female janitor cleaning restroom

Courtesy Of Kaivac

With hopes that the pandemic will soon be behind us and people will start traveling again, the City of Chicago has launched Choose Chicago and Healthy Meetings Chicago. What this has done is create an interactive digital platform designed to showcase all the steps the city is taking to protect health at its two airports and, most significantly, at the McCormick Place Campus. This campus houses the city’s sprawling convention center, one of the largest in the country, along with hotels, offices, and meeting centers.

“Welcoming delegates and event attendees back [to the city] responsibly is at the core of our mission and client partnerships,” says Glenn Eden, board chair of Choose Chicago. "This comprehensive program is designed to provide our visitors and partners with all the tools [they need] to take full advantage of the steps McCormick Place has taken to create a safe and healthy experience while in the city.”  

Among the steps Choose Chicago and its associates are taking to protect health and provide a “safe experience” is to install UVC lighting in many of the campus facilities. These will help disinfect large areas of the convention hall and surrounding buildings. 

HEPA filters have also been installed in HVAC systems. These filters capture and trap pathogens, including those that can cause coronavirus. As a result, the filters further help protect human health.

When it comes to disinfecting, “The team at McCormick Place has been working tirelessly to ensure that we meet and exceed best practices,” said Larita Clark, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, another organization involved with Choose Chicago.

And when it comes to cleaning the convention hall, the facility uses the Kaivac No-Touch Cleaning system in highly-trafficked areas, according to Clark.

The Kaivac No-Touch Cleaning system first made its mark two decades ago as a more professional, faster, and certainly more thorough way to clean restrooms in schools, offices, and convention centers. Today, the system is used to clean all types of surfaces, including floors, walls, and fixtures. 

A List N disinfectant can also be used with Kaivac systems. To make the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's List N, a disinfectant has to have been proven effective at eliminating or inactivating the pathogens that cause coronavirus.  

With the Kaivac No-Touch Cleaning system, cleaning solutions are applied to surfaces and then pressure rinsed, removing soils and pathogens. Moisture and contaminants are then vacuumed up, completely removing them from areas just cleaned.

“While much has changed, what has not changed is supporting our clients, their delegates, and exhibitors when hosting a major convention, trade show, or meeting at McCormick Place,” said David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago. “Choose Chicago will be at the core and an initial building block of fulfilling that pledge and responsibility.”

It looks like Kaivac will be there, too.