The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is seeking GBAC STAR accreditation through the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, a division of the worldwide cleaning industry association, ISSA. The program certifies that the facility is implementing the industry’s highest standards of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for infectious agents such as COVID-19 and is the leading standard of prepared facilities. The program is backed by 10 industry organizations, including the International Association of Venue Managers, International Facility Management Association, International Association of Exhibitions and Events, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association and the Go LIVE Together Coalition.
The industry’s only outbreak prevention response and recovery accreditation, the GBAC STAR Program helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training, and assesses a facility’s preparedness for biohazardous situations. The program ensures facilities use best practices to limit future outbreaks, empowers cleaning staff to do their jobs safely and effectively, and gives customers greater peace of mind.
“We have been working earnestly reviewing and establishing new health and safety protocols to ensure that our facility is ready to host large-scale events as soon as permissible,” said Michael J. Sawaya, president of the MCCNO. “In addition to seeking the GBAC STAR accreditation, we took an industry lead by engaging an industrial hygienist team of experts, which includes multiple former high-ranking government health and safety officials, that will be key in the complete remediation of the convention center following its use as a Medical Monitoring Station for patients recovering from COVID-19.”
The MCCNO is also following the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s guidance on building closures and all CDC protocols to clean and re-occupy the facility. Additional preventative and cleaning measures have been implemented to ensure the health and safety of all guests and staff. The Center’s Health and Safety plan can be accessed here: www.mccno.com/health-and-safety.
With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space, in an entirely contiguous hall, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center provides the largest single exhibit space in the country, features an award winning staff, first class amenities, and is the sixth largest convention center in the nation. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, the convention center’s event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.7 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments. For more info, visit www.mccno.com.
