Conferences and Special Diets

[Beavs]

Indulge me. I am serving on one of the many planning committees for a professional association and I am curious how people with special diets (vegan, clean, celiac, etc, etc) handle eating at conferences, particularly if meals are included as part of the cost of attendance.
Do you call ahead to make arrangements to have a special meal prepared? DO you just skip the meals entirely and bring your own food? Have you run into any problems doing this? Have convention centers/hotels had any problems or misunderstandings in trying to fulfill your request? Have they just been a pain in the rear end about it? I'm curious if anyone has had any experiences with this.
Thanks!

 

[LauraMax]

I bring some of my own food, mostly in the form of snacks. I usually end up picking at whatever they serve (eating the stuff on my diet & leaving the stuff off my diet), & alleviating my hunger with snacks.

Also it depends on where the conference/seminar is. If it's in an office park type setting I'll bring more of my own food, if I know there's a market close by I won't bring anything at all.

 

[carolynjane]

As a vegeterian, I have become an expert at "picking around" a plate of food when I can't eat what is served. But I have noticed in recent years that it has gotten a lot better - quite often the meeting registration will include a place to check if you want a vegeterian meal or have dietary needs. If you are helping to plan a meeting, that would be one way to accommodate those needs - and not have the hotel or meeting facility staff scrambling to find something special for someone when a meal is already being served. I think as more people have special dietary requirements, that meeting facilites are becoming used to it, and I have never had problems being accommodated if I request a vegeterian option.

 

[kathryn]

Most of the time, I pack in my own food (meal replacement bars, etc. if I'm flying, more--often a cooler full of stuff-- if it's a conference I'm driving to) and supplement with stuff from local restaurants (in Québec, I didn't have to dig into my stash much--just for breakfast--because I found a great vegetarian/vegan cafeteria-style restaurant just 3 blocks from the hotel).

If meals are provided in the cost of the conference (as one of mine is), I will write "Vegan meal required" on my registration form. Unfortunately, a lot of places don't know how to make a good, vegan meal (I've actually been served veggies that were obviously--by the smell--roasted on the same surface as some meat. I had the waiter take it back and bring me something else, but since the veggies were already served to me while everyone else was eating dessert!, I ended up not eating much of the replacement and sneaking off to my room to have a soy protein shake that I had brought with me).

Funny story: Last time I went to the same conference, the organizers (whom I know) wanted me to talk to the hotel rep directly so that I'd be sure to get an actual satisfying meal. I talked to her, giving her examples of some good vegan protein sources, including some things that I saw on the restaurant menu in other forms (tofu, portobella mushrooms, lentils, seitan or tempeh---the last two not on the menu, and a stretch, but I thought 'what the heck'). When lunch came, I got a wonderful salad with olive oil and vinegar on the side....and a 'main course' that was a plate of cooked lentils with a portobella mushroom in the center surrounded by tofu cubes. They did 'ad lib' a bit by adding a piece of steamed broccoli! It looked very healthy, in a 70's 'all brown and tan' veggie kind of way, but it tasted really good! AND, I was served before everyone else!

 

[alsrnbsn]

Knowing you are vegan, Kathryn, I was especially interested in your response.

 

[Caren]

I handle convention registrations for the company I work for and we always receive special meal requests. You just make a note of it and tell the hotel, and make the servers aware that the special meals have a different card on their plate. I am a vegetarian, and when I go to wedding that are plated and there is not a vegetarian option on the invitation, I just write it in and they always accomodate me.

 

[Beavs]

Thank you all for your responses! I suspected that a direct call or note to the association on the registration form would help address the matter. We had a gentleman last year who was very annoyed that the vegan option did not include enough protein. Rather than ask hotel staff to address this immediately (so he didn't have to go away feeling weak and starving!) he chose to make a scene at the planners meeting. Perhaps his judgement was clouded by the loud sweater he was wearing. LOL! Regardless I'll be working with the association and the hotel to ensure that those with special dietary needs can be accomodated, particularly since the cost of some meals in included in the conference package.

 

[Caren]

Yeah, you will always have those that would rather complain and make a big deal than just make sure they get what they want ahead of time.

Usually, most of the hotel we work with will have really good vegetarian and vegan meals. One time though, I did think it was unacceptable when all we were given was some very dry white rice and mixed vegetables for a very fancy plated dinner. Come on, we have to eat something!

 

[Beavs]

That is pretty tacky. I'm not well versed on veganism but I have made acceptable and tastey meals for vegan friends by finding a recipe on the internet and asking for their input. It would seem that a chef would be able to figure this out in most cases and I would assume the culinary schools address special diets.

 

[bubbee33]

Great question! Thanks for being so thoughtful!

I've been a veggie for about 10 years - haven't eaten red meat in almost 13 or 14. I agree with what everyone else said, pretty much. Normally, when I go to a function where a meal is pre-planned and there is no response card (which, if there was one that didn't offer a vegetarian selection check-off, I would write it on the response card), I don't really gripe to much. You can usually ask the waiter or waitress when they bring the drinks around to prepare just a plate of "sides" (veggies/salad/potato) for you. Also, I don't normally expect to pig out at one of those things anyway. I'm glad I don't have to eat the over done, rubbery looking meat that's usually served. Functions that are serving a meal usually aren't meant to be centered around the food anyway. Also, I don't mind being a little "different". Usually it promotes a healthy talk about vegetarianism around the table - a good, non-invasive way to promote the cause. I don't understand people who get severely offended by not being offered the PC meal choice. It was my choice to be a veggie, and it's definitely not the norm. I can understand that especially since my DH eats meat!

Thanks again for the question. We need more people out there like you!