EDMONTON, AB (September 29, 2020) –  The Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre have announced that they are among the first convention and exhibition venues in Canada to achieve the GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a Division of ISSA.

GBAC STAR is an industry accreditation focused on ensuring a clean, safe, and healthy environment in public and commercial facilities of all sizes. The program outlines best practices, protocols, and procedures to control risk factors associated with infectious disease, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The program is administered by GBAC, a division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association.

“Being among the first convention and exhibition venues in Canada to successfully achieve the GBAC STAR accreditation demonstrates our unwavering commitment to being the safest places to plan and attend events in the country,” said Arlindo Gomes, Vice President, Venue Management, Explore Edmonton. “We owe it to our staff, clients and guests to prioritize the safe reopening of our venues so that we can do our part to kickstart the recovery of the events and venues industries.”

The Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre’s achievement of the GBAC STAR accreditation supports the venues’ Healthy Venues plan, a document of protocols for the safe reopening of the venues in compliance with the Government of Alberta’s public health regulations and phased Relaunch Strategy. The Healthy Venues plan outlines safety measures that will be implemented to support the health and safety of the venues’ guests, business partners, and employees. Full details of the Healthy Venues plan can be found on the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre websites.

To review a full list of GBAC STAR accredited facilities, committed facilities, and industry supporters, visit https://gbac.issa.com/gbac-star-facilities-and-supporters/. Additionally, hear from leaders of GBAC STAR accredited facilities in the GBAC STAR Experience video series, available at https://gbac.issa.com/media/. To apply for GBAC STAR facility accreditation visit gbac.org/star.

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About the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre

Together, the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre work toward a vision of being among North America’s top-performing venues and achieve that vision through a commitment to positive social, environmental, and economic impact, including a combined $113.8 million in economic impact in 2019. As two of Edmonton’s largest and busiest venues, the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre have a combined 672,000 square feet and welcome more than 1.8 million visitors every year.

About GBAC, a Division of ISSA
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, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.

About ISSA
With more than 9,300 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 Northbrook, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issacanada.com/en/ or call (866) 864-8273 or (905) 665-8001.

About MediaEdge Communications
For more than 25 years, MediaEdge has been at the forefront of communication solutions for organizations within a variety of business sectors. MediaEdge is a leading provider of non-dues revenues for associations offering exceptional no-cost member benefits through a number of innovative products and services. Find out more by visiting www.mediaedge.ca.

MediaEdge is a proud reseller of the GBAC STAR and GBAC fundamentals online course. Please see the program details and links below and remember to use the promo codes when registering as they provide discounts.

1. Commercial facility owners looking for GBAC STAR accreditation can follow the link here and use the promo code “MediaEdgeGS”.
2. ISSA has also released a new GBAC fundamentals online course specifically designed for cleaning workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus fight. By using the special promo code “MediaEdgeCourse” registrants can receive a discount off normal prices.

For additional program details and information, please email chuckn@mediaedge.ca or contact him at (416) 803-4653.