Leading the cleaning and maintenance operations of a high-traffic, multi-purpose venue was a challenge before COVID-19, let alone during and post-pandemic.
In downtown Saskatoon, TCU Place is one such facility. The site hosts a convention centre that offers 104,000 square feet of meeting space with 21 different rooms and is also host to the 2,000-seat Sid Buckwold Theatre. As such, TCU Place hosts a wide variety of events. Conventions, exhibits, trade shows, fundraisers, meetings, galas, weddings, services, theatre productions, live comedy, live music – you name it, and TCU Place has probably hosted it.
The challenges this type of operation poses are, of course, innumerable. We spoke to TCU Place’s Director of Operations Tammy Watt about the facility, the difficulties of maintaining it, achieving GBAC STAR certification during the pandemic, the post-pandemic landscape, and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What changed for you and for TCU Place’s maintenance operations during COVID-19 and post-pandemic?
Watt: “COVID-19 was a whirlwind. We obviously went through many changes, not least increased and evolving training and communication for our staff. As staff returned, each individual was made responsible for their own workspace while we took care of the common areas and the high-touch areas. It really did involve all staff members. As we began to return to operations, we obviously needed to bulk up our plans and communicate with our clients how we were going to help keep their teams and their people safe. That involved clear virtual and physical signing communicating the tasks we were performing, PPE, plexiglass separators, decals on the floors – all the things we became so accustomed to during the pandemic. As we progressed, things like foodservice returned and that brought its own challenges.
“We’ve been slowly getting back to business post-pandemic but a key concern I had is that while we want to keep talking about sanitizing, a lot of people are hoping to move on from that conversation and put it behind them. But we can’t afford to do that. Any operational director or cleaner will know that proper cleaning and sanitization is not just vital for COVID-19; it’s the right and important thing to do for all kinds of reasons. These are practices and principles that our facilities should and must always have.”
What are the key maintenance challenges in a facility like TCU Place?
Watt: “The building and its main systems are 54 years old, which provides challenges in itself. We know the space well and we know what it needs but obviously there was work that needed to be done – upgrading and updating our filtration system, for example, in addition to all the existing and new checks on our equipment side. None of that ever goes away.
“Aside from sheer age, the main things to note are the size of our facility – we have 104,000 square feet of rentable space – and the variety of events we host. Hosting a variety of different events at all hours is what makes our work exciting but it’s also what poses the sternest challenges. We have quick-turnaround programming, such as a wedding that runs until 2 a.m. before a meeting or conference or service at 7 a.m. next day. That’s always a big challenge, making sure rooms and common areas are properly sanitized and ready for that next group. It involves multiple teams. We were so fortunate, even though our event services and our cleaning staff team were furloughed at points, to largely keep those teams together. I know many facilities were not as fortunate.
TCU is unusual in being a convention centre that also hosts a theatre. How does that change the challenges and post-pandemic?
Watt: “While we break operations down into theatre-side and convention-side, those two things sometimes cross over. Our theatre hosts traveling shows – everything from bands to comedians to theatre productions – and that brings another level of necessary procedures and precautions. These guests move from city to city and location to location and many of them have very strict rules that we need to abide by. These rules change from company to company. The basics, of course, are that we need to sanitize common areas and things such as dressing rooms, equipment, back areas on a very regular basis, but we also need to provide tangible evidence that we have met the standards required, as well as limiting staff contacts to only people who strictly need to be there. The main thing for us is making sure our clients know what is needed and what is being done and feel comfortable and safe in our facility. We are always responsible for making sure our facility is maintained to the point where we’re not a risk to anyone present.
Why did you identify certifying your team’s work through GBAC as a priority?
Watt: “These are people who know their stuff – microbiologists, pathologists, etc. They know the best practices and deal with facilities of all calibres and sizes and sorts, helping them step up their game in terms of sanitizing and infection prevention. What it did for our facility was allow us to take a good look at our systems and cleaning routines and make sure they were sufficient. It enhanced much of what we were already doing and benchmarked it in terms of our inventory and equipment and protocols. It all began with a commitment from our leadership team, backed up with budgetary and staffing support. It was an all-round effort, not just something for our cleaning staff, and it came from the top down, which was really great. Then, key staff were trained in GBAC Fundamentals. While staff were away when we were closed, and as they started coming back, they were trained in GBAC principles and practices. That trickles down to all staff on the floor. It’s also helped us take a step forward in operations through things such as creation of QR codes for frequency/time recording sanitized areas and electrostatic spraying rooms, furniture, and surfaces. The post-pandemic focus now is on prevention.”
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Aside from the core piece of cleaning and disinfecting, what is the most important step towards running a healthier facility in today’s post-pandmic climate?
Watt: “The communication piece is huge. We’ve been messaging our patrons online, providing instructions for guests attending a show or partners coming in for events. It’s all about letting our clients know that we will work with them to achieve their level of comfort for their events, and that also helps to build trust, which is vital. We measure client satisfaction following each event, and one of the key areas we ask about is confidence in cleanliness and safety. We have consistently received scores of over 90 per cent in these areas, and GBAC helps our team to keep the focus. It’s going to be important to remind staff even post-pandemic, we can’t let down our guard. These high standards we have set need to be our new normal, and we need to ensure we have that visibility of our work and that diligence in cleaning, particularly visible in common areas, entrances, etc. Some people don’t like being continually reminded of it, but many people won’t feel comfortable these days if they don’t see it all. Flu season and cold season will be here before we know it and these bugs can be held at arm’s length by good, proper, solid practices. Sticking to the basics of best hygiene practices and communication is really important. It’s just the right thing to do.”
