Business View Magazine | January 2021

157 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021 SAVANNAH CONVENT ION CENTER foot ballroom, and build a 900-space parking garage structure to accommodate the influx of visitors expected for 2023 when convention tourism races back. “It will put 600 construction people back to work immediately,” asserts Sherrie Spinks, General Manager of the SCC, about the proposed expansion project. “With the economy struggling, it’s a great time to ramp up the project, especially since we will stay open throughout construction.” Since June, the SCC has hosted over 30 events with some of them including as many as 500 guests. “They range from dance competitions to graduations to rotary club events,” says Spinks. “The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police hosted their annual conference here, primarily because the chiefs need their training. We were able to move their general session into the exhibit hall and keep everybody six feet apart.” With larger events being viewed as high-risk breeding grounds for coronavirus spread, the SCC pivoted early on during the pandemic, becoming expert at implementing prevention measures and even modifying its menu offerings to reduce overall person-to-person contact. “We’ve done pre-set meals, where the food is set at the table ahead of time,” Spinks explains. “We’ve also done modified buffets where we put up plexiglass and staff serves while wearing gloves and masks. We’ve been very careful and disciplined.” For the Rotary Club of Savannah Luncheon, guests at the SCC were seated sparingly, only two per table, honoring the guidelines established by the Governor’s Office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Center earned a Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation, designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for their staff and their building. “Everybody’s involved,” says Spinks. “Unfortunately seventy percent of our staff has