ASM Global, the world’s leading venue management and services company and parent company of ICC Sydney, has further enhanced its industry-leading VenueShield program, supporting the continued re-opening of its more than 325 facilities and client partners worldwide. Venue Shield’s protective capabilities have already been tested at UFC’s event at ASM Global-managed VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on May 9, 2020. The program was also activated for the National Rugby League’s match at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on May 28, 2020, in the first live-audience Australian sport played since March.
To develop the comprehensive new protocols, ASM Global engaged its in-house executive teams and distilled the expertise from across its global network of venues spanning stadia, arenas, theaters, convention and exhibition centers, including the Asia Pacific region. For further support of the scientific credentials of the program, the company has engaged in a partnership with AECOM, the world’s premier infrastructure firm, and its international team of sports venue design, environmental hygiene and bio containment experts. The Venue Shield program is also being guided by scientific and medical research input from Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) and its interdisciplinary team of expert faculty and graduate medical students, under the direction of Dr. Charles Cairns, dean of DUCOM. These critical healthcare insights, facilitated by the Drexel Solutions Institute (DSI), will provide ongoing recommendations for COVID-19 mitigation strategies.
Additionally, SERVPRO, the #1 choice in commercial cleaning and restoration services in North America for more than 50 years, has provided its professional expertise in the implementation of the pro-active viral pathogen cleaning process. The customized, in-depth workflows for venue re-occupancy include industrial disinfection and workforce safety initiatives, developed in accordance with international guidelines from the CDC, NHS, PHAA and WHO, among others. Building on those early successful implementations, Venue Shield is being deployed in various stages worldwide, in alignment with approvals from local government officials and health care experts. Phases of Venue Shield include the implementation of new guidelines for Environmental Hygiene, Workplace Safety, Technology & Equipment, Food Safety and Public Awareness as they support future efforts. This ongoing company effort to re-define the customer journey of the future is of top priority.