional licence to trade.
4. The need to secure authorisation from the ODA (for outside trading) or LOCOG (for advertising) does not replace the legal requirements that apply at all other times. Even if an authorisation has been granted by the ODA or LOCOG, traders and advertisers must ensure that they already hold, during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, any other licence, consent, certificate or permission that is necessary.
5. ‘Ambush marketing’ describes activities undertaken by commercial bodies not sponsoring an event which nevertheless suggest that they or their products are associated with the event or which seek to exploit the interest in the event for commercial purposes by exposing their brands to spectators at the event and/or broadcast viewers.
6. A full list of Event Zones where the Regulations will apply can be found in the detailed notice at http://www.london2012.com/documents/...egulations.pdf
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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700.


Source
www.london2012.com