Because Flooring Matters: Patcraft Customer Story

C A S E S T U DY

The Air Canada Centre, a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue,

has hosted more than 36 million fans since its opening in 1999. It’s the

home stadium of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the

National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Rock

lacrosse team, as well as host to top music acts like the Rolling Stones,

Celine Dion, U2, and Katy Perry.

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Air Canada Centre Toronto, Ontario

BRENT WYNNEMANAGER, FACILITY SERVICESMAPLE LEAF SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LTD.

patcraft.com | 800.241.4014

C A S E S T U DY Air Canada Centre

Year in and year out, millions of feet dance, stomp and jump around the 665,000 square-foot facility, so Brent Wynne, manager of facility services for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, knew he had to install durable, easy-to-clean flooring. That’s why Wynne chose Patcraft carpet tile for several key areas within the huge facility.

“We have Patcraft products in several locations in the Air Canada Centre. “We have installed it in our player’s wives/relatives room and the media/press gondola area,” says Brent. “Both of these areas are high-profile areas that are used constantly, and we needed a product that was durable as well as easily maintained.”

In Spring 2013, Brent turned to his local flooring distributor for a carpet tile for the wives/relatives room, an upscale reception area where sports stars’ families gather for meals prior to games. The room is also used for VIP parties before concerts.

“It is used for virtually every event and takes a beating. So we were looking for a product that was not only durable, but relatively easy to maintain and something that did not show the wear and tear we have experienced in other areas of the building,” says Brent.

He and his team explained their requirements for carpeting to the flooring distributor, including the importance of operational and maintenance concerns and durability—and they recommended Patcraft’s carpet tile.

The bright colors, engaging design, durability and ease of maintenance made the product a great fit for the Air Canada Centre’s needs, he says.

“These reasons all factor in our planning process, as well as the need to provide a quality product in our high-end areas,” Brent says. “Being an extremely busy multi-purpose facility, we are constantly upgrading or replacing flooring in our annual capital planning budget. One factor related to durability is the Patcraft carpet tile in our wives/relatives room has been in place for close to 18 months and still looks brand new.”

After installing carpet tile in 2013, the Air Canada Centre installed another Patcraft flooring product in its high-traffic, high-profile media gondola, where top members of the international sports press gather several nights a week to cover games. Media members also eat and drink in this busy room, Brent

says. He has confidence in the appeal and durability of Patcraft flooring.

“This product is both operationally functional and visually stunning for the wide variety of guests/celebrities we entertain in the building,” he says.

Fast and easy cleaning with water only—no harsh shampoos are needed—made Patcraft products constructed with Solution Q Extreme ® fiber easy to select, says Brent. Crews have little time to deal with stains in the Air Canada Centre’s busy schedule. “We are constantly battling time deadlines with back-to-back events being the norm for us. It is not unusual for us to have 20 to 23 events a month in our busy event season.”

One night before a hockey game in 2013, Patcraft’s easy-cleaning reputation was put to the test: The marinara test, to be specific. A server spilled an entire platter of red pasta sauce all over the carpet.

“Ha! This was something that could have turned into a disaster really quickly,” says Brent. “Our housekeepers were able to clean up the mess easily and in no time.” He had heard raves about how easy spills of this nature could be cleaned up and leave virtually no stain, and he says “I was very impressed we were able to clean it as well as we were.”

In the future, the Air Canada Centre plans to upgrade and renovate its facilities to achieve a more cohesive, consistent design throughout its many rooms, says Brent. Patcraft products are likely to be a part of that vision, he notes.

“We would absolutely consider Patcraft for future products. We actually are upgrading the entrance hallway and foyer that leads into the wives/relatives room in the next month or so, and we didn’t consider any other product, to be honest,” he says. The project is due to be completed by summer 2014.

At the future-focused Air Canada Centre, Patcraft’s commitment to sustainability is a winner, Brent adds.

“One additional plus is Patcraft’s focus on sustainability, as we are actively pursuing the use of environmentally friendly products in many areas of our business as well,” he says.