Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA has successfully completed the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s 20 GBAC STAR program elements, each with its own specific performance and guidance criteria, which has earned it GBAC STAR accreditation. This is an important milestone in the city’s tourism industry’s process of rebuilding the business in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
GBAC STAR, according to the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities. Accreditation is annual, with a reaccreditation process commencing each year. This accreditation designates Moscone Center as:
- Having established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus
- Having the proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease
- And, most importantly, having highly informed cleaning professionals on staff who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response
In addition to being accredited by the GBAC STAR program, Moscone Center is also implementing protocols from ASM Global’s "VenueShield" to continue offering the highest levels of safety, security, and consumer confidence. ASM Global’s proprietary "VenueShield" program addresses not only the environmental hygiene aspect of protecting the health and safety of the workforce and guests, but also the customer journey from arrival to departure, the evolving food and beverage service, the technology and equipment necessary to manage a post-COVID environment.
Conventions and meetings represent a major source of economic impact and employment for San Francisco. Spending by the convention and meetings industry totaled $1.9 billion in 2019, more than 18 percent of the $10.3 billion tourism spending in San Francisco.
The $551 million expansion of Moscone Center was completed in January 2019. With the goal of creating more space and greater flexibility, the project added 157,000 square feet of space to create 504,914 square feet of contiguous space (before expansion, the largest contiguous space was 260,000 square feet), including a new 49,776-square-foot, column-free ballroom. There are now 82 meeting rooms in Moscone North and South and 114 in all three buildings (North, South and West) combined. And there are 25,000 square feet of secure outdoor terraces with spectacular views of Yerba Buena Gardens and the South of Market neighborhood.
Good to know: The "COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines" put forth by the Hotel Council of San Francisco, ensures that hospitality businesses are adhering to the most elaborate cleaning and safety protocols. Additionally, San Francisco Travel is inviting all visitors who are planning to visit in 2021 to contribute their part to a safe and enjoyable experience by taking its "Safe Travel Pledge."
Visit www.sftravel.com/moscone-center.
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