The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., one of the first convention centers to receive GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council(TM), a Division of ISSA, recently became the first convention center to achieve reaccreditation globally after a successful year of hosting in-person events. Through its dedication to upholding GBAC STAR infection prevention protocols, as well as its Recovery and Resiliency Guidelines in cooperation with the Florida Department of Health, and its pioneering collaboration with Orlando Health(R), the OCCC hosted more than 100 live events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From the very beginning, we have been committed to hosting safe events and prioritizing the health of all who enter the OCCC,” said OCCC executive director Mark Tester (pictured left). “GBAC STAR has been instrumental in helping us get to where we are today. We are grateful for the ongoing support and flexibility of our clients and partners, as well as our guests and employees, as we continue to uphold the new standard of cleanliness.”
As of August 19, the OCCC has 52 contracted events planned throughout the rest of the year, including 12 conventions, tradeshows and sporting events that relocated their events to the OCCC from other destinations. In June 2021, the facility welcomed its largest event to date, the Amateur Athletic Union’s 48th Annual Junior National Volleyball Championships, which brought in more than 135,000 attendees. It also recently hosted attendees for the world’s leading aviation, aerospace, and defense conference, Aviation Week MRO Americas, as well as the North American Veterinary Community’s 38th annual Veterinary Meeting & Expo, the world’s leading veterinary conference and expo.
GBAC STAR Facility Reaccreditation is an annual process that builds on the initial accreditation to ensure that accredited facilities continue to evolve, improve and advance with the performance-based GBAC STAR program elements. With more than 1,000 facilities having achieved the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation in 2020, many are now beginning the process of reaccreditation.
“We designed GBAC STAR to grow and evolve with facilities as new information and best practices emerge,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger (pictured right). “The reaccreditation process is a great way to ensure that over time, as restrictions ease and the public becomes more comfortable in public settings, facilities continue to do everything in their power to prevent the spread of infection. OCCC is a leader in the tradeshow industry, showing how to hold safe events in the middle of a pandemic and beyond.”
Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation at gbac.org/star. Learn more about the GBAC STAR Facility Reaccreditation process at gbac.issa.com/gbac-star-facility-reaccreditation. Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response, and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial, and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address, and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, infectious disease and biological material response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ Facility and Service Accreditation Programs, training and certification of individuals, and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more info, visit www.gbac.org.
With more than 10,500 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners, and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Milan, Italy; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more info, visit www.issa.com.
The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) has hosted more than 100 face-to-face events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – July 2020. Through the Center’s Recovery and Resiliency Guidelines, GBAC STAR accreditation, pioneering collaboration with Orlando Health, and detailed planning efforts with each client and event, the center has proven that events can be held safely in this new era of health and safety protocols. Most recently, sporting events have dominated the center’s spring and summer calendar, welcoming various youth volleyball, basketball and wrestling tournaments to the region with athletes, coaches and spectators from around the world gathering safely at the venue. For more info, visit www.occc.net.
