Miami Beach Convention Center named a Certified Autism Center

Demonstrating Greater Miami and Miami Beach’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity

MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, July 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) has been named a Certified Autism Center (CAC), awarded the designation by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). This comes on the heels of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau achieving its CAC designation in April.

As a CAC, the MBCC has taken proactive steps to ensure that autistic and sensory-sensitive visitors feel welcome and supported. The certification process involved comprehensive training for the MBCC’s customer-facing staff from Oak View Group, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to support autistic individuals, as well as an onsite review by IBCCES to provide recommendations on other enhancements.

“Achieving the Certified Autism Center designation marks a pivotal next step in our commitment to inclusivity, and I am extremely proud of our staff’s dedication and achievement. This autism certification enables the Miami Beach Convention Center, owned by the City of Miami Beach and proudly managed by Oak View Group, to better serve visitors with special needs, setting a new standard for accessibility in the events industry,” said MBCC General Manager Freddie Peterson. “We are grateful for our amazing partnership with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, which has been instrumental in supporting our efforts to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all visitors. We look forward to adding the IBCCES sensory guides to our informational website and have identified quiet spaces inside the MBCC, as well as outside, where Pride Park, Collins Canal Park, and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden provide naturally calming surroundings.”

The reimagined MBCC is committed to providing an accessible experience for all events and visitors. The venue offers a range of ADA-compliant features, including accessible parking, sidewalk ramps, restrooms, elevators, and automatic entrance doors. For visually impaired attendees, the MBCC provides Braille signage and a visual interpreting service via the Aira app.

The MBCC focuses extensively on a wide range of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), accessibility, DEIB and sustainability programs. The MBCC is proud to have earned LEED^® Silver Certification as part of the venue’s $640 million expansion and reimagination project, which includes many environmentally friendly features. Furthermore, the MBCC has recently achieved the “Foundations Certificate for Sustainability and Social Impact” from the Events Industry Council’s (EIC), and five staff members have earned the “Sustainable Event Professional Certificate,” which is designed for professionals who are dedicated to implementing sustainability and social impact where they work.

The MBCC becoming certified is another step in a larger initiative for the Greater Miami area to become a Certified Autism Destination led by the Greater Miami Visitor and Convention Bureau. Earning the CAD designation as a destination means a representative number of attractions, hotels and other recreation and entertainment venues have completed the CAC certification process.

“Inclusion and accessibility are priority initiatives for our destination,” said Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO David Whitaker. “MBCC achieving this designation is significant. It’s a critical step in better serving Greater Miami and Miami Beach’s diverse travel community, helps us attract meetings and gets us even closer to achieving our countywide goal of being a Certified Autism Destination (CAD).”

Additional accessibility information on sensory-friendly attractions and travel industry partners including Miami International Airport in the Greater Miami and Miami Beach area can be found here.

“Achieving this standard better positions us to tap into the tens of billions of dollars spent annually by travelers with disabilities and their families as well as significantly increasing customer satisfaction. More importantly, we can ensure our visitors, residents and neighbors feel welcomed, safe and above all ─ have fun,” Whitaker added.

“By earning the Certified Autism Center designation, the Miami Beach Convention Center joins a growing number of organizations making a significant impact for accessibility. One in six people have sensory needs, and this focus on accessibility demonstrates their team’s commitment to being a leader in the industry,” says Myron Pincomb, board chairman of IBCCES.

For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been the leader in autism, neurodiversity, and cognitive disorder training and certification for healthcare, education, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES created programs specifically for hospitality and recreational organizations, such as hotels, theme parks, museums, and other attractions, so staff would be more knowledgeable and other accommodations could be offered to this growing, but underserved, part of the community. IBCCES is the only credentialing board offering these types of programs, which include training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, as well as long-term support, continuous learning, and more.

IBCCES also created AutismTravel.com and CertifiedAutismCenter.com, two free online resources for parents that list certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center (CAC) requirements.

For more information on the Miami Beach Convention Center’s accessibility and sustainability programs, visit www.miamibeachconvention.com/sustainability.

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About the Miami Beach Convention Center and Campus
Re-imagined following a $640 million renovation, the expanded MBCC includes a new 60,000 -sq.-ft. grand ballroom, four junior ballrooms, almost 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, an expanded grand lobby, pre-function areas that are bathed in natural light, up to 84 breakout rooms, approximately 800 roof deck parking spaces, almost 2,100 miles of cabling to support all IT communications, $10.2 million worth of art curated by the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places program, a six-acre (Pride Park) and three-acre (Collins Canal Park) public green spaces that can serve as incremental event space. The MBCC campus includes two new event spaces: Venu, a space for private events and upscale meetings, and Rum Room, a 1920s restaurant with an enticing tapas-style menu and local South Florida rums. The MBCC is proud to have earned Global Biorisk Advisory Council^® (GBAC) STAR Facility Accreditation, and LEED^® Silver Certification as part of the venue’s expansion project, which includes many environmentally friendly features. Website: www.miamibeachconvention.com.

About IBCCES
Committed to providing The Global Standard for Training and Certification in The Field of Cognitive Disorders – IBCCES provides a series of certifications that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. These programs are recognized around the world as the leading benchmark for training and certification in the areas of autism and other cognitive disorders.

About the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB):
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an accredited, independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and Miami Beach for leisure, business, meetings and conventions. For additional information, visit www.MiamiandMiamiBeach.com/About-GMCVB or call 305-539-3000. Stay connected with the GMCVB by following us on our social media channels: (Corporate) Twitter.com/GreaterMiamiCVB, LinkedIn.com/GreaterMiamiConvention&VisitorsBureau, Instagram: @GreaterMiamiCVB and (Consumer) Facebook.com/visitmiami, Twitter.com/visitmiami, Instagram.com/visitmiami.

Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
[email protected]
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