Large-Scale Ice Rink Stadium Branding for Sacred Heart University

At Bullseye NYC, our team works nationally with all sorts of businesses and organizations – including universities. In fact, universities happen to be some of our most loyal clients. We’ve worked with institutions all around the U.S. to design and fit graphic signage for stadiums, continued learning centers, and now, even hockey arenas. 

Sacred Heart University built a brand-new hockey arena

A bit of background: Sacred Heart University had spent years building out a robust expansion program to provide more facilities and resources to its growing student base. 

The crown jewel of that expansion? The Martire Family Arena, home to the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I hockey programs. This arena is home to the nationally ranked figure skating team and men’s club ice hockey team, as well as the women’s club program. It also serves as a classroom for students pursuing studies in sports communication and media, sport management, and more. 

The ice rink lives up to its importance: there’s nearly 4,000 seats, VIP boxes, lounges, locker rooms, and more. The high-end arena speaks to the teams’ all-star status. The only thing that was missing was expertly crafted, custom vinyl graphics and branding throughout the stadium. That’s where Bullseye NYC comes in.

Bullseye NYC takes the ice

Despite being one of the many vendors working on branding for the stadium, our team had total creative control of our project — which is exactly where we shine. We immediately got busy on a series of custom design work, including large vinyl graphics and wall wrap displays.

At Bullseye NYC, we regularly take on many variations of projects - from working on AMEX lounge branding to creating wall murals for retail spaces. However, the Martire Arena was a whole new experience. “The stadium was a brand-new canvas for us,” said Bullseye’s Field Operations Manager, Dmytro Demianov.

No matter what future projects we take on, we will never have a project exactly the same as Sacred Heart’s hockey arena. Why? Everything was specifically designed and engineered for the space.

Picture this: all of the material had to be shipped from Tennessee to the Bullseye NYC team. Upon delivery, it arrived in two 53-foot trailers, fully packed with the materials that were needed for the sign and graphic installation.

The whole project, end-to-end, took about a month and a half of work. Although this is typical for projects of this scale, it became more complicated. The stadium construction was not completed at the time our work began. This meant that timing was key.

Installation vs. Construction: the showdown

Perhaps the first real “game” in the arena was between the Bullseye NYC team and the arena’s construction team. 

With so many cooks in the kitchen (or rather, players on the field), every single team had to coordinate with each other without interfering. 

For instance, Bullseye NYC layed out a plan of action to get all installations completed in a certain order. The original plan was to work from the lowest level (locker rooms) and move up. But with the construction team still working, we had to pivot and complete installations in reverse order. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in our line of work, it’s how to be flexible and overcome challenges. Having a client-first mentality means doing whatever it takes to get the job done (and done well!), so we changed our schedules to accommodate the construction team and avoid any overlap. 

Sacred Heart had a high bar set for the project. With such a massive expansion project, they were very particular about the finish of the wall wraps. 

Luckily, they chose the best national sign installation company – one that aims to “hit the bullseye” every time. Our flexibility, ability to rework our own schedule, and collaboration with other contractors helped us in exceeding our client’s expectations.

Going above and beyond for Sacred Heart University

The project occurred near the end of the year, which meant we were up against the cold weather and the holidays. 

And unlike other projects, the Bullseye NYC team had to work in the cold. By the time we got the green light on installations inside the stadium (after construction was complete), the ice rink had already been put in and the team was already training. 

Handling materials carefully throughout temperature changes required a lot of attention to detail and hands-on coordination from our team. However, we were up for the task, immersing ourselves in the graphic sign project to ensure quality and perfection at every turn.

Long commutes meant staying on-site in hotels to power through the installation process on time and on budget, then heading home on the weekends. Schedules changed due to the weather, shipments were delayed over the holidays. The list of obstacles may have seemed insurmountable to an outsider. But for us, it was just another day on the job.

Other installation companies likely would have pushed out completion dates due to the weather, and the project would have been delayed. But we’re not other companies. We powered through, and the end result was exactly as planned: the Pioneers got nothing short of the best. The installations assembled by the Bullseye NYC team now cover all the walls and signs with beautiful, on-brand displays of the teams and their Sacred Heart logos. 

Thanks to the branding our team installed, a walk through the Martire Family Arena now delivers a distinct and cohesive sense of the community on campus. Hockey players, ice skaters, families, and their fans have a beautiful brand-new stadium to set the scene for future games and performances.

The grand opening and first hockey game in the arena was held in mid-January 2023. The first game was completely sold out – and a huge success.

Interested in working with Bullseye NYC on your next installation?

Whether you’re looking to complete a university stadium project, create a unique environment through graphic signage, or simply get some custom branding and graphics for your retail location or vehicle – Bullseye NYC is the team for you.
If you are interested in completing a project with us, contact us to get started.