Salt Palace and MAEC receive biorisk GBAC accreditation for dealing with contamination

The Salt Palace Convention Center (SPCC) in Salt Lake City and Sandy’s Mountain America Exposition Center (MAEC) have received notification of their accreditation as Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star facilities. The facilities began their pursuit of accreditation in April in order to properly address and meet the needs of the continued prevention, response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The GBAC is a trade association for the cleaning industry.

“[The GBAC accreditation] is another step towards providing a safe facility for all attendees and employees,” Salt Lake County, owner of the two facilities, said in a statement. “This accreditation would not have been possible without the continued financial and organizational support from Visit Salt Lake, and their leadership in restarting the live events industry. It is clear that the hospitality community is invested in the future of both SPCC & MAEC as a means to continue to bring economic growth and opportunity to the Wasatch Front.”

In order to achieve the GBAC Star accreditation, SPCC and MAEC were required to demonstrate compliance with the program’s 20 elements, ranging from standard operating procedures to emergency preparedness and response measures.

The accreditation coincides with the introduction of a new program known as VenueShield by ASM Global, the company that manages the facilities for the county. The program provides both SPCC and MAEC with industry-wide standards for providing clients, employees and attendees with information and guidance through the pandemic.