The Pennsylvania Convention Center in the US and its trade show labour partners have launched an initiative – believed to be the only one of its kind in the country – dedicated to expanding and building upon existing training programmes in the areas of safety, development of technical skills, and customer-service and hospitality.
The new Hospitality Industry Advancement Trust (HIAT) Fund represents a partnership between the management of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the organisations responsible for providing show floor labour to the facility’s customers. The HIAT Fund will support enhanced training opportunities focused in three general categories: ‘Safety, Skills, and Smiles’.
Safety programmes will provide participants with opportunities to obtain general and specialised Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety certifications.
Skills training will be coordinated with contractors in the convention and meeting industry and hospitality 1.0 and 2.0 programmes will focus on providing customers and guests with experiences that consistently exceed expectations through prioritising customers and engagement.
“The signatory labour unions of the Pennsylvania Convention Center are proud to be participating in the new Hospitality Industry Advancement Trust,” said Michael J. Barnes, 1st international vice-president of the International Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees and chair of the HIAT Fund Board. “This innovative, joint initiative between Convention Center labour and management will improve workplace safety, provide additional skills training to enable the Center to offer customers the most economical build-outs possible, and provide all guests with so many wonderful memories that they’ll want to return, again and again.”
“We are fortunate to have a team of labour partners that appreciate and understand the importance of delivering the best possible experience to our trade show, event, convention, and meeting customers,” said John McNichol, president & CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “They are making a long-term commitment to ensuring the labour personnel who work in our facility not only have the latest safety and skills training, but also a high-level of hospitality-focused training.” He added that customer satisfaction survey scores at the PA Convention Center showed an 87.2% overall rating and an outstanding score of 95.5% for utility services.”
The Pennsylvania Convention Center and its trade show labour partners have established a method of ensuring the trust receives consistent funding – approximately $250,000 to $400,000 per year – to meet the ongoing and evolving training needs of its workforce. The trade show labour unions will make a donation to the fund for every hour worked with a union member, an amount that will then be matched by the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s management.
Managed by ASM Global, the PCC is the 14th largest facility in the nation and features one of the largest exhibition spaces and ballrooms in the Northeastern US.
