Edmonton-based Pivotal Signs & Imaging recently used Drytac Polar Grip white polymeric self-adhesive vinyl to produce a clever set of floor graphics for Canada’s WestJet Airlines at the 2023 edition of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Heritage Classic.
A hugely popular event on the NHL calendar, the Heritage Classic is a regular season outdoor game featuring two Canadian NHL teams playing in football stadiums in Canada. The spectacle sees a temporary outdoor ice rink installed in the stadium and the surrounding areas are also transformed to mark the occasion.
Pivotal Signs and Imaging used Drytac Polar Grip to create the floor graphics part of the area. The sandy beach graphics, along with the slogan ‘Love Where You’re Going’, were printed onto the vinyl using an HP Latex 700 printer.
This year’s game between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers took place on October 29th at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, with the Oilers running out 5-2 winners. The event drew the support of many Canadian companies including WestJet Airlines, which, as the official airline of the game, ran several special initiatives.
One of these was a fan activation area outside the stadium, where visitors were invited to learn more about its beach holidays. WestJet’s agency partner XMC reached out to Pivotal Signs and Imaging, also located in Edmonton, for support with the project.
The activation area was based around a small version of an ice hockey rink. However, the twist was that instead of the usual cold ice surface, this was transformed to mimic a sandy beach. Fans could take part in a scoring game on the surface by shooting pucks into a cut-out hole in the hockey goal at one end of the rink.
Pivotal Signs and Imaging used Drytac Polar Grip to create the floor graphics part of the area. The sandy beach graphics, along with the slogan ‘Love Where You’re Going’, were printed onto the vinyl using an HP Latex 700 printer. Graphics were matched with Interlam Pro Emerytex slip-rated overlaminate to protect the graphic and ensure the safety of those shooting pucks.
“The vinyl was chosen to stick to a hard plastic surface that had low surface energy,” Pivotal Signs and Imaging President Jody Gough said. “We needed it to stay down for two days, and the textured laminate was to insure no one slipped while shooting pucks.
“Over 2,000 people shot pucks off this with no slips and very little damage to the vinyl!”
The company purchased all Drytac materials from approved Drytac distributor ND Graphics, which has a branch local to Pivotal Signs and Imaging in Edmonton. Such has been the ongoing success of this working partnership that Drytac materials have since been used on many projects.
Recent applications include a Christmas display at Pivotal Signs and Imaging’s facility. For this piece, the company opted for Drytac Polar Air Smooth 150, partly due to its ability to continue to perform in extreme temperatures.
“This product works exceptionally well in our colder climate as compared to other vinyls we’ve tried,” Jody Gough concluded.
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