submitted by Melissa Belevski, Cairns Convention Centre
Cairns Convention Centre has once again achieved AIPC Quality Standards certification with the successful completion of their audit this month by the designated external auditor. Having first achieved gold level certification in 2011, Cairns Convention Centre has now achieved re-certification at the Gold Level. They join a group of 30 AIPC centres who have successfully maintained this international certification, with a number of additional centres in various stages of the certification process.
“The AIPC Quality Standards program was developed as an industry-specific certification for confirming and documenting a centre’s accomplishments in key areas of convention centre performance, and is the only such specifically purposed form of certification in the industry,” said AIPC President Greg O’Dell.
Cairns Convention Centre is to be congratulated on having achieved the gold level in their audit as this demonstrates to owners, colleagues, and clients that they are addressing international standards of performance in their management procedures.
The program standards identified and audited address ten key areas, including Customer Service, Quality of Facilities and Operations, Employee Relations, Health, Safety, Security and Emergency Response, Financial Integrity, Community Relations, Environmental Responsibility, Industry Relations and Supplier Relations. Members who complete the audit process uniformly report that it not only serves to document their procedures but also enables them to clarify any shortcomings for corrective action. The process is also seen as being an excellent team-building exercise because it involves all management staff in a collaborative effort with a clear accomplishment at the end.
“The AIPC Quality Standards program is a valuable way for managers to ensure they are delivering quality – a form of documentation that serves many purposes, including the reassurance of clients,” said Greg O’Dell.
The External Auditor for the AIPC Quality Standards Certification program is Mr. Rick Knowlan, President of Knowlan Consulting Group Inc. of North Vancouver, Canada, which specializes in strategic management consulting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1974) from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and an MBA (1985), also from UBC. Mr. Knowlan commented on the certification, stating, “Cairns Convention Centre’s Internal Audit score qualifies for certification at the Gold level. This was a very high-quality submission fully deserving of a ‘Gold’ certification even with the AIPC’s stringent scoring requirement.”
