Decoration Refresh with New Santa Set and Floor Displays

Runaway Bay Centre is a waterfront shopping destination servicing a strong local catchment, with a diverse mix of national retailers, specialty stores and dining offers. In addition to its internal mall environment, the centre features a unique external boat parking pontoon – perfect for welcoming Santa to the centre.

The Brief

Our initial brief was to refresh Runaway Bay Centre’s Christmas presentation while maintaining a sense of continuity for customers who return year after year. Key objectives included:

• Introducing a new Santa set to support a high‑quality, family‑friendly Christmas experience
• Refurbishing existing decorations while ensuring visual consistency across the centre through a considered colour palette and styling approach
• Maximising visual impact without compromising access, circulation or visibility of media screens
• Providing budget certainty and reducing annual operational demands
• Allowing for future updates to keep the decoration suite feeling fresh over time

Our Solution

A three‑year supply and installation package was developed to meet the centre’s immediate needs. This approach ensured Runaway Bay Centre could deliver a refreshed Christmas environment from year one. In 2025, additional upgrades were conducted to ensure the existing decorations continued to present in excellent condition. The installation and dismantle agreement was also renewed for another three years.

The initial phase of the project focused on refreshing existing assets and introducing key new elements. This included:

• Refurbishment of existing wreaths and garlands with new baubles and finishes in a fresh colour scheme to modernise the overall presentation
• Supply of floor display pods, each featuring a Christmas tree styled to complement the refurbished garlands and wreaths, paired with gold illuminated reindeer motifs to create engaging focal points throughout the centre
• Supply of a classic Santa Set, providing a warm, traditional and visually appealing backdrop for Santa photography and family interactions
• Installation of a decorated external entry arch at the centre’s marine pontoon, extending the Christmas experience to all customer arrival points
• Full installation and removal services, including all required plant, equipment and safety documentation

Display placement was carefully assessed to ensure the decorations delivered a strong visual impact while maintaining clear sightlines, safe access and uninterrupted visibility of existing infrastructure such as digital media screens.

Further refurbishments were introduced in 2025, with new baubles added throughout the suite of decorations and a new exit arch provided for the Santa set. These additions ensured the Christmas environment felt renewed while remaining familiar and recognisable.

The Outcome

The multi‑year Christmas decoration strategy delivered strong outcomes for both customer experience and centre operations. The refreshed presentation created a welcoming, cohesive festive atmosphere across internal mall spaces and the centre’s entry pontoon, supporting seasonal marketing activities and encouraging customer engagement.

By refurbishing and evolving the decoration suite rather than replacing it entirely, Runaway Bay Centre achieved:

• A consistent and premium Christmas presentation year on year
• Budget certainty through a structured, long‑term solution

The result is a well‑considered Christmas solution that balances visual appeal, financial efficiency and operational ease – demonstrating how a planned, multi‑year approach can deliver lasting value for shopping centres.