As all types of venues strive to do everything possible to allow people to meet again—safely—there’s been an increased focus on cleanliness. MPI’s Impact Sentiment Study, a survey spanning June and early July, revealed the extent to which meeting and event professionals are thinking about venue cleanliness in light of the pandemic.
More than 41 percent of respondents are “extremely concerned” about having sanitary spaces; 49 percent and 55 percent of respondents are “extremely concerned” about the health of staff and attendees, respectively. Further, 99 percent of respondents want clear rules and guidelines around safety and cleanliness (77 percent say they’re “extremely likely” to choose a venue with such guidelines in place).
Combine that demand with today’s extremely strong buyer’s market and it is thus understandable that convention centers are actively seeking third-party accreditation to validate their cleanliness efforts. As of early August, more than 40 venues worldwide have received the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation, operated by the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), including 16 convention centers (see a fluid list of GBAC STAR-accredited venues, including the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, host of MPI's 2020 World Education Congress).
GBAC STAR accreditation means that a venue has:
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Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
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The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease.
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Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
The accreditation process looks at outbreak prevention, response and recovery for facilities and requires the completion/compliance across 20 different criteria to establish and maintain a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to control and minimize risk for employees, guests and the community.
“GBAC STAR accreditation empowers facility owners and managers to assure workers, customers and key stakeholders that they have proven systems in place to maintain clean and healthy environments,” GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger said in a statement.
At the beginning of summer, Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center become the first such facilities in the U.S. to achieve GBAC STAR accreditation. In a video call with ISSA in July, representatives from those properties shared their experience and why they feel GBAC STAR accreditation is necessary as the meeting and event industry builds a pathway to post-pandemic recovery.
“It is our vision that our facility and other venues…that ultimately achieve this accreditation, mutually agree on the pursuit of science in facility operation and sound practice, sound guidance, through the consultation of experts and scientists to help us make the right choices, use the right products and utilize the right procedures and the right terminology,” Dominic Bruno, director of facility operations for the GWCC, explained during the discussion. “It’s about education, it’s about expectations and, for our workers, it’s about empowerment—it’s about giving [them] all of the available tools…to be able to meet the challenges they face day in and day out. For our visitors and our clients, it is a framework that we can use to quickly agree on what it is that we are endeavoring to create and provide.”
One desired outgrowth, Bruno said, is to increase consumer confidence, “as we return to normal operations, or as close to normal operations as we can get.”
“There are more people in [the GWCC] right now that understand that disinfection and sanitizing and cleaning are different than probably at any point in the history of the organization,” Bruno said. As a result, the staff is able to speak more knowledgeably when discussing these topics with other stakeholders, such as planners.
Brett Mitchell, general manager, Overland Park Convention Center, says despite the industry traditionally doing a solid job with regards to sanitization and cleanliness, the current pandemic situation is on another level.
“What [the accreditation means] is that we care to protect our employees [and] we care to protect our guests from the potentials of infectious disease—and we will go to any lengths to do that,” Mitchell noted. “For me, this proves that we care, not only as independent venues but as an industry.”
Are You Ready?
Planning for the best meeting requires preparing for the worst. Don’t miss two upcoming opportunities to earn MPI’s Emergency Preparedness for Events Certificate live online Oct. 15 and Dec. 10.
To learn more about combatting the impact of the pandemic and to prepare for the industry’s recovery, check out the more than 40 online sessions available under the MPI Academy’s Unite for Recovery banner.
