Project Spotlight - Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Professional Basketball Team Sponsorship Banners
McAllen, Texas

Challenge

A professional basketball team competing in the NBA Development League, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers play approximately half of their 50-game schedule at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Because it is primarily a venue for ice hockey during the hoops season, on game days the Vipers top the rink with floor boards to create a basketball court, and temporarily cover existing dasher board signage for the hockey team with banners featuring their own advertising sponsors.

While workable, the process was unwieldy. The basketball team’s 12 sponsor banners measured 4’ tall by up to 60’ long and were constructed of thick-gauge vinyl—which meant for heavy lifting, awkward handing and slow setup and takedowns.

What’s more, when folded between games, the weight of the advertising banners resulted in creases, which diminished their visual appeal and resulted in costly replacement season after season.

Solution

When the Vipers put out the call for new ideas, Alliance Global Graphics was quick to respond. Our solution? Sponsorship banners in fabric instead of vinyl, and printed with dye sublimation rather than digital techniques. Employing heat-sensitive inks that become part of the structure of the material, the images on the fabric banners don’t fade or crack—even after repeated handling.

Their fabric banners created by Alliance Global Graphics were significantly lighter than the vinyl ones they replaced, cutting installation time by over 50%. They lasted longer, minimizing the need for costly reprints. Also, for the first time, the dozen banners were numbered by section—a simple but innovative solution that accelerated handling and assured accurate placement.