Signs Express Belfast Uses Removable Film for Ice Hockey Rink Graphics

BRISTOL, UK — Signage and vehicle graphics specialist Signs Express Belfast recently used Drytac’s SpotOn White M50 monomeric PVC film to produce graphics for use at the home of Elite Ice Hockey League team the Belfast Giants.

Part of the Signs Express franchise family since 1999, Signs Express Belfast was established under the ownership of Brendan O’Donnell, who was joined by his daughter, Cathy Johnston, in 2000. Cathy took charge of the business in 2006 and has continued to lead it. Following Brendan’s passing in 2019, she has built on his legacy, working with clients across a range of printed and fabricated applications.

The project came earlier this year when Signs Express Belfast was contacted by the Belfast Giants, a professional ice hockey team based close to the company’s location in Northern Ireland. The job involved producing graphics for use around the side of the rink at the SEE Arena, where the team plays its home games.

The graphics were to be used during several games in the Champions Hockey League, the largest club ice hockey competition in Europe. The competition sees teams from across the continent compete to be crowned Europe’s top ice hockey club.

Signs Express Belfast has been supplying rinkside advertising solutions to the Giants since the team’s inception 25 years ago. For this project, the challenge was that the graphics were needed only for Champions Hockey League games, requiring a solution that could be easily overlaid on the permanent league graphics and removed afterward without causing any damage.

“This involved flipping the full rinkside dasher — over 165 linear meters (540 feet) of graphics,” Cathy said. “We had two turnaround installations to complete approximately five to six weeks apart at the end of August and start of October. The Giants have local sponsor graphics permanently in place throughout the regular season, so it was crucial that their season signage remained undamaged when removing the Champions League overlays.”

Signs Express Belfast chose SpotOn White M50 for this project, a print media featuring a removable dot-pattern adhesive that allows for quick installation and removal. The company says its light-blocking properties make it up to 50% more opaque than standard SpotOn White, making it suitable for overlaying graphics on existing surfaces without show-through. SpotOn White M50 was purchased from [Premier GPMI](https://gpmi.ie/), Drytac’s exclusive stockist in Ireland.

“We have used SpotOn M50 now for several of these turnarounds; the graphics are so easy to install and equally easy to remove after the event,” Cathy said.

Signs Express Belfast printed all graphics in-house on its Epson SureColor S80600. This, combined with the Drytac materials, resulted in high color accuracy in each sponsor’s branding — something that was important given that the games were broadcast live on Sky Television.

“James Glover, Operations Manager for the Giants, was absolutely delighted with the end product, especially with how quickly we could install the full arena, which we now have down to just under three hours,” Cathy said.

“He was happy with how easy it was to remove after the games too, as the arena is used for much more than just ice hockey and is constantly being flipped for events. It meant less downtime, as the operations team at the arena could remove everything themselves and didn’t need any specialist training to do so.”

Signs Express Belfast is a long-time user of Drytac materials, working with its products across a range of applications. Cathy said the company has found value in its ongoing relationship with Drytac.

“Having been in the industry for more than 25 years, I am constantly impressed with the solutions that Drytac keeps innovating and bringing to market,” she said. “We also really value the efforts that Mark de Lancey, Drytac UK and Ireland Sales Manager, and Angus Murray, Sign and Display Manager at Premier GPMI, make to visit us in Belfast and demo these products. Working with Premier GPMI, Drytac’s exclusive stockist in Ireland, ensures we always have access to the right materials when we need them.”

About Signs Express Belfast: Signs Express Belfast is a signage and vehicle graphics company and part of the Signs Express franchise network. Established in 1999 in Northern Ireland, the company produces printed and fabricated signage applications.

About Drytac: Drytac manufactures adhesive-coated products including print media, surface protection films and mounting adhesives for the sign, display and graphics markets.