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M&C Cover Image - Top 25 Women
Meetings & Events Testimonials Thrive! in the News

Tracy Stuckrath Named Among Top 25 Women in the Meetings Industry

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Yesterday I was honored and humbled to be named one of the Top 25 Women in the Meetings Industry by Meetings & Conventions magazine. Wow! In its special report released on July 1, 2015, the magazine stated “the meetings industry is powered by a number of extraordinary people — many of them women.”  The inaugural list of “high achievers, advocates and innovators…have helped shape and strengthen our business.” Several woman on the list, I am happy to say are my friends — Shawna Suckow, founder of the Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) and The Hive Network, Nancy Zavada, CMP, founder of MeetGreen and the Green Meetings Industry Council, Liz King,…

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Stock epinephrine laws can help keep attendees safe at meetings
Duty of Care Food Allergies Laws & Regulations

Historic Law Makes Georgia Events Safer for Attendees

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Last week, the governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, signed a bill into law which makes Georgia events safer for attendees with food allergies. Georgia SB126 allows places of public accommodation such as restaurants, hotels and convention centers to stock epinephrine — the first-line medication to treat anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. In light of the fact that nearly 50 percent of fatal food allergic reactions are triggered by food consumed outside the home and to foods that were thought to be safe,* allowing event venues to obtain epinephrine auto-injectors provides a huge sense of relief for food allergy sufferers who attend events in Georgia. According to the Convention…

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Food Allergy Awareness laws are being enacted in U.S. states to help save the lives of restaurant patrons
Dietary Needs Duty of Care Laws & Regulations Meetings & Events

Dietary Needs Unlock New Level of Duty of Care

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When I was an in-house corporate meeting planner, one of the executive assistants used to call me “everybody’s mamma.”  Whether it was purchasing new jeans for the CEO because he forgot his, ordering a low-salt meal for the executive vice president with a heart condition, finding hotel rooms for 30 sales staff stranded in Dallas due to bad weather, or getting the vice president of marketing to the hospital when she was sick at an event, I responded to everyone’s needs and wants. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, all of these incidents (except the CEO’s jeans) fall under my responsibilities as an event planner in what is termed…

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The Danube River
Traveling

Adventures in Budapest

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Earlier this month, after speaking at the MPI European Meetings & Events Congress in Krakow, Poland, I took the opportunity to visit Budapest, Hungary. Wow! I fell in love from the moment I saw the view above.  Taken from atop Gellért Hill, which was named after bishop Gellért who was thrown to death from the hill by pagans in the fight against Christianity, my guide Peter Gömöri, director of Welcome Touristic Budapest, said he wanted to give me the best panoramic view and of the city before we started touring the city. The Hill, along with the Banks of the Danube area, has been listed as…

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Meetings & Events

Some Food For Thought Before the Philippines MICE Conference

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I’m writing this on a 16-hour plane ride to Manila, where I will present my “Food For Thought” session at the 2014 Philippines M.I.C.E. Conference (MICECON). I’m very excited to be part of an esteemed group of international industry experts from the U.S., Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Canada, who are going to share our trade “secrets” with members of the local Philippine meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions industry (M.I.C.E) and provide updates on global market trends and developments. The conference theme this year is “M.I.C.E. in 4D: Driving Passions, Developing Minds, Defying Limits, Designing the Future.” That means that M.I.C.E.CON…

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Food Allergies
Laws & Regulations

Eight Ways Meeting Planners Can Advocate for Guests with Food Allergies

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From employee picnics and business lunches to association conferences and corporate conventions, food-allergic employees and event participants have a lot to navigate when at work or business and social functions . As professional meeting professionals, we have a duty of care at all times. People must be able to trust us with their health and safety while they are at the meetings and events we plan. To justify that trust, we must make the care of our event participants, supplier partners, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors and staff our first concern, treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity and their needs. That includes ensuring…

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Jar and glass or milk, several brown egg and a six slices of bread on a plate on a wooden table egg allergies
Dietary Needs Food Allergies

A Closer Look at Wheat, Milk and Egg Allergies

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A Closer Look at Wheat, Milk and Egg Allergies In Monday’s post “10 Things Meeting Professionals Need to Know About Food Allergies” I mentioned that wheat, eggs and milk are three of the top eight foods that cause 90 percent of all allergic reactions in people worldwide. As part of my continuing recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 11-18), I’m going to provide a closer look at wheat, egg and milk allergies and where they are found in meeting menus. So many foods these days are made with wheat, egg and/or milk that allergic individuals should pay close attention to…

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Dietary Needs Medical Conditions

What is Celiac Disease?

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In yesterday’s post, I wrote about gluten and all its disguises in packaged foods and catering menus. Today, I’m defining Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity. What is Celiac Disease? Celiac Disease is a genetic autoimmune digestive disorder (the immune system attacks the body when certain foods are eaten) that damages the villi of the small intestine, interfering with the absorption of nutrients needed for good health. Continued exposure to gluten can result in malnourishment—vitamin and mineral deficiencies—and other conditions such as anemia, osteoporosis, neurological disorders and more. Originally thought to be rare, celiac disease is now recognized as one of…

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Food Allergies

10 Things Event Professionals Need to Know About Food Allergies

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Event professionals and their catering partners must be prepared to meet the needs of food-allergic event participants. It could mean the difference between an enjoyable experience or the unfortunate death of an attendee. In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 11-18), here are 10 things you should know. FACT #1 Globally, researchers estimate 220-250 million people may suffer from a food allergy. In the US, nearly 15 million people have food allergies. In Europe, 17 million people are afflicted. FACT #2 A study released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 notes that the prevalence…

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What is Gluten?
Dietary Needs

What is Gluten?

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Last month I sat in a session at a meetings industry conference on catering for food allergies. Since I had just given a similar session for the same conference (Serve This, Not That!), I wanted to see what this caterer had to say. In the session, one of the attendees asked the chef/owner of the catering company if it is possible to accommodate many different dietary needs with one menu item. He said yes and proceeded to describe a vegetarian, gluten-free barley salad they serve. STOP! Barley is not gluten-free. I told him this and he said, “Really? I didn’t…

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