By Jon Adkins

Following the recent debut of its GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, announced that additional organizations have committed to accredit their facilities. GBAC STAR is designed for any size facility—including schools, offices, hotels, airports, assisted care facilities, stadiums and other public venues—to establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.

Recently committed facilities include:
• Lincoln Financial Field, home to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles
• Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks
• Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
• Georgia World Congress Center Authority: Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta and Savannah Convention Center
• New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
• San Diego Convention Center
• Christ Fellowship Church and its locations throughout South Florida
• The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., which represents more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries.

In addition to these large-scale facilities, small businesses like Puffy’s Tavern in New York City and La Coutoure Salon in Palos Park, Ill., have committed to pursue accreditation for their facilities, illustrating the broad appeal of GBAC STAR in the marketplace. GBAC STAR also has garnered additional support from leading industry organizations, including:
• Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) and its more than 195 members that produce over 3,500 events globally
• Freeman + Go LIVE Together, a coalition of leaders from the live events industry that represent more than 4,000 companies with U.S. operations and 112 other countries
• The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS), a nonprofit that extends to 30-plus countries and advances innovations, ideas and processes in global health
• Unique Venues and its 1,100 members throughout the United States and Canada.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the response that the GBAC STAR program has received and are excited to welcome a new group of dedicated participants,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “With more and more organizations committing to follow the GBAC STAR framework, we can create a world that values cleanliness and implements it to the highest degree.”

The industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s preparedness for biorisk situations. The program ensures facilities use best practices to limit future outbreaks, empowers cleaning staff to do their jobs safety and effectively and gives customers greater peace of mind.

“Now is the time for businesses of every size to be transparent about the measures they’re taking to protect customers and employees, including proper cleaning and disinfection,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “GBAC STAR program participants demonstrate their commitment to going the extra mile by implementing prevention and response best practices that support health and safety.”

“Since the onset of this pandemic we have been committed to ensuring our facilities are safe for the return of our customers, show attendees, and team members,” said Frank Poe, Executive Director, Georgia World Congress Center Authority. “Working with GBAC to achieve GBAC STAR accreditation will ensure the highest cleaning and disinfection standards are being implemented at the Georgia World Congress Center and Savannah Convention Center. We would expect nothing less of ourselves and for our facilities.”

Facilities that previously announced they are pursuing GBAC STAR accreditation include: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami; Hyatt Hotels & Resorts; VisitDallas, the Dallas Tourism & Public Improvement District and Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas; McCormick Place in Chicago; the Las Vegas Convention Center; and Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group.

“When our fans, players and staff are able to return to Hard Rock Stadium, we want them to have peace of mind that we’re doing everything we can to create the safest and healthiest environment possible,” said Tom Garfinkel, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. “We didn’t want to create our own standard, we wanted to be accountable to the most credible third-party standard that exists. Working with GBAC ensures compliance with critical guidelines for the highest standard of cleanliness and it is our hope that other venues will follow suit as we navigate through these unprecedented times.”

Additional industry groups that previously announced their support of GBAC STAR with their constituents include: International Association of Venue Managers; International Facility Management Association; the Global Market Development Center; Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association; Informa Markets; International Association of Exhibitions and Events; Professional Beauty Association; Media Edge Communications; and Trade Show Executive Media.

To learn more, watch GBAC’s video here.

For accreditation criteria and facility applications, visit www.gbac.org.

Jon Adkins is Vice President of Marketing for ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association.

June 4, 2020

The Honorable Jerome Powell
Chairman
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
20th Street & Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20551

The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin
Secretary
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20220

Dear Chairman Powell and Secretary Mnuchin:

On behalf of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) membership, I write to ask for your leadership in helping our members obtain much needed financial assistance during this national crisis for the public assembly venues at which they work. Public assembly venues exist in every community in the United States. IAVM members are the front-line staff at public assembly venues, including arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, amphitheaters, convention centers, universities, fairgrounds, amphitheaters, etc., which serve as the bedrock of economic activity in both large and small towns across America. From barbershops to local restaurants and hotels, public venues are responsible for helping drive revenues to independent locally owned businesses. Other local businesses and individual staff work exclusively in presenting live events and they too, have been financially damaged with the lack of events to support. This multiplier effect could be the determining factor between a struggling and a thriving community-based business district, in a post-pandemic era.

Currently, the majority of the venues described above are not eligible for the PPP program or the Main Street Lending Program, due to their status as not for profit quasi-governmental entities.

The PPP program currently excludes non-profits that are publicly created. Over 72% of IAVM’s members work at venues that, although established by a political subdivision of a state or local government, fund their operations primarily through event revenues, just like privately-owned venues. They receive little to no funding from government, and because these venues are not included in state and local budgets, they will not receive federal COVID-19 relief funds designated for state and local governments.

We understand that the Federal Reserve is currently considering making changes to the Main Street Lending Program, to allow not-for-profit organizations to qualify for certain program loans. We are in full support of such efforts and ask that any newly adopted changes in the Main Street Lending eligibility requirements extend to public assembly venues established by state and local governments.

The significant contributions of public assembly venues to our local economies should not be overlooked during the current time of crisis, nor should their eligibility to qualify for a loan under PPP or a newly revised Main Street Lending Program rest solely on the question of whether they are public versus private not-for-profit organizations.

We respectfully ask for your leadership and support in assuring that public assembly venues are included in the Administration’s COVID-19 relief efforts.

Thank you in advance for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Brad Mayne, CVE
President and CEO

By Randy Garner

The Palm Springs Convention Center has produced an informative health and safety video to assist event planners and exhibitors as they prepare for the time approval is received to open. The educational video shows how clients and guests will be welcomed to the Convention Center, how room set-ups will be modified, and options for different size meeting breakouts including classroom and theater seating.

Other elements of the video include banquet seating along with food and beverage changes made by Savoury’s, the Palm Springs Convention Center’s exclusive caterer. Details of signage, hand sanitizing stations, sneeze shields, floor stickers, use of rope and stanchions for flow control, and cleaning procedures are also included. View the video at www.PalmSpringsCC.com

“I am very proud how our leadership team came together and are one of the first in the industry to develop a comprehensive health and safety strategy to successfully open the Palm Springs Convention Center when the time is right,” said Rob Hampton, General Manager of the Palm Springs Convention Center and Bureau of Tourism. “We have been busy working with our valued customers to move and modify meetings and events while assisting with implementing the necessary changes that will be required for our modified opening.”

As part of the new safety program, the Palm Springs Convention Center is implementing a “Palm Springs Health & Safety Promise.” This best-in-class program provides the highest levels of cleanliness and safety, while inspiring consumer confidence, all in partnership with leading medical professionals, industry experts, and public health officials. At the very heart of this effort is a focus on making guests and employees safe and comfortable in a welcoming environment. It provides the most advanced hygienic safeguards to serve clients, guests, staff, teams, and all other visitors.

Randy Garner is Public Relations Manager for Visit Palm Springs.

By R.V. Baugus

For years hockey has kept fans in a safe place from flying pucks and flying players over the rink through the use of plexiglass. Also gives those cross-checking hits a more violent thud of a player into the plexiglass and of course fans love to bang on the glass to heckle the opposition.

All that comes to mind as I sat this past Monday night glued to the latest installment of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Monday Night Raw, which since the pandemic started and caused live events to shut down has still broadcast live from the company’s Performance Training Center in Orlando without fans.

Now, as you may suspect, professional wrestling has some of the most, um, vociferous fans there are. Everyone has their own favorite story about the elderly little grandmother seated in the first row berating the wrestling villain, right?

Well, eerie goes to another level watching a couple of guys grapple inside the squared circle with only a referee officiating the melee and no fans in the venue. You can literally hear the ref admonishing the wrestlers for those most illicit ring tactics as well as the trash-talking going on between the competitors.

That had been the norm for a few weeks until Monday night’s show had a handful of WWE’s “NXT” development wrestling stable present surrounding the ring behind barricades encircled by plexiglass. The same glass was on either side of the wrestlers’ entrance ramp as well.

Now, it appears that the plexiglass might be a solution for WWE going forward when fans are allowed to return ringside. If you watch any of WWE’s sports entertainment at all, you know that quite a bit of the action takes place outside the ring and around the ring perimeter. Heck, many a confrontation even goes up and down the aisles. If we are talking droplets of sweat and their impact upon COVID-19, it is easy to see wrestling as one of those places producing the most sweat, not to mention some occasional blood.

If in fact plexiglass is used in the future, it will serve in a powerful way to protect wrestlers and fans during entrances and matches.

As for the NXT wrestlers on hand, they stood in respective locations adhering for the most part to social distancing. Indeed, many a scenario needs to be worked out before arenas and stadiums resume sports and entertainment, but WWE might have found a solution that hockey has used for a long time.

By the way, ref, how can you possibly count to three when his foot was clearly on the rope?

Photo from wwe.com

By Mabel Hung

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (“HKCEC”) welcomed events back to Hong Kong on May 22-24. With a series of preventive measures in place, the HKCEC welcomed the city’s first exhibition since the COVID-19
pandemic. The 98th Hong Kong Wedding Fair, a three-day local consumer exhibition rescheduled from February, was held successfully and attracted soon-to-weds and couples for wedding products and services.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (“HML”), the private management company responsible for daily operation of the venue, has stepped up preventive measures to ensure a safe, hygienic, and comfortable environment for exhibitors and visitors.

“HML is all set to welcome events back to the HKCEC,” said HML Managing Director Monica Lee-Muller. “The health, safety and well-being of staff members and visitors have always been our top priority. The HML team has been working closely with organizers to reschedule events impacted by the pandemic, and to implement necessary measures to address health and hygiene concerns. With the success of the Hong Kong Wedding Fair, we can demonstrate our commitment of providing professional services and customer care for event organizers
and attendees.“

The HML team cooperated with the organizer to implement special preventive measures in event arrangements, such as floor plan design, queuing logistics, F&B provision etc. All arrangements complied with the requirements imposed by the local authority, and made reference to industry guidelines and best practices.

All visitors, exhibitors, contractors, and HML staff members were required to wear face masks at all times and had their body temperature screened before entering the HKCEC. Social distance practicing was implemented at busy locations such as the Fair ticket counters, food and beverage outlets, and washrooms, where queues were expected.

Sanitation and disinfection were carried out by HML staff regularly to ensure venue hygiene. Public facilities and furniture such as escalator handrails, door knobs, lift panels, tables, and chairs in the exhibition stands, etc., were sanitised frequently. The exhibition hall was disinfected at the end of each show day.

To learn more about the preventive measures at the HKCEC in response to coronavirus, click here.

A video about HML’s measures to ensure venue hygiene and to safeguard the health of
event visitors may be found here.

Mabel Hung is Director – Communications & Sustainability for the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Top Photo: Temperature screening was required for all visitors, exhibitors, contractors and staff before entering the HKCEC.

Bottom Photo: Cleaning and disinfecting work was carried out by HML staff in event venues frequently.