|
<< back to USA Mid West
<< back to testimonials
Roughly textured stair treads + photo-luminescence = optimum level of safety for patrons.
The equation was that simple when managers at the Salina Bicentennial Center in Kansas began investigating ecoglo® for installation in their 8000-seat indoor arena.
Finding a robust and effective solution for the replacement of ageing and worn stair treads in the arena was imperative for facility manager Keith Rawlings.
The worn treading provided inadequate grip for patrons, who already had to contend with steps of alternating widths when attending arena events. It was important that stair edges be roughly textured and easily felt underfoot when the lights went down to prevent slips.
During the quest to find an appropriate replacement, Mr Rawlings and his team explored various products offering rough textured stair treadings. They also experimented with paint on the steps of the arena in an attempt to illuminate them for patrons, but the exercise proved fruitless - the paint provided a slick surface that would hinder patrons. Another option explored and then discarded was the use of glass beads on the steps, the kind used to illuminate the center lines of streets.
When Mr Rawlings and his team discovered ecoglo®, they found a solution that meant patrons could not only easily feel the step edge underfoot due to the slip-resistant stair edging, the steps were also illuminated with a photo-luminescent glow to light the path to their seat.
"When we found this product that provided rough textured stair edgings as well as photo-luminescence, we were thrilled," says Mr Rawlings.
"We had had no idea about photo-luminescent products before then, and we found nothing else that compared to ecoglo®. The photo-luminescence provides the visual effect to complement the stair treads - it means patrons can leave their seats during a performance and see their way in the dark," Mr Rawlings says.
In February this year the Salina Bicentennial Center installed ecoglo® stair edgings on 1400 steps in the arena. The reaction from patrons was immediate and crystal clear - the stairs may vary in width but were now much simpler to navigate thanks to the illuminated stair edgings.
Choosing ecoglo® was the final step in a thorough tendering process for the Salina Bicentennial Center. The product stood up to intense scrutiny when compared to others that offered slip-resistant treading but no glow.
"It was a combination of staff satisfaction and public acceptance of the product that sold it for us. When we first installed samples of ecoglo® in some areas of the arena, we realised this was no wimpy luminescence," Mr Rawlings says.
With the average length of a performance at the arena being three hours, ecoglo's strong glow comfortably lasts the distance when the product is fully charged. In order to enhance the performance of ecoglo® to its full potential before a performance, the center's house lights are turned on to maximum strength so the product can be fully charged.
The Salina Bicentennial Center's seal of approval for ecoglo® makes it an ideal ambassador for the product - Mr Rawlings plans to sing its praises at the International Association of Assembly Managers conference soon to be held in Atlanta.
"This is a product we will not hesitate to thoroughly recommend to others within this industry," he says.
<< back to the top |
