During his infrastructure and commerce mission to Australia, Governor Larry Hogan met with leadership from Venues New South Wales to highlight a new agreement between two Australian venues and Maryland’s own manufacturer, Matrax Inc.

ANZ Stadium, which hosted a portion of the 2000 Summer Olympics, and Bankwest Stadium have both partnered with Matrax to use its 4x4 panel flooring during entertainment events. The venues – which host various sporting events including rugby championships and football games – chose Matrax’s lightweight stadium flooring to protect their playing fields during upcoming performances, including concerts by Metallica, Queen, and Elton John. Together, the stadiums can accommodate more than 110,000 attendees.

“Maryland is consistently named one of the top American states for innovation, and Matrax is a shining example of this,” Governor Hogan said in an announcement. “We were proud to work with Matrax, and the result is this $1 million deal for 12,400 square meters of stadium flooring.”

“We are pleased that ANZ will be using these mats for the first time at a concert featuring another wonderful and cherished American export: Metallica,” he said.

According to the company, the flooring will give these stadiums the “ability to minimize turf stress,” allowing them to continue using the venue during non-game days and switch back to a game day setup with ease.

“We are very excited to be partnering with such an amazing group of professionals in the sports and entertainment industry,” said Nicole Andrews, managing director of global sales for Matrax Inc.

The company’s Australian partnership was facilitated in part by the state’s ExportMD grant program, administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce.