The Big Game

Print Shop: bluemedia | bluemedia.com
Location: Los Angeles
Tools and Supplies: Durst Rhotex 325 direct-to-textile digital printer, Durst 312r Plus large-format roll-to-roll printer, HP Latex 3500 printer, EFI Vutek LX3 Pro LED printer, EFIVutek GS5500LXr Pro printer, adhesive back vinyl, black back fabric, perforated vinyl, jersey mesh fence fabric, and Zünd G3 digital flatbed cutter/routers.

FOR THE EIGHTH consecutive year, bluemedia was hired by the NFL to print and install graphics for Super Bowl LVI in LA at the SoFi Stadium and in locales across the city, including LAX, Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals team hotels and practice facilities, the Los Angeles Convention Center (home of the NFL Experience Center), and the SBLVI media center. If that wasn’t enough, the Tempe, Arizona-based team also handled the graphics for Super Bowl sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch and Marriott Hotels.

SoFi Stadium’s architectural design features did not allow bluemedia to cover the space in graphics like at other Super Bowl games. “To solve for this, we were able to identify high profile locations throughout the exterior of the stadium where we installed SBLVI branded graphics that really enhanced the sense of arrival for fans,” says R.J. Orr, EVP and partner, bluemedia. One such element were the massive columns that help support the canopy at the stadium’s main entrance on its south side. “At 15 x 75 feet, the columns provided the perfect surface from a branding standpoint. Given their unique shape and size, the columns really captured your attention.

And with the addition of graphics featuring players from both teams, they became an ideal location for fans taking keepsake photos. We were also tasked with producing and installing graphics for the stadium site’s perimeter fence line. At previous Super Bowls, fencing ran approximately five miles, but at SoFi it covered a whopping 10 miles.”

The most significant challenge was timing. “For only the second time in NFL history, this year’s Super Bowl stadium was also the host venue for the NFC Championship game just two weeks earlier,” says Orr, which meant work couldn’t start until that game was over vs an entire month in advance. “All of that work needed to be compressed into two weeks and, in many instances, we couldn’t begin our work until other vendors completed theirs. The solution was to work overtime and with a larger team to get the stadium ready for the game.” bluemedia successfully completed the entire job by 11 p.m. the night before the game.

A particular point of pride for bluemedia was the “quality, color, and clarity of our printed graphics,” says Orr.

PHOTO GALLERY (13 IMAGES)