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Geofabrics Australasia Pty Ltd offers a range of event management solutions for companies working with major events. With flexible manufacturing and fabrication facilities at our factory on the Gold Coast of Australia, we can fabricate ground mats for your specific event. Every event has different requirements – whether it be the applied forces (e.g. people, horses or vehicles), colour of the mats, mat dimensions, connection details, wearing performance etc. In most cases, the appearance of the mats on television is critical – maximising the visual impact of the event on international television audiences.
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The best way to highlight our capabilities is to review several high-profile international events we have been involved in, including – 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney – •the Opening Ceremony •medal presentation areas.
2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne – •event staging areas.
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The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney had a spectacular Opening Ceremony in the new Homebush Stadium. The ceremony had several specific requirements which we had to meet, including – •high applied forces, including galloping horses and lots of moving people •varying patterns and colour shades across the stadium floor •strong connection details to ensure the mats did not displace during use. On top of this, the Opening Ceremony could not damage the turf below, as the track and field events commenced the following day.
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As such, the event organisers spent 4 months trialing various options at two horse jumping venues to ensure the ground mats would withstand the applied forces, not move during impact and ensure no damage to the turf below.
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Different under-lays were also tested to get the right combination of ground mat and under-lay. Heavy-weight geotextile was one of the under-lays tested.
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Following the selection of the ground mats, a number of layout options were reviewed. Homebush Stadium has a stadium floor area of 20,554m 2, all of which required coverage.
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Extensive pre-planning went into the assembly and installation of the ground mats. The final layout and mat identification comprised a black perimeter, leading into the black and sandy coloured transition area, with the main stadium floor using sandy coloured ground mats. There were a total of 236 mats used, with most being 4m wide x 30m long. Over 12,500 lineal metres of heavy-duty Velcro was used to connect the ground mats.
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The use of our ground mats enabled the Opening Ceremony to transform Homebush Stadium from this . . .
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. . . to this.
(Note the black perimeter, the transition area and the sandy coloured main area)
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The ground mats were designed for simple and quick installation. Each mat was individually numbered and delivered in a way to ensure the installation sequence was easily maintained.
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The final installation created a visually stunning base from which to work from.
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With many horses involved in the opening stanza, the ground mats had to resist the vertical forces applied from the horses hooves, whilst also holding the mats together (i.e. resisting the horizontal forces).
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The coloured ground mats created a magnificent background to the horses and people involved in the ceremony.
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The bright colours used by the performers and props in the Opening Ceremony blended wonderfully with the coloured ground mats.
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The television spectacle was beamed around the globe, and received many accolades.
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Even when the television cameras filmed close to the performers, the edges of the ground mats were invisible.
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A key television moment at any major sporting event is the medal presentation ceremony. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, we supplied peacock blue ground mats to enhance the visual component of a variety of medal ceremonies – such as the swimming events.
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The same style of ground mats were used for the medal presentations at the equestrian and other events.
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For the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, we supplied a range of allweather ground mats for the triathlon and walking events. We easily met the stringent quality and rapid lead-time requirements for the products. The ground mats were required to cover tram tracks, a section of beach, and starting pontoons. They had to create a consistent surface for the transition areas, as well as being visually pleasing on television.
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The ground mats were required to be a specific colour, with consistency of colour a key requirement (to ensure an acceptable image on television). The rolls were of varying widths and lengths, to ensure the varying course dimensions and profiles were met. The connection detail between adjacent mats was critical, as no over-lapping of the mats was permitted. This was driven by aesthetics as well as the fact that ground mats were placed in the finishing areas (requiring an even and stable surface to avoid athletes coming to grief in the final metres!)
There were trials of various solutions well before the events, as well as other testing regimes.
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The outdoor use required UV resistant fibres to ensure no degradation of the mats. The colour was selected to align with the uniforms of the event Marshalls.
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Use of specific roll dimensions allowed the ground mats to follow the specific shape and profiles of each individual area.
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The mats were tailored to suit the stages of the events and enhance the images being telecast around the world.
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The finishing stages of events are the most watched, meaning the seamless connection detail was important.
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We manufacture our event management in Australia, but we export our solutions around the globe. So wherever your event is in the world, we are capable of working with you to deliver a world-class result. We have the experience in our people and processes to ensure a solution that – • • • •
is simple to design and install (as well as being easy to remove) will resist the imposed loads and will hold together during the event will meet your required time-frames and be cost-effective will have the right visual aesthetic consistency across the entire area (both colour as well as seamless connection details).
We have done projects where the result has been televised internationally, with only positive reviews of our solution, service and delivery times.
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Geofabrics Australasia Pty Ltd 140 Bernard Street, Cheltenham, Victoria, 3192 Australia. Tel: +61-3-8586 9100 Fax: +61-3-8586 9174 E-mail: sales@geofabrics.com.au Website: www.geofabrics.com.au
Geofabrics International
11 Production Avenue, Molendinar, Gold Coast, 4214 Queensland, Australia. Tel: +61-7-5594 8600 Fax: +61-7-5563 3727 E-mail: exports@geofabrics.com.au Website: www.geofabricsinternational.com
Geofabrics Australasia manufacturing operation ELCO Solutions Pty Ltd
31 Activity Crescent, Molendinar, Gold Coast, 4214 Queensland, Australia.