On February 8th, every Chipotle restaurant in the country closed briefly for an all-hands meeting to address food safety. In the wake of 52 foodborne illnesses, in nine states, five of which resulted in hospitalization, the chain needed to respond to the public outcry with a comprehensive food safety plan. Unfortunately, contaminated food and E.coli outbreaks affect every state at an average rate of one illness every two weeks. Fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products, chicken, fish, eggs, turkey; it can seem like nothing is safe. Only 18% of contaminated food is imported, so food handling and revised safety plans are…
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…