When the Lidl Final4 for the DHB Cup got underway at Cologne’s LANXESS Arena this April, the 19,750-capacity venue had something it had never had before: a floor that was part of the show. Large-scale animations covered all 900-plus sq metres of playing surface for the opening ceremony, player introductions were staged through the court, and sponsor content appeared directly beneath the players’ feet — visible in the arena and across broadcasts, reaching more than 80 countries. It was a world premiere for top-level handball, made possible by ASB GlassFloor’s portable, full-surface LED video sports floor.

ASB GlassFloor has been developing LED sports flooring for over a decade, and the Lidl Final4 represented its most visible stage yet. The floor is exactly what the name suggests: a toughened glass surface, embedded with LED panels, capable of displaying video content, animations, and live data across its full area. The latest generation of the product — the ASB LumiFlex S — has been engineered specifically for the demands of high-rotation, multi-use venues, where rapid turnaround between events is as critical as performance on the night.

At LANXESS Arena, that turnaround was tested in the most direct terms. The Wednesday before the Final4 saw Game 4 of the DEL ice hockey playoff series between Kölner Haie and Eisbären Berlin played on the standard arena floor. On Thursday, ASB Arena and Event Services AG — the Swiss-headquartered subsidiary of ASB GlassFloor responsible for planning and executing the installation — moved in. The entire floor was laid, cabled, and technically signed off within a single day. Training and rehearsals for the handball began on Friday. By the following Monday, ice hockey was back in the building for Game 6.

Read the full article from ISSUE 48 below: