Article code: 84-050
http://www.panstadia.com (also www.piqr.com and www.panstadia.co.uk)
PanStadia International Quarterly Report: Volume 8 No. 4, May 2002.

[SPORTS FLOOR PROTECTION SYSTEMS]

DOWN AND DIRTY

Terraplas® has traditionally been used to protect natural turf, although the
protection system has been laid over artificial turf and asphalt as well.
But Houston's Reliant Astrodome was its first true "dirt job".
Eric Deeks and Michael Jefferson report.

Who would have thought to use the world's finest turf protection system to cover a rodeo floor? Houston's Reliant Astrodome did - and the outcome, as usual, was a rousing success.

Add another venue to the impressive Terraplas® USA Rentals client list. Rodeo Houston 2002 contacted TUR regarding covering the Reliant Astrodome floor with Terraplas®. A concert would be held on the last night of the rodeo and a safe, time efficient, aesthetically pleasing option to the arena's dirt floor was sought. Enter Terraplas®, the portable, multi purpose ground protection and flooring system. Designed to protect high-end grass fields, Terraplas® has become the standard when it comes to special event flooring.

A pre-event visit and regular communications between Rodeo Houston 2002 Director of Operations Gregg Golightly and TUR resulted in a smooth operation from pick up and delivery, to installation and removal. For this event, delivery of the system was scheduled about two days out. As always, Terraplas® USA worked to schedule delivery and pick up at the client's convenience. Forklifts were scheduled for unloading and loading and the tiles were stored nearby until installation. Pallets may be stacked up to three high when space is limited. And space was truly limited. A fair, complete with midway, was running twelve hours a day and much of the normal loading area was covered up with people and special events.

Terraplas® has been used for numerous events in both large and small venues throughout the world. For the most part, Terraplas® has been used to protect natural turf, although the protection system has been laid over artificial turf and asphalt as well. This was our first true "dirt job". A light grading was done to level the floor and installation began as the stage was being set in the middle of the arena. In a matter of hours, the installation was complete. Thousands of chairs were set on the floor, resulting in thousands of extra dollars for the venue. A Reliant Astrodome record crowd watched George Strait's return to the venue that launched his career as he performed the last show in the Dome as part of the world's largest rodeo. Future rodeos are expected to take place next door at the newly opened Reliant Dome, home of the NFL Houston Texans.

Immediately following the show, removal of the system began. Restacked onto pallets and removed to a nearby parking lot for washing, banding and loading onto trucks, the Reliant Astrodome was cleared of all Terraplas® by early the next morning. All that was left was the memory of another successful event... and some very clean dirt.