Allergy Alert

Judging from the excellent turnout at the recent ISES Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter meeting, food allergies are a hot topic. The speaker was Tracy Stuckrath from Thrive Meetings and Events, a company she formed to educate the hospitality industry on how to successfully accommodate special dietary needs at events.

The ISES meeting was held at a new club called the Pourhouse in downtown Minneapolis, and Chef Richard worked with Stuckrath to serve each of the seven tables either a gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or  pescetarian (fish only) meal. Seafood-loving me was lucky to get the shrimp, but the other dishes looked pretty appealing as well. The point was to demonstrate that special meals need not be tasteless or unattractive, and it worked.

The ISES members I chatted with all agreed that they are getting an increasing number of requests for special meals. It makes sense: Stuckrath says that there are nearly 15 million people with food allergies in the U.S. and the number is on the rise.

Why? There’s some speculation that our immune systems aren’t as robust as they were 50 years ago, but I suspect a better reason is that increased awareness of allergies is leading to more diagnosed cases. You can’t go to a restaurant or a grocery story without seeing gluten-free and vegetarian dishes and ingredients, and I suspect it will become even more common.

The lesson for planners is to pay serious attention to the issue. Talk to your caterers and chefs; make sure they know how to handle special requirements. Ask your attendees before the event if they have any specific dietary requirements. Follow up and let them know their request will be honored. And learn as much as you can about these allergies and what to do if one of your attendees has a reaction. In other words, be prepared.

Backstage at the Gaylord Palms

When I was offered the chance to spend last weekend at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee FL, I jumped. It wasn’t just the prospect of a few days of luxury basking in the sun. They were offering far more…a chance to tour back of house, a stint in the pastry kitchen and some good schmoozing with meeting planners from across the country, one of my very favorite things to do.

On their part, Gaylord Palms wanted to show off their $50 million renovation and let planners experience the hospitality they’re famous for.

The property is a smaller, more-easily-navigated version of its big sister in Nashville. Its signature atriums and gorgeous floral and landscaping is just as impressive as the larger properties, however, and I spotted a new flower or architectural feature every time I wandered the meandering pathways.

The events they planned for us demonstrated that they “get”planners. Planners like to know how things work, so we got a tour of the underbelly of the resort, a city within itself, where the “stars” (staff) have an awesome cafeteria ($1.50 for a complete meal), a free laundry for work-related clothes, a convenience store and a horticulture department with seven full-time gardeners.

Then it was off to the pastry kitchen where executive pastry chef Sergio taught us how to make truffles (“What do you do with your mistakes?Eat them!”) and gave us a quick lesson in chocolateology. Hint to planners: the interactive cooking/tasting/chef personality gig is still really hot—and it really works to loosen the crowd. The champagne doesn’t hurt either.

Other highlights were a flash mob performance by the sales staff aptly titled “We’re Awesome and We Know It,” (use your imaginations), a Kentucky Derby party complete with betting, prizes and make-your-own derby bonnets at the new, awesome Wreckers sports bar and of course, Shrek ogre ears for everyone at Villa de Flores, the charming Italian restaurant in the main atrium. (Yes, even I wore ears.)

But the most impressive part of the trip for me was witnessing first-hand the “stars” in action behind the scenes…just normal folks going about their business but in a very special way.

Case in point: Imagine feeling your eyeglasses slip from the top of your head while sitting on your ninth floor balcony, and realizing with dread that they’ve disappeared over the railing. A “star” searches them out the next morning, and attempts to repair the cracked frame before returning them to you. (Confession: Yes, that was me.)

Case in point: a member of the group accidentally tosses out his name badge in the trash along with his truffle-making apron. Gaylord“stars” sift through the garbage in an attempt to retrieve said badge.Unsuccessfully, but they tried.

And there’s more: a gardener noticing a child’s interest in the flowers she’s potting, so she invites the child to help choose which flowers to plant. A housekeeper who smiles and says “hello” every time we pass her in the hall—four times in 15 minutes. A management type in a suit walking the halls stopping to pick up a food tray outside a door.

Now, that’s the kind of star quality meeting planners love.

Disclosure: Yes,Gaylord Palms did pay my way for this trip. But they did not make any attempt to influence any of my coverage, nor did they even ask if I was going to write anything at all. As always, my blog is my honest opinion about my experiences in the wonderful world of events and meetings.

Before You Pin...

Along with all the excitement being generated by Pinterest, there are also some serious questions being asked about copyright issues. Can anyone grab any image on the Internet and pin it to their board without getting permission from the copyright owner?

This makes me very nervous. I always take extreme care to credit photographers and/or designers for their work, whether it’s for our print or digital publications. Sure, it’s extra work to hunt down sources, and make phone calls seeking permission, but it’s the right thing to do.

A number of articles have appeared recently trying to sort out the issue. The legal waters are murky, but the main points of agreement appear to be:

·         Pinterest knows this is an issue. Their original Terms of Use makes it clear that they are not liable for any damages for copyright infringement—the user is. Still, they recently updated their terms to make this even more clear. If a photographer feels that his copyright has been violated by a pinner, he can legally go after said pinner. Be warned.

·         If you want to receive credit for your original work, watermark your images. This is fairly simple to do with software such as Photoshop and Digimark.

·         If you are downloading a photo from a website, include the website link  in the photo caption to show readers where you got the photo, and who owns the copyright. 

·         Do not try and profit off others’ work. For example, don’t try and sell an image that is not yours, or use the image to promote the sale of one of your own products.

These simple rules of thumb should keep you from getting into big trouble. But when in doubt, it’s best to play conservative. (Of course, I am not an attorney and my opinion should not be taken as legal advice in anyway whatsoever.)

For added insight into the issue, click here to read “How to Use Pinterest Without Breaking the Law.”