The International Association of Convention Centers and the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, have released a guide to good practices for venues in the management of health and operational challenges specifically relating to the current COVID-19 outbreak. The guide will be distributed to all AIPC and UFI members to support them in their ongoing activities.
“This guide has been created as a collaborative project between our two organizations as a way of emphasizing the importance of cooperative action in the face of such an issue and ensuring a greater degree of consistency in the advice and information being provided, says AIPC President Aloysius Arlando. It is our hope and expectation that it will serve not only as an important resource in itself but provide links to other sources of information that will make it even more useful to our respective members.”“While no single resource will be able to capture the full range of information available on such a broad and constantly evolving issue, this guide offers a framework for response to make it as relevant as possible to the needs of managers,” says UFI President Mary Larkin. “As the COVID-19 situation and corresponding impacts evolve, the amount of relevant, practical information and experiences will continue to grow and we will reflect this in future updates.”
The guide is created as an extension of a related venue security best practices document released last year and incorporates insights and experiences from around the world. It focuses on updated convention and exhibition center health and safety policies, plans and procedures and assembled with the support, input and review of AIPC and UFI members engaging in a task force set up for this purpose under the overall guidance of a global expert in health and security matters. The 27-page document incorporates both strategic and practical guidance in the form of advice, suggestions, examples and tips focusing in particular on new, updated and modified information as opposed to simply pre-existing, standard health and safety controls and crisis management plans. The text also includes many ‘live’ document links to allow additional information to be accessed directly, as well as lists of additional key industry and health authority resources that may enhance planning and tactics. It will also be made available to all members of the industry under an agreement for the reciprocal exchange of relevant resources amongst industry associations.
The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry is the global trade association of the world’s tradeshow organizers and exhibition-center operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations, and selected partners of the exhibition industry. UFI’s main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. They directly represent more than 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally, and also works closely with its 60 national and regional association members. More than 800 member organizations in 89 countries around the world are presently signed up as members. Around 1,000 international trade fairs proudly bear the UFI approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike. Members continue to provide the international business community with a unique marketing media aimed at developing outstanding face-to-face business opportunities. For more info, visit www.ufi.org/industry-resources/research/topical-reports/special-industrytopics/.
The International Association of Convention Centers is a global network of some 190 leading centers in 61 countries with the active involvement of more than 900 management-level professionals. Its mission is to encourage, support and recognize excellence in convention center management, based on the diverse experience and expertise of its international membership, and it maintains a full range of educational, research, networking and management standards programs in order to achieve this. AIPC recognizes and actively promotes the essential role of the international meetings industry in supporting economic, academic and professional development in communities where its members are located as well as enhancing global relations amongst diverse business and cultural interests world wide. For more info, visit www.aipc.org.
