Creative Commons license in footer, below At a recent tech conference I attended, inclusivity was the watchword. And, true to the spirit of the event, registration info asked about vegan and gluten free preferences.
I was delighted that a plate of what appeared to be bagels was placed near the coffee station and labelled gluten free! I seemed to be the only one imbibing. The bagels were lumpy-looking and on the dry side; but I didn't care!
However, at the "happy hour" after, none of the food was labelled. Luckily, one of the organizers was on-top-of-it enough to make a call to the caterer, who they were able to get on the line after 5 (we all may have called caterers when about to imbibe in a lunch or dinner as others are being served, only to get a standard message machine!)
It turned out that three of the four main dish offerings were not gluten free (at least that left the tofu!). And, as nothing was labelled, without that call, it would have been impossible to ascertain.
I got lucky!
But, depending on how much "pull" you have with the conference organizers, it is a good idea to check in advance -- or, better yet -- to have a hand in determining -- what gluten free alternatives/options are available.
A critical part of the mix is the morning "continental breakfast" offerings near the coffee/tea. How many of us have swept in to an event, looking forward to a marvelous, day, only to find that the only thing we can eat for breakfast are the lemon slices meant for the tea, or the pats of butter?
What are your tips/tricks with respect to conferences?
I was delighted that a plate of what appeared to be bagels was placed near the coffee station and labelled gluten free! I seemed to be the only one imbibing. The bagels were lumpy-looking and on the dry side; but I didn't care!
However, at the "happy hour" after, none of the food was labelled. Luckily, one of the organizers was on-top-of-it enough to make a call to the caterer, who they were able to get on the line after 5 (we all may have called caterers when about to imbibe in a lunch or dinner as others are being served, only to get a standard message machine!)
It turned out that three of the four main dish offerings were not gluten free (at least that left the tofu!). And, as nothing was labelled, without that call, it would have been impossible to ascertain.
I got lucky!
But, depending on how much "pull" you have with the conference organizers, it is a good idea to check in advance -- or, better yet -- to have a hand in determining -- what gluten free alternatives/options are available.
A critical part of the mix is the morning "continental breakfast" offerings near the coffee/tea. How many of us have swept in to an event, looking forward to a marvelous, day, only to find that the only thing we can eat for breakfast are the lemon slices meant for the tea, or the pats of butter?
What are your tips/tricks with respect to conferences?
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