QMS Secures Essendon Airport Extension

QMS has secured a contract extension with Nettlefold for the Essendon Fields Airport outdoor advertising portfolio, DailyDOOH reported, alongside digital upgrades across Melbourne's northern corridor. QMS Chief Operating Officer Sara Lappage said the extension reflects the company's focus on high-impact assets in sought-after locations. The deal adds a new landmark digital billboard at the airport entrance and converts an existing static site to digital, part of a shift that would make digital the majority of the precinct's billboards. For a small business that buys local outdoor space, the upgrade is a signal about where that spend is heading: toward screens at high-traffic gateway sites rather than static boards.

A new 20m x 6.4m digital landmark at the entrance

Under the agreement, QMS said the portfolio will gain a premium 20m x 6.4m landmark digital billboard at the entrance to Essendon Airport. The site is positioned to target high-volume city-bound traffic on the Tullamarine Freeway, the arterial linking Melbourne Airport and the central business district, and QMS said it is due to go live before the end of the year.

Lappage said the extension and the digital build-out demonstrate QMS's commitment to quality, high-impact assets in Australia's most in-demand locations. She described Essendon Airport as one of Melbourne's most iconic outdoor precincts, reaching millions of motorists daily on a major arterial, and said the new digital landmark gives brands a canvas to reach people entering the city.

Beyond the new build, QMS said an existing high-profile static billboard at the precinct will be converted to digital in 2027. The conversion would bring the location to six digital billboards out of 11. The company said the upgraded portfolio strengthens its large-format digital network across Australia.

QMS states that digital formats give advertisers added flexibility to change messaging, which it links to both short-term sales and longer-term brand building. Those are the company's claims, not independently verified figures.

Nettlefold Executive Director Michael Nettlefold said the company was pleased to extend its relationship with QMS to continue managing sales and marketing for the Essendon Airport outdoor advertising portfolio. He said QMS had proven an outstanding partner in commercialising Nettlefold's outdoor media interests with Essendon Fields, and that the move to majority-digital assets reflects the modern, dynamic nature of the precinct.