LAS VEGAS —When the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) closed its doors in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility’s leadership had one overriding question to answer: How could it keep everyone safe when it reopened and began hosting events that would see thousands of people pass through its doors at a trade show, expo or convention?
“While we had documented standards and procedures, we were concerned about where to start, especially at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Randy Shingleton, vice president of facilities for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
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The answer was the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation. Developed by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, GBAC STAR is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation for facilities. This accreditation signifies that a facility has established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to minimize the risks associated with infectious agents and has implemented the appropriate cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices to combat biohazards and infectious diseases.
GBAC STAR accreditation allows facility management to establish and maintain a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to enable them to minimize risks to employees and visitors. To achieve accreditation, facility management must submit an application that details compliance with 20 key elements, which is reviewed by the Accreditation Council. Facilities must also reaccredit annually to maintain GBAC STAR accreditation status.
LVCC becomes first facility in Nevada to achieve GBAC STAR accreditation. Improved cleaning process is critical for high-traffic sites
international facilities like LVCC. GBAC STAR gave LVCC the tools to self-assess and streamline strategies. The facilities management team reviewed and updated protocols, tools and training to implement better cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention practices.
For example, LVCC explored more effective disinfection options to reduce product dwell time and introduced easy-to-use tools so staff could complete their tasks without taking shortcuts.
According to Shingleton, “We’ve taken a holistic approach, not only being good corporate citizens for our local economy, but also being good global citizens to keep our corner of the world safe.”
Achieving accreditation allows LVCC customers and employees to return to the company’s premises with peace of mind. Frontline staff feel safer interacting with customers, which allows customers to feel safe, valued and respected. “Accreditation shows that we have put a lot of thought and action into following industry-leading health and safety protocols and best practices,” Shingleton said. In fact, GBAC STAR accreditation is now a requirement for many event and trade show organizers, so LVCC’s accreditation status allows it to operate safely.
According to Nicole Hallada, senior vice president of exhibits and marketing at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, it makes a difference for trade show organizers and attendees. CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the largest construction trade show in North America, will meet at LVCC in March 2023. “CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE, which is based there, appreciate the diligence of the Las Vegas Convention Center in achieving GBAC STAR accreditation. This focus on health and safety in the current environment gives our exhibitors and attendees an added level of confidence as they make the decision to participate in March 2023,” Hallada said.
Contact Nicole Hallada at nhallada@aem.org; Randy Shingleton at rshingleton@lvcva.com