Ivanhoé Cambridge Hoarding Graphics Requirements: What Retailers Need to Submit Before Install

Ivanhoé Cambridge hoarding graphics requirements are more detailed than most retailers expect the first time through. If you've already handled approvals at Cadillac Fairview or Oxford properties, Ivanhoé Cambridge will feel familiar in structure but distinct in specifics. The submission checklist is longer, the artwork standards are precise, and getting it wrong means a delayed install — not just a revision request.

This article breaks down what you need to prepare, what gets reviewed, and where projects stall. For the side-by-side view across the three major Canadian landlords, see what Cadillac Fairview, Oxford, and Ivanhoé Cambridge actually require.

Why Ivanhoé Cambridge Has Its Own Approval Process

Ivanhoé Cambridge manages a large portfolio of enclosed malls across Canada — Quartier DIX30, Vaughan Mills, Royalmount and CrossIron Mills in the Calgary area, among others. Each property operates under the same parent REIT but applies its own tenant coordination standards. Timing and contact routing can differ from one Ivanhoé Cambridge property to the next.

For Calgary hoarding graphics at CrossIron Mills, we design to the property's current standards and confirm submission requirements with tenant coordination.

What stays consistent is the underlying standard: hoarding panels must meet the property's aesthetic requirements, structural specifications, and brand guidelines before installation is permitted. Mall operations won't allow a crew on the floor without written confirmation that submitted artwork has been reviewed and approved.

That approval chain is what retailers routinely underestimate. It isn't a rubber stamp. It's a formal review that touches tenant coordination, property management, and sometimes the mall's marketing team when the hoarding faces a high-traffic zone.

What Ivanhoé Cambridge Reviews Before Approving Hoarding Graphics

Artwork Files and Specifications

Artwork submissions need to arrive in the format the property specifies — typically a high-resolution print-ready PDF or layered file at the correct scale. Most Ivanhoé Cambridge properties require files at 1:10 scale with bleed included, though you should confirm the exact spec with your tenant coordinator since individual properties vary.

Resolution matters. Files submitted at screen resolution or exported from a presentation deck will be rejected. Print-ready hoarding files should be at minimum 100 DPI at full scale, which translates to 300 DPI at 1:10. If your brand team is supplying files, make sure they understand the output format — not just the visual design. Our guide to file specs and panel breaks covers how to prepare files that survive review.

Color mode is another common rejection point. Artwork submitted in RGB when the property requires CMYK comes back for correction. If your files were built for digital campaigns, they likely need conversion before submission.

Panel Layout and Dimensions

Alongside the artwork files, you'll need to submit a panel layout diagram. This shows the property how graphics divide across individual panels, where seams fall, and how the design handles returns and corners if the hoarding wraps.

Ivanhoé Cambridge properties pay close attention to seam placement. A seam running through a face, a logo, or a critical graphic element is a common rejection reason. The layout diagram lets the reviewer confirm seams fall in neutral areas of the design.

Panel dimensions must match actual site measurements. Working from estimates produces misaligned panels. The hoarding footprint at handover often differs from the lease line shown on the leasing plan — particularly in older mall sections where construction has modified the original layout.

Structural and Substrate Compliance

Ivanhoé Cambridge specifies acceptable substrates for hoarding panels. The most common requirement is for panels mounted to a freestanding or wall-mounted frame system using approved materials — typically foamcore, Sintra, or direct-print substrates depending on the property and expected hoarding duration.

Temporary hoardings for fit-outs under six months often carry different substrate requirements than longer-term hoardings for major renovations. Confirm the expected duration with your tenant coordinator before specifying materials.

The framing system also comes under review. Panels that rely on adhesive mounting to the mall wall rather than a freestanding frame will typically fail review at Ivanhoé Cambridge properties. The property needs confirmation that installation won't damage mall finishes and that the structure is self-supporting.

Brand and Content Standards

Tenant coordination reviews the content of the artwork, not just its technical specs. That includes checking whether the design conflicts with exclusivity agreements held by other tenants, whether the messaging is appropriate for the mall environment, and whether any promotional claims meet the property's standards.

This step surprises retailers who assume artwork approval is purely a technical check. It isn't. A design that prominently promotes a product category another tenant holds exclusivity over can be flagged and returned for revision — even if the files are technically perfect.

If your hoarding design includes pricing, promotional language, or product imagery, build extra time into your approval timeline. Those elements are more likely to trigger a content review than a straightforward brand identity design.

Permit and Insurance Documentation

Beyond the artwork, most Ivanhoé Cambridge properties require documentation before the install crew arrives. This typically includes:

• ✓A valid certificate of insurance naming the property as an additional insured
• ✓A copy of the contractor's liability coverage
• ✓Confirmation of the installation window, including start and end times
• ✓A contact name for the on-site supervisor during installation

Missing any of these stops the install. Mall operations won't grant floor access without them, regardless of whether the artwork has been approved. Artwork approval and installation documentation are two separate tracks. Both need to be complete before your crew shows up — the step-by-step mall operations approval walkthrough shows how the two tracks run in parallel.

Where the Approval Timeline Actually Breaks Down

Most retailers budget time for production but not for the approval cycle. At Ivanhoé Cambridge properties, the artwork review alone can take five to ten business days depending on the property, the complexity of the submission, and how responsive tenant coordination is during peak periods.

If your submission comes back with revision requests, that clock resets. One round of revisions adds another five to ten days. Two rounds and you're looking at a three-week approval process before production has even started.

The practical implication: submit artwork for landlord review before you've finalized your production vendor. Wait until you have a confirmed printer and you've already lost the time the approval cycle needed.

Properties in major urban markets — including several Ivanhoé Cambridge assets in the Greater Toronto Area — tend to have tighter review queues during Q4 and around major retail calendar events. If your handover falls in October or November, plan for the longer end of the approval window.

For a broader look at how approval timelines and production standards have shifted across the Canadian mall market, the 2026 Canadian mall hoarding graphics market overview covers the pattern across major REITs.

The Submission Package: What to Prepare

A complete submission to Ivanhoé Cambridge tenant coordination typically includes the following:

Submitting an incomplete package is the single most common cause of approval delays. Tenant coordination teams at Ivanhoé Cambridge properties return incomplete submissions rather than process them partially. The review clock doesn't start until the full package is in.

After-Hours Installation and Mall Operations Coordination

Artwork approval and documentation don't get your crew on the floor. The install itself requires a separate coordination step with mall operations. Ivanhoé Cambridge properties, like most enclosed malls, require after-hours installation for hoarding graphics — before the mall opens or after it closes.

After-hours installation requires a separate booking with mall operations, distinct from the tenant coordination approval. These slots have limited availability, particularly at high-traffic properties. A weekend install at a busy Ivanhoé Cambridge mall may need to be booked weeks in advance.

The install crew also needs to comply with the property's contractor access requirements — checking in with security, wearing visible identification, adhering to noise restrictions. Properties in Quebec may carry additional requirements under provincial construction regulations.

For retailers managing fit-outs in Toronto, the hoarding graphics requirements for Toronto retail and leasing teams covers the operational details that apply across multiple REIT portfolios in that market.

Using a Full-Service Vendor to Manage the Submission Process

The Ivanhoé Cambridge submission package is detailed enough that splitting it across multiple vendors creates real coordination risk. If your printer handles production but not the site survey, and your installer isn't involved in the artwork layout, panel dimensions and seam placement decisions get made in isolation. That produces misaligned panels and failed installs.

A full-service vendor handles the site survey, confirms dimensions against the lease line, adapts artwork to the panel layout with seam placement built in, and coordinates the after-hours installation window with mall operations. The submission package reflects actual site conditions rather than estimates — which reduces revision cycles and keeps the approval timeline intact.

Rapid Retail Graphics manages this process end to end for retailers and leasing teams at Ivanhoé Cambridge properties and across North America, from the physical site survey through to installed panels. You can review pricing and turnaround or send us your project details for an estimate.

For projects in Vancouver, where several Ivanhoé Cambridge assets operate under similar approval frameworks, the Vancouver mall hoarding graphics requirements guide covers the local operational specifics.

FAQs

Get the Submission Right the First Time

The Ivanhoé Cambridge approval process rewards preparation. A complete, technically correct submission — confirmed site dimensions, proper file specs, all required documentation — moves through review without interruption. An incomplete or technically incorrect submission adds weeks to a timeline most retailers are already managing under pressure.

Submit artwork for landlord review before production is confirmed. Book the after-hours installation window as soon as you have a target date. Make sure the panel layout reflects actual site measurements, not leasing plan estimates. Those three steps eliminate the most common causes of delay.