This certification helps assure event stakeholders of their venues’ commitment to health safety.
 
As the meetings industry continues to grapple with the many challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, venues are revamping their hygiene practices in order to mitigate health risks for visitors. To help in this effort, a new certificate program from the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, a division of the worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA, has been introduced with the aim of providing meeting planners and attendees the assurance that high levels of cleanliness and safety are being followed. A handful of hotels, convention centers and cities have already signed on to this GBAC Star program, with many more in the process of gaining accreditation.
 
On this episode of Eventful, we speak with Patricia Olinger, executive director of the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, as well as Dominic Bruno, director of facility operations for the Georgia World Congress Center — the first venue to receive the GBAC Star certification. They discuss the steps required for venues to attain certification and why this kind of program is key if face-to-face meetings are to return.