Moscone Center Earns GBAC STAR Accreditation For Highest Cleanliness And Safety Standards
February 17, 2021
Moscone Center 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 Moscone Center the highly coveted and universally recognized 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 is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities. Accreditation is annual, with a reaccreditation process commencing each year.
As the gold standard of prepared facilities, 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 (SARS-CoV-2).
- 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.
“I would like to congratulate General Manager Bob Sauter, along with his committed and dedicated team, for achieving and maintaining this designation for the Moscone Center. It is a highly respected achievement in the world of convention centers and one the city of San Francisco can be proud of,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel. “The GBAC STAR accreditation and the adherence to ASM Global’s VenueShield program are vital to assuring clients, attendees and guests that Moscone Center personnel are fully trained and certified to provide a safe and healthy environment in which to conduct meetings and conventions. San Francisco is best prepared to welcome groups back to our beautiful city.”
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% of the $10.3 billion tourism spending in San Francisco.
Completion of the $551 million expansion of Moscone Center was celebrated on Jan. 3, 2019. With the goal of creating more space and greater flexibility, the project added 157,000 sq. ft. of space to create 504,914 sq. ft. of contiguous space (before expansion, the largest contiguous space was 260,000 sq. ft.), including a new 49,776 sq. ft. new, 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 sq. ft. of secure outdoor terraces with spectacular views of Yerba Buena Gardens and the South of Market neighborhood.
“Bringing the conventions business back will be vital for the overall economic recovery of San Francisco. We continue our support and involvement with the California Coalition of Convention Centers and their lobbying efforts as a state-wide organization to help develop acceptable protocols and procedures to ensure a safe and healthy venue operation,” said Bob Sauter, General Manager of The Moscone Center.