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Event Budgeting
Event Planning Skills Food Allergies

How to Keep Dietary Restrictions from Sinking Your Event Budget

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Meeting planners are worried about many things when thinking about accommodating guests with special dietary needs, but one of the major fears is the cost. This concern needs to be addressed up front and throughout the planning and budgeting process with both your suppliers and your attendees so you aren’t sinking your event budget. Take a recent question I received after a webinar I gave for Collinson Media. Cathy just hosted a conference for 4,300 people. Of the 458 special meal requests she received, 41 were halal and 12 were kosher. With seven meal functions during the three-day conference, that equated…

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2014 Allie Award Winner
Thrive! in the News

Best Corporate Event for Walk for Food Allergy Atlanta

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For the past 24 years the Atlanta events community has come together for a night of celebration and camaraderie to recognize the best in the industry. Known as the Allie Awards and similar to the Oscars, Golden Globes and Grammys, the event honors the achievements and talent within the Atlanta event industry. From technical production to catering, event and wedding planning to photography, invitation and floral design to entertainment, the more than 30 categories showcase the breadth and skill of the more than 300 individuals in attendance who, each and every day, have the opportunity to help their clients use events to come…

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Atlanta Foodservice Expo
Thrive! in the News

Atlanta FoodService Expo Announces 2014 Advisory Council

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Last week the Atlanta Foodservice Expo announced its 2014 Advisory Council and on the Council is Thrive!’s own Tracy Stuckrath…and she’s in very good company! Have a look at this impressive list of Council members. The purpose of the Advisory Council’s is “to assist with the continued development of the event and ensure the needs of the local industry are well served.” Having served as a speaker last year, I am very excited to be helping shape this event for the future. The Atlanta Foodservice Expo is the only event in Georgia and the Southeast to bring together under one roof…

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gluten-free oatmeal with fruit is a great solution for diabetics, celiacs and food allergic guests.
Food Allergies Medical Conditions

How to Read a Banquet Menu

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This is the first in a series of posts on evaluating hotel banquet menus for event attendees with dietary needs. If you’ve done your due diligence and asked your guests if they have dietary needs, great job! – but that’s only half the battle. Trying to figure out what to serve everyone when you have guests with food allergies, celiac disease or diabetes, others who are vegan, vegetarians or raw and yet others with cultural or religious beliefs that require a specific diet can be daunting. Allergens are often disguised even in well-labeled banquet menus, and just because you’ve offered…

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Community Dietary Needs

Focusing on Food You CAN Eat

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When I was diagnosed with an allergy to yeast 10 years ago, I immediately went out and bought the “Yeast Connection” by William Crook, MD, which was recommended by a friend. It explains how to suspect, identify and overcome chronic health problems related to yeast. I wanted to be better – no more chronic sinus infections, cysts, hives, gas, bloating, menopause symptoms at 30, lethargy and more — so I went cold turkey avoiding the list of foods on the “MUST Avoid” list. Unfortunately neither the food illustrations nor the recipes in it or other Candida-diet books did anything to…

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Lent dietary practices during meetings
Recipes Religious Dietary Practices

Lent Brings Challenges for Event Planners When Menu Planning

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Two weeks ago the season of Lent began on Wednesday, after a traditional pancake supper the night before. During this annual ritual, millions of Christians all around the world commence a 40-day period of sacrifice, reflection and “spiritual housecleaning” in preparation for Easter. Though the exact timing varies between sects, the liturgical season typically starts on Ash Wednesday and ends just before Easter Sunday, and is meant to represent the period Jesus wandered alone in the desert. The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon work “lencten,” which means spring. Similar to making New Year’s resolutions, some use the time to…

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