Eating and Conferences and Meetings

I can completely relate!

I travel all the time for work and many of the events are conferences where it's hard to focus. I also just found out I am going to have to go on the road again! Just as I was getting into the eat-right-workout routine. Hotels are fine, but the gyms suck, finding a Goodlife (my gym) means running arround or taking taxis and the eating!

ARRRGGG! Every day when we end everyone goes out for drinks and dinner together...I don't want to be rude, but It's never easy for me and the healthy choices in pubs are few! If you hear of any good tips or anyone has suggestions for confrences, meetings and travlers..please let me know!

Hi all,

I am a professional meeting and event planner so I can certainly chime in on this to maybe help you out a bit. I order catering for probably 50 events a year or more and I always try to make everyone happy but I also keep in mind that more people these days are focused on healthy food choices. Because I eat healthy doesn't mean everyone else does unfortunately. I try to make it a good variety.

However, if I do NOT have the crap food/desserts, I get way more complaints- you'd be surprised! It is a very difficult job being a meeting & event planner because everyone has something to complain about for food no matter how much time and effort you put into it and how you try to design the menu to suit everyone's needs! Good planners try their best, I promise!

I'll give you advice- you should email the meeting/event planner in advance or put in your registration your dietary concerns. I ALWAYS include a field in my registrations about dietary concerns being a vegetarian/gluten-free myself and respect everyone's choices. If you have events at a hotel, they will always be able to suit your needs if you tell them in advance and Chef can prepare something for you specifically (be sure to tell your server if you have a meal sitting in the back especially for you!).

Most meeting planners need to submit their catering orders between 3 and 14 days prior to the event (depending on the size of the event) so make sure to tell them a good 2 weeks out so they can submit your order. If they are a qualified and good meeting planner, they will hear you and make sure to have something for you.

If you are going to a really really large conference, there could be hundreds of these requests so understand that we cannot make every single person happy so plan on bringing some snacks to hold you over! Bottles of water at hotels can run almost $4 EACH! Crazy huh? I always have pitcher water but bring your own bottle!

I hope I've helped at least one person today with this, but feel free to message me if you have further questions. Good luck everyone!