13th Annual Green Building Convention

While the 13th Annual Green Building Convention will go ahead as planned from 28 September – 2 October 2020 in Cape Town, Green Building Council South Africa is closely monitoring developments around the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

GBCSA will also continue to follow and support the advice and measures of the South African Government and the Department of Health, whose decisive response to the pandemic has been exemplary. In addition, we urge everyone to stay safe and adhere to the recommendations of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

We want to assure our partners, members, delegates and staff that any decision in regards to this year’s Convention will be guided by our highest priority – your health and safety. We will not compromise on the world-class Convention experience you deserve.

We understand that there is currently a lot of uncertainty on the continued impact of the coronavirus, especially around large gatherings. In light of this, the Convention is implementing additional measures to ensure the health and safety of everyone attending.

In the event that the Convention is postponed, we also have contingency plans in place to ensure as little inconvenience to you as possible. Updates related to the impact of the coronavirus on the Convention will be communicated to our website and social media channels. Please refer to our FAQs on the Convention website for more information.

As always, we would like to thank you for your unwavering support that makes the Convention possible. Over the last couple of days we’ve been reminded how lucky we are to be part of the built environment community with the amount of support and encouragement we’ve received during this difficult time. Please know that our thoughts and support are with you – stay safe out there.

FAQs

IN THE EVENT THAT THE GREEN BUILDING CONVENTION IS POSTPONED

What happens to my registration?
All existing registrations will automatically be moved to a new Convention date.

What happens to my exhibition booking and/or sponsorship?
Your exhibition booking and/or sponsorship will automatically be carried over to a new Convention date. A GBCSA sales representative will contact you directly to discuss the way forward.

I’m a speaker, how will a postponement affect me?
You will be contacted directly to confirm your new speaking date and if you are already registered for the entire event, your registration will rollover to the new Convention date. If you are not registered for the event, a new registration link will be sent to you. Please contact [email protected] if you have any speaker-related queries.

How will this affect my travel plans?
Please contact your airline and hotel providers as soon as possible to change plans and make alternative arrangements.

Who do I contact for more information?
We will continue to provide regular updates to our website and through our social media channels. For any further questions, please contact [email protected].

GREEN BUILDING CONVENTION RESPONSE TO COVID-19

GBCSA is closely monitoring developments and are working closely with Century City Conference Centre and vendors in compliance with the advice from the Department of Health and National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

Our highest priority is ensuring the health and safety of our delegates, members partners and staff and will deploy additional rules and advice at the 13th Green Building Convention, taking place 28 September to 2 October 2020 in Cape Town.

• We encourage all attendees and exhibitors to follow these best practices for everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of illness:
  • • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
      o If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
    • Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
    • Stay in your hotel or at home when you are sick.
    • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
    • Avoid direct contact – no handshakes or hugs.
• Increased cleaning an disinfection across all high-volume touch points using approved and environmentally-friendly cleaning products and materials.
• Implementing a mic-change protocol in production for speakers in plenary and breakaway rooms.
• Increased on-site medical support.
• Availability of hand sanitisers throughout the Convention space.
• Staff awareness and training on standard personal preventative measures.
• Advice to exhibitors on effective cleaning and disinfection of stands and personal hygiene and preventative behaviour guidelines.
• Signage reminding delegates of hygiene recommendations.