G3 Partners AIPC, ICCA and UFI release “Good Practice Guide: Convention and Exhibition Centres as Temporary Vaccination Centres.”

Amsterdam / Brussels / Paris – 16 March 2021: A growing number of convention and exhibition sites across the world have started operating as temporary COVID-19 vaccination centres, getting anywhere from 500 to over 6,000 people vaccinated every day at each location. At the same time, an increasing number of markets around the globe have begun to reopen business events with varying COVID-19 protocols in place.

To support this, we are pleased to announce the publication of the: “Good Practice Guide: Convention and Exhibition as Temporary Vaccination Centres”. The guide was produced jointly by AIPC, the International Association of Convention Centres; ICCA, the International Convention and Congress Association; and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

The good practice conveyed in this document was collected over February-March 2021 from a range of AIPC, ICCA and UFI member facilities, and enhanced by insights and information made available through the associations’ joint Safety & Security Task Force.

The use of convention and exhibition facilities as vaccination sites is still evolving, and this document should therefore be viewed as a dynamic one, as new insights continue to emerge over time. Indeed, this dynamic nature is reflected in the diversity of names given to such sites serving as temporary vaccination centres by officials, the media and the public, from ‘community vaccination centres’ and ‘mass vaccination points’ to ‘large-scale emergency vaccination clinics’ and ‘mega vaccination sites.

This guide complements earlier publications, which were produced and distributed within the last year:

• Good Practice Guide: Addressing COVID-19 Requirements for Re-Opening Business Events –
  version 2 (and version 1 previously)
• Good Practice Guidance to COVID-19 for Convention and Exhibition Centres
• Good Practice Guidance for the Use of Centres as Temporary Emergency Facilities

As with previous guides, this latest publication was created by different parts of the industry collaborating together. It was developed through the direct, practical experiences and expertise of members that are dealing with these impacts on a day-to-day basis, and the three association Presidents have acknowledged this invaluable and relevant contribution to the content.

AIPC President, Aloysius Arlando, says: “Event venues have shown great resilience in the past year through rethinking their business models and future-proofing their workforce for a post-COVID world order. They have also committed action towards economic recovery in their respective regions, be it enhancing internal operational and technological capabilities, or undertaking new roles, such as turning themselves into healthcare facilities to share the load of national healthcare systems.

As vaccination strategies roll out worldwide, event venues are once again playing a critical role in economic recovery as they transform themselves into vaccination centres. This collaborative endeavour, which features knowledge and insights from industry experts around the world, serves as an important reference for event venues to safely establish and operate a vaccination centre within their own spaces. It also firmly demonstrates the commitment of the business events industry to support the safe return of face-to-face events.”

James Rees, ICCA President, adds: “The economic impact of global events generates the investment that makes possible the building of our industry’s venue infrastructure. It is good to see how venues worldwide have repurposed their facilities to help support government vaccination programmes. This Good Practice Guide will provide assistance to those venues and help with the global effort to emerge from this pandemic and, through the swift reopening of our industry, to drive the economic recovery that will follow.”

“Our industry’s support to the vaccination effort also benefits our whole industry ecosystem: rolling out vaccinations around the world in a fast and effective way will speed up the return of face-to-face events. We help to protect lives – and livelihoods, for society, for our customers, and for everyone in our industry,” confirms Anbu Varathan, UFI President.

Following distribution, a dedicated UFI connects session is scheduled on 31 March to facilitate the implementation of the guidance provided in this publication and to assist members in interpreting its content into local actions. Click here to register

To download the guide, click here

Attachment:
– Cover of the Good Practice Guide
– Download the media release here

About AIPC –The International Association of Convention Centres: Founded in 1958, AIPC is a global network of some 190 leading centres in 61 countries with the active involvement of more than 900 management-level professionals. Its mission is to encourage, support and recognise excellence in convention centre management, based on the diverse experience and expertise of its international membership, and it maintains a full range of educational, research, networking and management standards programmes in order to achieve this. AIPC recognises and actively promotes the essential role of the international meetings industry in supporting economic, academic and professional development in communities where its members are located as well as enhancing global relations amongst diverse business and cultural interests worldwide.
For more information, visit www.aipc.org or contact the AIPC Secretariat at secretariat@aipc.org

About ICCA – the International Congress and Convention Association – the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry: ICCA is the global association leader for the international meetings industry and specialises in the international association meetings sector, offering unrivalled data, education, communication channels, and business development and networking opportunities. Since its establishment in 1963, ICCA represents the world’s top destinations and most experienced suppliers specialised in handling, transporting and accommodating international meetings
and events, and comprises over 1,100 member companies and organisations in almost 100 countries and territories worldwide. As of 2020, ICCA encompasses all major stakeholders in the world of association meetings, by opening its doors to associations with the launch of the “ICCA Association Community”, offering education, connections, tools and resources to associations to organise more effective meetings.
For more information, visit the ICCA website www.iccaworld.org or contact us via icca@iccaworld.org.

About UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry: UFI is the global trade association of the world’s tradeshow organisers and exhibition centre operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations, and selected partners of the exhibition industry. UFI’s main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. UFI directly represents more than 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally, and also works closely with its 60 national and regional association members. More than 800 member organisations in 83 countries around the world are presently signed up as members. Around 1,000 international trade fairs proudly bear the UFI approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike. UFI members continue to provide the international business community with a unique marketing media aimed at developing outstanding face-to-face business opportunities.
For more information, please contact: UFI Headquarters: Email: media@ufi.org Tel: +33 (0)1 46 39 75 00 or www.ufi.org