Eating at a Meeting

Almost 90 percent of event organizers say that food and beverage is a key part of the meeting design and event experience. Mark Cooper, CEO of IACC delves into the 2020 IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ report sharing how organizers and venues have a greater appetite for using food and beverage to positively affecting the senses, engaging and contributing to local communities, and looking after attendees dietary needs to create experiences that are unforgettable. The IACC Meeting Room of the Future report combines research and insights into the top issues facing the global meetings and conference industry. The 2020 IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ report brings together insights from meeting and conference venues, hotels and urban conference venues across 3 continents, as well as suppliers including global meeting space designers, architects, technology companies, furniture manufacturers and nutrition experts. https://www.iacconline.org/iacc-meeting-room-of-the-future https://www.iaccmeetings.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/1markcooper/ https://www.etcvenues.co.uk/venues https://twitter.com/markcooperiacc

Food Equality Initiative has seen a 300% Increase in Service Requests as a result of COVID-19. There was a need before the pandemic, but it has magnified the need. Eighteen percent of individuals who are visiting food pantries will be visiting them for the first time. The systems the US has in place for vulnerable families with food insecurity are failing the families with special dietary needs. The food is not there. They do not have adequate policies for distribution. From sharing the price differences in the cost of free-from food items to how she is advocating for families who are food insecure, Emily Brown, founder, and CEO of Food Equality Initiative explains how there is a gap in the safety net to assist food insecurity for those in need. https://foodequalityinitiative.org/ https://www.instagram.com/foodequality/ https://twitter.com/FoodEquality https://www.facebook.com/foodequalityinitiative/

Chef Murray Hall of Dolce Hotels & Resorts talks about he incorporates local and seasonal ingredients into his menus to meet the demands of consumers wanting to know from where their food comes while balancing budgets for his clients. He also shares how he is creating menu items to make them vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free — ensuring the flavor remains — to make meals more plant-forward while also reducing the number of specialized plates, and offering something unique for the event and property. https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-hall-306b7715/ https://www.bmo.com/ifl/index.html https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/dolce https://www.iacconline.org/v/bmo-financial-group-institute-for-learning

What does equal access look like for those with disabilities, including those with medically-necessary dietary needs (food allergies, celiac disease, cancer) mean for meeting planners and food service providers? Mary Vargas talks about culture misconceptions about having a disabiliity...a major life impairment. She wants everyone to know they have a right to equal access. How to create a safe, inclusive and "like" food and beverage experience? It does mean someone sits a room with nothing to eat while everyone else eats. Mary Vargas is an attorney who does nationwide impact litigation on behalf of individuals with disabilities including those with food allergies, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. She is a founding partner at Stein & Vargas, LLP. www.steinvargas.com www.facebook.com/steinvargasllp/ https://www.allergicliving.com/2020/02/26/student-with-celiac-sues-university-over-gluten-filled-meals/?fbclid=IwAR0lpKWo-veIzNG7iC0-i69AHxguUxHxo03lEOdOYEeXDwcCGoXDNO5qWlo

At the "onset" of COVID-19 shut-down, Tracy chatted with Ben Chapman, food safety specialist, extension specialist and professor at North Carolina State University on what and how meeting organizers should be concerned about as it relates to food safety in general and with the coronavirus. From cleaning and sanitizing, seating, service methods (everyone touching the tongs), standard operating procedures, time and temperature control, food sourcing, health inspection scores and more, Ben spends almost 55 minutes sharing his insights on how to be and provide a safe food and beverage experience. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-chapman-22539058/ https://cals.ncsu.edu/agricultural-and-human-sciences/people/bjchapma/ https://www.barfblog.com/ https://www.barfblog.com/infosheets/

If you don't have a food allergy, you might feel imposed upon for a meal, an hour, a day a few days, preparing a meal for your guest, employee or family member. Those with food allergies don't get weekends. Don't get nights off. Food allergies don't go on vacation. "This is life." And so it makes living day to day very different having to manage the condition. Erin Malawer, Executive Director of AllergyStrong, CEO of Allergy Health, and founder of the blog Allergy Shmallergy talks about how she does it all the time, no matter where her family is, no matter where they go and how she is helping other individuals and families like hers, as well as the medical community, understand how their patients live with the diagnosis. Website - www.allergystrong.com

Tracy Stuckrath launches the Eating at a Meeting podcast, explaining how she got here and what she will focusing on with the interviews and information provided in each show. Through authentic stories that illustrate the financial, social, emotional, and mental impact food and beverage have on individuals, organizations, and the earth, Eating at a Meeting will explore a variety of topics on food and beverage (F&B) and how they impact individual experience and inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health and wellness, laws and more.