Creating Inclusive Food and Bev Experiences in Association Events

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KiKi L'Italien: Oh, here we are.

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Welcome to Association Chat and online
discussion where we warm ourselves

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by the virtual fire with topics of
the day, welcoming thought leaders

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and trailblazers alike to join up in
this online home for the community.

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I'm the host of Association Chat, KiKi
L'Italien, and today we're serving

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up conversation with the Culinary
Crusader of Conference Cuisine,

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Tracy Stuckrath.

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That was

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KiKi L'Italien: really hard
for me to say, by the way.

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I'm really impressed I just rolled out.

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It was clunky, but it worked.

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Tracy is an F& B inclusion Revolutionary,
and she is also the mastermind

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behind eating at a meeting podcast.

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So this is sort of a collab cast, if you
will, where I'm going to invite Tracy up.

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She's been shaking up how
organizations think about food

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and beverages one plate at a time.

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And her big goal, her big mission
is to ensure that no attendee ever

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has to skip a meal or feel left
out because of their dietary needs.

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I have known Tracy.

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For the brilliant human that
she is for a long time now.

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So this has been a long time
coming and I am so excited to

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have her here with me today.

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This is more than just a
checkbox, but this has to do with.

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being inclusive.

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So maybe let's start there.

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How can food and beverage choices
dramatically impact member

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engagement and event success?

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Tracy Stuckrath: I'm going to give
you an example from an association

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event that I was at this weekend.

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KiKi L'Italien: Okay.

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Tracy Stuckrath: A woman put in the
fact that she is allergic to eggs.

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And she, the breakfast the first
day was served was eggs Benedict.

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And she said, okay, I can't
have the eggs Benedict, which

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you know, is the English muffin

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KiKi L'Italien: and

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Tracy Stuckrath: whatever else, the egg.

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And then there's the
Hollandaise sauce on it, right?

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Yeah.

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So I got mine with the gluten free
English muffin, which was fantastic.

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She said, okay, I'm allergic to eggs.

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They came back with a different
dish, but they poured the

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Hollandaise sauce on top of it.

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KiKi L'Italien: Interesting.

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I

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Tracy Stuckrath: can't eat this.

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KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

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And

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Tracy Stuckrath: she's
it doesn't have any eggs.

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No Hollandaise sauce is made with eggs.

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And I'm a chef.

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KiKi L'Italien: I know

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Tracy Stuckrath: this for a fact.

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And then they never
brought her anything else.

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KiKi L'Italien: Oh my gosh.

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And

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Tracy Stuckrath: so this is the opening
breakfast of a association event.

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And she's in her seventies and
she's been a chef for a long time.

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And she advocates for this
association left and right.

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And just to make her feel
excluded from that meal.

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And people came up to me and said,
Tracy, did you hear what happened to her?

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KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

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Tracy Stuckrath: And I'm like, no, but
now, so now I'm telling that story and

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it's, it just makes you feel of, and the
big word that has come up in the last

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couple of the days is othered because
it wasn't taken into consideration

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and thought through properly.

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And it, she, she left breakfast hangry.

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Because there was nothing for
her there and, cause she, she had

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also identified it in advance.

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So why was there nothing
prepared for her and done for it?

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So it really does it, and, and sitting
at that table, it's not just her.

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experience that's been impacted.

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It's everyone else at that table.

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The other nine people sitting at that
table whose experiences have been impacted

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because they're watching her not eat.

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They're watching her be excluded
from that event, from that

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meal and worried about her,

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And so it's not just making that
one person feel inadequate or

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ashamed potentially of what That
they ask for, but it's everyone

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else that is impacted by that.

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And I think that you don't feel belong,
you don't feel like you belong in

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that environment because of that.

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And I've experienced that same feeling
at that same event on in other years.

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KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Why ask the question?

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KiKi L'Italien: And I think that the thing
that we have to be aware of is, I, Yes,

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it can be difficult to figure out how to
accommodate for so many different issues.

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And definitely we're more aware
of allergies now than ever

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before, right now in the news
we've got McDonald's with the E.

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coli outbreak and all of this
kind of stuff going on, people

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dying because of this stuff.

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And yeah.

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When we are dealing with staff, when
we're dealing with we're showing

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up on site and we have servers who
maybe are under informed constantly

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we are at risk or putting our
attendees at risk for getting hurt.

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And it's no joke.

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I am happy that there's more awareness
there, but you work with associations

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on a regular basis or different
organizations and their events to keep

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people safe and to better inform people.

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Can you talk a little bit about some of
that work that you do and where do you

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really focus your attention when you're
going in and working with associations?

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I, cause I imagine that
it's not just labels, right?

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It's labels.

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But it's also so much else.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Oh, it is so much else.

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And actually I'm giving a presentation
tomorrow to an association to

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the group of meeting planners.

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And ironically, the HR team asked
to sit in on it because they want

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to see what else they can do.

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And it is it's understanding
the dietary needs.

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And I gave them a quiz and I asked,
what are the top nine food allergies and

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majority of them pick them correctly, but
some of them, did other things, but It's

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understanding what the dietary needs are

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KiKi L'Italien: and

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Tracy Stuckrath: really what
the top nine are food allergies.

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But I do it into five
different categories.

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So I do food allergies, my
finger medical conditions

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KiKi L'Italien: for those
who are listening there.

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We have hand gestures that
are going along with that.

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So there's there's a whole,
you're not, you're missing

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out on part of the experience.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Exactly.

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So there's food allergies.

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There's other medical conditions, which
would be celiac disease, diabetes.

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And then there's religious
or cultural based practices.

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KiKi L'Italien: Oh, yeah.

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Tracy Stuckrath: And then the lifestyle
preferences or lifestyle choices.

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And under that it can
be vegan, vegetarian.

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It could be gluten non celiac gluten free.

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It could be no alcohol, no caffeine,
a variety of things like that.

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And then the last one is
physical disabilities.

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KiKi L'Italien: All right.

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And

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Tracy Stuckrath: because my biggest
mantra as of late is the fact that we

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want to make sure that everybody can
eat the plate, have something in front

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of them to eat, but I also want them to
be able to reach the plate and that's

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physically meaning you utilizing their
wheelchair or scooter to get to the

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event, but also can they reach the buffet?

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I know there's so many that do
vertical buffets, which look great,

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but even just a regular chafing
dish on a regular table, it's high.

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And somebody in a wheel who
utilizes a wheelchair or

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scooter cannot reach up and get.

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And that's

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KiKi L'Italien: part of that's
part of that inclusivity.

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That's part of that accessibility
that I don't think a lot of

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people would necessarily think of.

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I don't think that they, because when you
look at the way that we it's common to

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complain about the setup for a buffet.

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Like I, I'll go in and I'll see there
are so many different things like, Oh

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my gosh, we're shoulder to shoulder.

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There's no room to spread out.

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Why don't they have the line
set up going different ways.

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But who is thinking about people in
wheelchairs, people in scooters, people

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who are having to get up to these tables.

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So it's so good that is
something that, you know, that.

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You bring to the table that you're
able to remind people about that.

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It's not just about what's on the
table, but it's also getting to

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that table in the first place.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Exactly.

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And that's what I start with, because
then it's really thinking about it's

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thinking through that and food and
beverages are number one expenditure.

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And I'm going to, I will argue with any
association who's planning a meeting, food

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and beverages are number one expenditure.

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With an AV after that, right?

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And if it's your number one
expenditure, why do we spend the

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least amount of time focused on it?

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Why aren't we being strategic in designing
it and looking at the dietary needs?

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So then that's my next step is let's
look at the dietary needs that you have

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that had been requested in the past.

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How do you incorporate those into
the overall menu So there are no

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other plates having to be designed.

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And then, and when is that
conversation being had?

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Is it being, it should be in the RFP.

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It should be in your site visits,
having conversations with chefs.

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And it should be through the entire
planning process so that you, because

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those dietary needs as registrations
come in, you have to really think through

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how you're going to incorporate that.

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And then.

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Especially if you have different
food functions and some people are,

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you're going to, you're going to
one and I'm going to another and

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yeah, I don't want to order food for
you that you're not going to eat.

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We, in the labeling.

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KiKi L'Italien: Yeah, we were just,
we just actually we didn't really get

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a chance to see each other at IMAX.

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We were just at the same event and
you were busy and talking and teaching

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about all of these different things.

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One of the things that I
am constantly impressed.

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So I'm going to start with when I'm
hearing you talk and I'm learning

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from you listening to your podcast
is you bring real life stories, real

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life examples into our awareness.

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Or and I'm constantly learning about that.

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So recently you were talking
about the Disney story.

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So can you maybe share a little
bit about that and some lessons

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that people can get from that,
torn from the headlines, ripped.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Yep, exactly.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Law and order, but with a different twist.

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So a year ago this month a doctor from
New York went to Disney and she and her

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husband did a lot of research on where
they were going to eat because she has an

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allergy to milk and an allergy to nuts.

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KiKi L'Italien: And

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Tracy Stuckrath: so they did
their due diligence and Disney.

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Has a reputation for being very good
and managing food allergies in the food

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allergy world And our community and so
they did their due diligence and they

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went to this restaurant called raglan road
and informed the server of her allergies.

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I think she also informed
before she got there as well.

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Need to confirm that, but went over the
menu multiple times with the server, asked

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the question before when it was plated and
put in front of her, are there no nuts?

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Are there no milk?

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And they said, we guarantee
there's none of that in here.

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She ate the meal.

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Within an hour, she wasn't feeling well.

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She administered herself an EpiPen
and unfortunately passed away.

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And she had gone off with her hut.

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She was with her mother and her
husband had gone off somewhere else.

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So she was with her mom.

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When this happened, she
administered the EpiPen herself.

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And so her husband finds out
later that she's passed away.

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And so what has come of it?

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He filed a wrongful
death suit in February.

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And I think just to get the awareness of
what happened, not for exorbitant, things.

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KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

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Tracy Stuckrath: Disney came back
and said in, in April, I believe

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that they were just the landlord.

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They had nothing to do with this.

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And it was the restaurant's
responsibility.

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The restaurant now has a big
sign on their thing that says,

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Hey, we're not a nut free.

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We're not a milk free,
allergen free environment.

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And then in August of this year,
Disney came back and said he signed

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up for a free one month trial
of Disney plus four years ago.

232
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And in that contract of terms and
conditions, it says you cannot sue us.

233
00:11:31,119 --> 00:11:32,509
You can only go to arbitration,

234
00:11:32,669 --> 00:11:35,689
KiKi L'Italien: which by the way, guys,
if we're thinking about this you're like,

235
00:11:35,689 --> 00:11:37,489
Oh yeah, I'm going to have Disney plus.

236
00:11:37,509 --> 00:11:41,399
And you're not thinking that you're
signing away your rights to sue every

237
00:11:41,509 --> 00:11:42,649
Tracy Stuckrath: single thing ever

238
00:11:42,659 --> 00:11:44,479
KiKi L'Italien: related
to Disney, which is crazy.

239
00:11:44,529 --> 00:11:44,879
But that was

240
00:11:45,009 --> 00:11:45,449
Tracy Stuckrath: dismissed.

241
00:11:45,449 --> 00:11:45,689
Wasn't it?

242
00:11:45,739 --> 00:11:46,539
Didn't they like.

243
00:11:46,929 --> 00:11:49,819
They pulled it back a week later
because I think everybody picked it up.

244
00:11:50,269 --> 00:11:54,039
So in my conversation on eating
in a meeting, I had a disability

245
00:11:54,039 --> 00:11:55,409
rights attorney, Mary Vargas.

246
00:11:56,019 --> 00:12:00,589
I had Ryan Gambala, who is
represents restaurants and hotels.

247
00:12:00,809 --> 00:12:02,299
In their food safety practices.

248
00:12:03,129 --> 00:12:08,549
And then I had Joshua Grimes from
our world of meeting event and events

249
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and representing the meeting planner.

250
00:12:10,089 --> 00:12:13,029
And so we had this really thoughtful
conversation and none of them are

251
00:12:13,029 --> 00:12:16,619
related to the case, but we really
talked about it from three different

252
00:12:16,619 --> 00:12:21,549
angles of how this impacts meetings and
events, and I really do think, because

253
00:12:21,549 --> 00:12:25,919
it is going to go to court, I really do
think it's going to have an impact and

254
00:12:26,349 --> 00:12:28,719
while they weren't attending an event.

255
00:12:29,309 --> 00:12:30,739
She did do the right thing.

256
00:12:30,779 --> 00:12:34,789
She notified the restaurant that
she was, she has food allergy.

257
00:12:35,339 --> 00:12:39,619
She went over it again with the chef or
the server when it was presented to her.

258
00:12:40,169 --> 00:12:43,939
And so that is meeting professionals
and association professionals.

259
00:12:43,939 --> 00:12:47,239
If you're asking these questions,
what are you doing following

260
00:12:47,309 --> 00:12:48,519
up with your catering partners?

261
00:12:48,519 --> 00:12:50,759
Because you are their voice.

262
00:12:51,234 --> 00:12:56,074
You're asking the question, which you
should for financial reasons and whatever.

263
00:12:56,454 --> 00:12:59,714
You should be asking the questions,
but then you are the conduit

264
00:12:59,744 --> 00:13:00,994
to making sure that happens.

265
00:13:01,704 --> 00:13:04,194
And so what questions are you asking?

266
00:13:04,194 --> 00:13:08,244
If you're catering partners, what,
how are you asking about labeling?

267
00:13:08,254 --> 00:13:10,224
Are they labeling everything accurately?

268
00:13:10,224 --> 00:13:11,664
What are those labels done?

269
00:13:11,774 --> 00:13:12,964
Can you proof them?

270
00:13:13,184 --> 00:13:15,654
And not that you are the
end all be all the chef is.

271
00:13:16,134 --> 00:13:19,684
But it also comes down to service
practice, service methods, cooking

272
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KiKi L'Italien: methods.

273
00:13:20,424 --> 00:13:22,004
And you like to get back there.

274
00:13:22,004 --> 00:13:26,334
I'm sorry if I'm pointing at him
like that, you like to get back there

275
00:13:26,344 --> 00:13:28,504
and if you can, I know how you are.

276
00:13:28,514 --> 00:13:35,294
You love to teach that team and
make sure that they are educated so

277
00:13:35,334 --> 00:13:36,864
they know what goes into this sauce.

278
00:13:36,864 --> 00:13:36,924
Thank you.

279
00:13:37,169 --> 00:13:39,879
So they know where there
are potential allergens.

280
00:13:40,149 --> 00:13:42,799
I want to bring over a
comment I saw from someone.

281
00:13:43,079 --> 00:13:44,219
Oh, it's covering us up.

282
00:13:44,239 --> 00:13:46,179
Let me shrink our little heads over here.

283
00:13:46,459 --> 00:13:49,039
Those of you who are listening,
I'm doing something visually.

284
00:13:49,059 --> 00:13:53,479
So like I'm bringing up this comment
from Dan, who says as a host, as a

285
00:13:53,479 --> 00:13:55,909
hospitality professional, you are correct.

286
00:13:56,459 --> 00:14:01,589
And it is not that hard to create
menus that are inclusive of most

287
00:14:01,589 --> 00:14:05,219
dietary requests, or at least have
viable options ready to serve.

288
00:14:05,269 --> 00:14:07,579
, the requests will only grow in the future.

289
00:14:07,639 --> 00:14:09,019
Thanks for covering this.

290
00:14:09,169 --> 00:14:11,299
Thank you, Dan, actually,
for finding this.

291
00:14:11,299 --> 00:14:11,449
Dean.

292
00:14:11,499 --> 00:14:12,519
Tracy Stuckrath: It is growing.

293
00:14:12,519 --> 00:14:14,949
There are 13 million Americans.

294
00:14:15,519 --> 00:14:18,909
with food allergies and 26
million of them are adults.

295
00:14:19,619 --> 00:14:20,009
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

296
00:14:20,469 --> 00:14:23,229
Tracy Stuckrath: And and that means only
7 million of them are kids, but those

297
00:14:23,239 --> 00:14:29,889
kids grew up to be adults and adults are
having more adult onset food allergies.

298
00:14:29,899 --> 00:14:34,299
And so it's not something
that's going to go away.

299
00:14:34,559 --> 00:14:39,309
And and it's even that, the story
that I told at the very beginning, not

300
00:14:39,309 --> 00:14:42,559
taking into consideration that, Hey,
Hollandaise sauce is made with eggs.

301
00:14:43,034 --> 00:14:43,444
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

302
00:14:43,924 --> 00:14:45,984
Tracy Stuckrath: And thinking
through that entire process.

303
00:14:46,414 --> 00:14:49,894
And even an example of an
event I did, I manage food and

304
00:14:49,904 --> 00:14:51,224
beverage for clients as well.

305
00:14:51,254 --> 00:14:54,084
So I will come on in and plan
their whole menu and their budget

306
00:14:54,104 --> 00:14:55,214
and then manage it on site.

307
00:14:56,154 --> 00:15:00,634
And they had, one of the menus
said like it was a Peppadoo

308
00:15:00,654 --> 00:15:02,294
pepper stuffed with goat cheese.

309
00:15:02,754 --> 00:15:05,074
And then when it came
out, it was on a crostini.

310
00:15:05,794 --> 00:15:08,654
I'm like, one, why do you need
to put it out on a crostini?

311
00:15:08,654 --> 00:15:10,494
A Peppadoo pepper can
sit by itself, right?

312
00:15:10,574 --> 00:15:10,924
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

313
00:15:10,954 --> 00:15:12,894
Tracy Stuckrath: But
nowhere in the description.

314
00:15:13,444 --> 00:15:15,024
Did it say that it was served on bread?

315
00:15:15,444 --> 00:15:18,784
And so you confirmed that it was
gluten free, but then you now

316
00:15:18,784 --> 00:15:20,324
served it on a crusty gluten.

317
00:15:20,874 --> 00:15:27,394
So that whole, where's the chef's
conversation across the board to making

318
00:15:27,394 --> 00:15:32,144
sure that those, because the sales teams,
they are the ones that print the menus.

319
00:15:32,144 --> 00:15:32,204
Yeah.

320
00:15:32,964 --> 00:15:33,274
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

321
00:15:33,334 --> 00:15:33,614
Tracy Stuckrath: Yeah.

322
00:15:33,624 --> 00:15:37,974
And so there's a really big disconnect
from the catering team and I'm going

323
00:15:37,974 --> 00:15:41,644
to say in the most, in most instances,
I'm not going to say every single

324
00:15:41,644 --> 00:15:45,274
place, but in most instances there's
a disconnect between the kitchen,

325
00:15:45,694 --> 00:15:46,074
KiKi L'Italien: stales,

326
00:15:47,024 --> 00:15:50,004
Tracy Stuckrath: and front of the house
staff because front of the house staff

327
00:15:50,054 --> 00:15:51,834
is responsible for making the labels.

328
00:15:53,394 --> 00:15:56,944
And if it's not on the banquet
event order, or if it's not

329
00:15:56,944 --> 00:15:59,714
been checked, how do we know?

330
00:16:00,374 --> 00:16:05,124
And I've had servers, or I've had chefs
yell at me going, I make the food.

331
00:16:05,134 --> 00:16:06,714
I'm not responsible for labeling it.

332
00:16:07,224 --> 00:16:09,694
And then servers saying I don't cook.

333
00:16:09,704 --> 00:16:10,514
How would I know that?

334
00:16:11,509 --> 00:16:12,659
KiKi L'Italien: It's so frustrating.

335
00:16:12,679 --> 00:16:17,509
And cause this is really something
that is precarious like for so many

336
00:16:17,519 --> 00:16:22,479
people, especially their health and
maybe even their lives depend on it.

337
00:16:22,559 --> 00:16:27,744
And yet there's this cavalier
attitude that seems to be.

338
00:16:28,394 --> 00:16:33,604
Oh, I, I pervasive, but maybe
people are working on it.

339
00:16:33,644 --> 00:16:35,234
Maybe it's getting a little bit better.

340
00:16:35,254 --> 00:16:36,124
What do you think?

341
00:16:36,134 --> 00:16:39,154
Do you think that it's getting
any better over the years?

342
00:16:39,164 --> 00:16:40,674
You've been watching this for a while.

343
00:16:41,454 --> 00:16:44,924
Tracy Stuckrath: It is getting better,
but there's still a lot of work to do.

344
00:16:45,164 --> 00:16:49,974
And I believe, and a couple of
months ago, Sue from meetings

345
00:16:49,974 --> 00:16:51,654
net asked me a question about.

346
00:16:51,754 --> 00:16:55,664
Individuals who have long lists of dietary
needs, like one page sheets, right?

347
00:16:55,704 --> 00:16:56,064
And

348
00:16:56,464 --> 00:16:56,834
KiKi L'Italien: yeah,

349
00:16:57,124 --> 00:16:59,234
Tracy Stuckrath: people are asking
for more customization of it.

350
00:16:59,254 --> 00:17:03,464
And at an event, I think it's a little
bit too hard, but if it's a one off

351
00:17:03,464 --> 00:17:06,924
or whatever, figuring it out, you need
to be very upfront about your dietary

352
00:17:06,924 --> 00:17:14,204
needs and it, and if it's really is life
threatening versus a preference, right?

353
00:17:14,644 --> 00:17:15,294
And.

354
00:17:15,639 --> 00:17:21,529
but we need to be paying attention
to how wholesome our food is and

355
00:17:21,529 --> 00:17:26,639
how true to nature our food is
versing versus processed foods.

356
00:17:27,289 --> 00:17:28,639
KiKi L'Italien: And when we know

357
00:17:28,639 --> 00:17:32,959
Tracy Stuckrath: more about when
our food contains fewer ingredients,

358
00:17:33,664 --> 00:17:37,464
that we know what they are versus a
variety of words that we can't say,

359
00:17:37,814 --> 00:17:39,644
then it's a lot easier to control.

360
00:17:40,034 --> 00:17:40,714
So I was going to

361
00:17:40,744 --> 00:17:41,704
KiKi L'Italien: ask you about that.

362
00:17:41,714 --> 00:17:42,724
Sorry to interrupt.

363
00:17:42,794 --> 00:17:43,544
I know you're fine.

364
00:17:43,824 --> 00:17:44,274
Yeah.

365
00:17:44,274 --> 00:17:45,674
I was going to ask you about that.

366
00:17:45,674 --> 00:17:49,514
And you're answering the question, like
as far as guidance, are there some go

367
00:17:49,584 --> 00:17:54,109
to rules or some go to favorite recipes.

368
00:17:54,129 --> 00:17:56,649
And I'm hearing clean food, whole food.

369
00:17:57,129 --> 00:18:00,169
Are there some things that you tend to
recommend though, to people that you're

370
00:18:00,169 --> 00:18:02,279
like, this is going to be a crowd pleaser.

371
00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:04,889
And it's most likely not
going to kill your attendees.

372
00:18:06,479 --> 00:18:09,229
Tracy Stuckrath: I think it would
be hard to eliminate all top nine

373
00:18:09,229 --> 00:18:10,739
allergens from everything, right?

374
00:18:10,739 --> 00:18:21,285
I tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish,
soy, and I said egg wheat, right?

375
00:18:21,735 --> 00:18:25,145
So eliminating all those nine from
every single menu is going to be

376
00:18:25,145 --> 00:18:28,055
near impossible and not very easy.

377
00:18:28,945 --> 00:18:31,145
healthy or, not very easy to do.

378
00:18:31,465 --> 00:18:37,125
So looking at it from a whole
holistic perspective and trying

379
00:18:37,125 --> 00:18:41,695
to focus on foods that are whole
foods, like you said, and clean.

380
00:18:41,765 --> 00:18:48,115
We can still have the Mexican buffet,
but let's look how it's prepared, right?

381
00:18:48,165 --> 00:18:50,025
Is it a build your own taco station?

382
00:18:50,035 --> 00:18:53,780
Is it, or, and, Or is it
a lot of processed foods?

383
00:18:53,870 --> 00:18:56,800
And I have been warned by using
the word processed foods is like

384
00:18:56,810 --> 00:18:58,230
a can of chickpeas is processed.

385
00:18:58,730 --> 00:19:00,290
But is it overly processed?

386
00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:01,850
Does it have excess sugar in it?

387
00:19:01,850 --> 00:19:03,380
Does it have excess salt in it?

388
00:19:03,660 --> 00:19:05,880
So where are we looking for that?

389
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,710
And talking to chefs about,
doing clean and clean meeting

390
00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:12,778
whole foods kind of foods.

391
00:19:12,778 --> 00:19:14,275
It's healthier for everybody.

392
00:19:14,275 --> 00:19:18,532
Across the board, cause it's, you
don't want to give everybody sugar.

393
00:19:18,892 --> 00:19:21,282
Because they're going to, they're
going to get this high and

394
00:19:21,282 --> 00:19:22,962
they're going to crash, right?

395
00:19:23,082 --> 00:19:27,092
And you want people to be paying
attention and, absorbing the knowledge

396
00:19:27,102 --> 00:19:30,142
and the information that you're giving
them at the event and being able

397
00:19:30,142 --> 00:19:31,852
to do something with it afterwards.

398
00:19:31,912 --> 00:19:36,052
KiKi L'Italien: And engage with each
other and maybe not have to rely on those

399
00:19:36,592 --> 00:19:40,542
really horrible, like evening networking
events where they're like getting too

400
00:19:40,542 --> 00:19:45,902
much alcohol or too much this just to try
to keep going so that they can make it

401
00:19:45,902 --> 00:19:48,312
through the conference log or whatever,

402
00:19:48,412 --> 00:19:49,682
Tracy Stuckrath: or have to leave.

403
00:19:50,242 --> 00:19:52,602
To go get something to get their food.

404
00:19:52,782 --> 00:19:53,192
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

405
00:19:53,222 --> 00:19:56,302
Tracy Stuckrath: And so now they've paid
how much money to go to your conference.

406
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:59,882
And now they're having, and I
was having a conversation with

407
00:19:59,882 --> 00:20:00,912
somebody about this yesterday.

408
00:20:01,722 --> 00:20:03,202
They've paid your registration fee.

409
00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:04,442
Let's say it's a thousand dollars.

410
00:20:04,492 --> 00:20:08,242
And it says it comes with lunch
and breaks and dinners and

411
00:20:08,242 --> 00:20:10,002
receptions that include food.

412
00:20:10,232 --> 00:20:15,762
So if your registration fee includes
food and you don't accommodate them,

413
00:20:16,192 --> 00:20:18,962
Are you willing to give them their money
back for the food and beverage that

414
00:20:18,962 --> 00:20:20,882
they did not eat or they could not eat?

415
00:20:22,012 --> 00:20:26,852
So are you willing to reduce
your revenue, which can be offset

416
00:20:26,852 --> 00:20:28,292
by the cost of the food, right?

417
00:20:28,522 --> 00:20:32,372
Are you willing to reduce your revenue
and then send those people off site?

418
00:20:33,712 --> 00:20:34,252
KiKi L'Italien: Fascinating.

419
00:20:34,692 --> 00:20:36,542
Has anyone ever done anything like that?

420
00:20:37,892 --> 00:20:40,252
Tracy Stuckrath: There was actually,
there was a rant in a Facebook group

421
00:20:40,252 --> 00:20:44,742
this like a couple of weeks ago
about somebody, a planner really

422
00:20:44,772 --> 00:20:46,812
perturbed by all the dietary requests.

423
00:20:47,052 --> 00:20:49,982
And once she said the chef wanted to
quit his job because he didn't want to

424
00:20:49,982 --> 00:20:53,702
do this anymore and such, but she's we're
just going to send everybody off site.

425
00:20:54,052 --> 00:20:58,572
I said okay, that's a thought, but
depending on where you are and how many

426
00:20:58,572 --> 00:21:03,062
people you have, one, are there enough
restaurants within walking distance?

427
00:21:03,972 --> 00:21:06,182
of your venue to send them all.

428
00:21:06,752 --> 00:21:10,362
Are you going to inform all of those
restaurants that they're going to be

429
00:21:10,382 --> 00:21:15,142
inundated over and above their normal
lunch rush with all of your attendees?

430
00:21:15,832 --> 00:21:19,242
Two are you, are their menu,
are there restaurants that

431
00:21:19,242 --> 00:21:20,837
actually accommodate your guests?

432
00:21:21,267 --> 00:21:25,297
What if you have a large contingency
of Jewish participants or,

433
00:21:25,377 --> 00:21:26,747
so how are you managing that?

434
00:21:27,107 --> 00:21:31,857
And then that's reducing your revenue
to, it's a catch 22 and because it's also

435
00:21:31,857 --> 00:21:36,337
reducing the amount of people who are
then connecting at your event together.

436
00:21:36,467 --> 00:21:39,437
And if that's the reason you're
bringing them together, then why

437
00:21:39,437 --> 00:21:40,347
are you sending them off site?

438
00:21:40,997 --> 00:21:43,237
KiKi L'Italien: What are some of
the cool things that you've seen in

439
00:21:43,237 --> 00:21:47,197
some of the, like maybe some of the
trends or some of the I don't know.

440
00:21:47,207 --> 00:21:50,347
Have you seen any sort of innovative
ideas that you thought, Oh

441
00:21:50,347 --> 00:21:52,057
yeah, this is the way to do it.

442
00:21:52,077 --> 00:21:55,167
This is if only every event would do this.

443
00:21:56,357 --> 00:21:59,367
Tracy Stuckrath: If only every event
would label correct, would label it.

444
00:21:59,367 --> 00:22:02,537
And I say correctly, would label
with ingredients and with allergens.

445
00:22:02,537 --> 00:22:04,987
That would be my dream first and foremost.

446
00:22:05,417 --> 00:22:08,867
But I think thinking through having
stations, having build your own

447
00:22:08,867 --> 00:22:12,207
stations really helps because, and
if you're not doing build your own

448
00:22:12,207 --> 00:22:15,827
stations, make sure that you're
labeling for the allergens, but you

449
00:22:15,827 --> 00:22:18,287
can make people want customization.

450
00:22:18,477 --> 00:22:21,427
And when you do your build your
own stations, that really does

451
00:22:21,427 --> 00:22:23,207
allow for customization, right?

452
00:22:23,437 --> 00:22:26,027
Hey, I want the meat and I want
the fish, or I just want the

453
00:22:26,197 --> 00:22:27,947
cauliflower right on my tacos.

454
00:22:28,487 --> 00:22:31,247
Tacos are perfect for
making your own thing.

455
00:22:31,267 --> 00:22:36,912
But can and The people who, my friend
Murray Hall, the chef up in Toronto,

456
00:22:37,492 --> 00:22:43,722
he, his philosophy on building a
plated dish is start with the sides,

457
00:22:44,052 --> 00:22:47,252
make sure that they're gluten free
and they're dairy free, which would

458
00:22:47,252 --> 00:22:50,002
then probably make them vegan, right?

459
00:22:50,022 --> 00:22:53,322
If you're starting with your potatoes
and your carrots and whatever, right?

460
00:22:53,742 --> 00:22:56,022
And then the entree.

461
00:22:56,407 --> 00:22:57,337
is the add on,

462
00:22:57,887 --> 00:22:58,257
KiKi L'Italien: right?

463
00:22:58,307 --> 00:23:01,127
Tracy Stuckrath: And so that's the last
thing put on the plate and it should

464
00:23:01,137 --> 00:23:05,157
be the smallest proportion when you're
looking at nutritional information.

465
00:23:05,587 --> 00:23:08,837
But so then you can add the beef or
you can add the chicken or you can

466
00:23:08,857 --> 00:23:10,307
add the cauliflower steak, right?

467
00:23:10,757 --> 00:23:15,167
So that's a really good way to think
through and how to design your menus.

468
00:23:15,387 --> 00:23:17,277
And I think that's a
thoughtful way to do that.

469
00:23:17,737 --> 00:23:20,837
KiKi L'Italien: Ooh, we have
another great comment over here.

470
00:23:20,947 --> 00:23:24,167
The chef is responsible for
making sure every item is listed

471
00:23:24,167 --> 00:23:26,177
correctly, including buffet signs.

472
00:23:26,497 --> 00:23:29,037
You can't pass that to anyone else.

473
00:23:29,067 --> 00:23:29,967
You are correct.

474
00:23:30,217 --> 00:23:33,337
Processed food may not list
everything correctly or the

475
00:23:33,337 --> 00:23:34,437
ingredients checked correctly.

476
00:23:34,672 --> 00:23:36,192
by the chefs or cooks.

477
00:23:36,782 --> 00:23:40,082
The most affordable venues often
lack the professionalism in the

478
00:23:40,082 --> 00:23:41,682
kitchen due to their budgets.

479
00:23:41,732 --> 00:23:42,152
Yeah.

480
00:23:42,192 --> 00:23:42,822
Yeah.

481
00:23:42,992 --> 00:23:43,382
Tracy Stuckrath: Yeah.

482
00:23:43,422 --> 00:23:45,022
Dan I agree with you.

483
00:23:45,022 --> 00:23:50,462
I'm like, I want and an example would
be that next year I'm doing an event.

484
00:23:51,122 --> 00:23:58,267
This year, my client negotiated the day
of the week menu to, to be, 58 per person.

485
00:23:58,697 --> 00:24:00,777
And then for 2025, you did not.

486
00:24:01,227 --> 00:24:05,227
And so I'm looking at the menu and
the price for buffet at this hotel is

487
00:24:05,267 --> 00:24:11,537
anywhere from 85 to 92 per person before
the 24 percent gratuity and the tax.

488
00:24:12,037 --> 00:24:13,057
KiKi L'Italien: Oh my gosh.

489
00:24:13,077 --> 00:24:13,367
Tracy Stuckrath: Yeah.

490
00:24:13,477 --> 00:24:16,967
So the 85 lunch is now 110 per person.

491
00:24:17,687 --> 00:24:18,177
KiKi L'Italien: Wow.

492
00:24:18,407 --> 00:24:20,367
Tracy Stuckrath: And my client's
Tracy and I told him, I was like,

493
00:24:20,577 --> 00:24:23,737
just lunch increased the budget
by a hundred thousand dollars.

494
00:24:24,137 --> 00:24:25,607
KiKi L'Italien: That is insane.

495
00:24:25,607 --> 00:24:25,877
Doing

496
00:24:25,877 --> 00:24:27,737
Tracy Stuckrath: everything
exactly the same ex.

497
00:24:27,787 --> 00:24:28,177
I know.

498
00:24:28,267 --> 00:24:32,197
And so I went to the chef and I
said, okay, I can't ha lunch can't

499
00:24:32,197 --> 00:24:33,847
be more than 63 bucks a person.

500
00:24:34,227 --> 00:24:36,227
And he's okay, I can do that.

501
00:24:36,287 --> 00:24:40,757
But now I'm Dan, I'm worried about
what that $63 lunch is going to

502
00:24:40,757 --> 00:24:42,977
look like compared to the $85 lunch.

503
00:24:43,032 --> 00:24:44,582
And, but he's no, we can do that.

504
00:24:44,582 --> 00:24:46,462
We're and KiKi, it blew me away.

505
00:24:46,462 --> 00:24:48,412
They're like, you're gonna
be really easy to work with.

506
00:24:48,412 --> 00:24:48,557
And I'm like.

507
00:24:49,062 --> 00:24:49,742
Are you sure?

508
00:24:50,972 --> 00:24:53,192
And they're like, you set
out all of your expectations.

509
00:24:53,192 --> 00:24:55,172
Cause I said, I want my menus labeled.

510
00:24:55,482 --> 00:24:57,552
I want to proof them two weeks out.

511
00:24:57,802 --> 00:25:00,882
I want non alcoholic
beverage options on the bar.

512
00:25:00,982 --> 00:25:01,382
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

513
00:25:01,392 --> 00:25:01,912
And

514
00:25:01,932 --> 00:25:06,332
Tracy Stuckrath: I want, these
menus, I want inclusive menus and I

515
00:25:06,332 --> 00:25:09,392
don't know what it is, but the seat,
the general manager of that hotel.

516
00:25:10,237 --> 00:25:14,587
had seen my list that meetings
net meetings today put together.

517
00:25:14,597 --> 00:25:16,657
And he's Oh, I read your article, Tracy.

518
00:25:16,867 --> 00:25:18,457
And then chef came prepared.

519
00:25:18,677 --> 00:25:20,237
Here's where I source my meat from.

520
00:25:20,237 --> 00:25:21,657
Here's where I get my fish from.

521
00:25:21,657 --> 00:25:22,407
This is what we do.

522
00:25:22,437 --> 00:25:24,137
And I'm like, okay,

523
00:25:24,477 --> 00:25:25,617
KiKi L'Italien: this is nice.

524
00:25:25,637 --> 00:25:26,157
Yeah, that is

525
00:25:26,247 --> 00:25:26,537
Tracy Stuckrath: nice.

526
00:25:26,547 --> 00:25:28,117
So we'll see how it comes out.

527
00:25:28,117 --> 00:25:30,967
But just by that, if you
put that information in your

528
00:25:30,977 --> 00:25:33,282
RFP, see how they respond.

529
00:25:34,742 --> 00:25:35,202
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

530
00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:39,882
I wonder if that could be something
that I feel like that's achievable.

531
00:25:39,942 --> 00:25:43,122
I feel like that's, that should be
a goal for all of us, for all of our

532
00:25:43,122 --> 00:25:47,182
meetings, any association leaders
listening to this right now and

533
00:25:47,202 --> 00:25:50,192
thinking, okay, we've got our annual
meeting that we have every year.

534
00:25:50,482 --> 00:25:51,732
How can we make it better?

535
00:25:52,172 --> 00:25:58,782
This is where a great place to improve
upon and just to show your care to

536
00:25:58,782 --> 00:26:03,232
show that you are, conscientious
do your due diligence too.

537
00:26:03,232 --> 00:26:05,872
I feel like that's just the,
we should all be doing that.

538
00:26:06,327 --> 00:26:07,137
It's achievable.

539
00:26:07,857 --> 00:26:10,627
Tracy Stuckrath: I think it is totally
achievable if you're thinking through

540
00:26:10,627 --> 00:26:12,437
it strategically from the get go.

541
00:26:12,447 --> 00:26:12,697
Yeah.

542
00:26:12,727 --> 00:26:15,577
And having those conversations
and I was on a conversation last

543
00:26:15,577 --> 00:26:18,727
week, even about sustainability
aspects of food and beverage, right?

544
00:26:18,777 --> 00:26:19,737
Managing waste.

545
00:26:20,017 --> 00:26:24,037
How are we giving food to the
community if we have excess?

546
00:26:24,557 --> 00:26:25,857
I'm from that top.

547
00:26:26,372 --> 00:26:30,402
From IMAX from Trevor Liu, actually,
he said, let's stop talking about our

548
00:26:30,402 --> 00:26:32,052
waste that we're giving our waste away.

549
00:26:32,352 --> 00:26:35,382
Let's, if we know we're going to
over order, let's talk about how

550
00:26:35,382 --> 00:26:38,022
we're going to give it to some

551
00:26:38,202 --> 00:26:38,462
KiKi L'Italien: instead of

552
00:26:38,872 --> 00:26:40,372
Tracy Stuckrath: throwing
our waste to them.

553
00:26:40,432 --> 00:26:42,972
So really thinking through
that giving aspect of that.

554
00:26:43,352 --> 00:26:44,762
But Hang on.

555
00:26:44,782 --> 00:26:45,782
I'm just processing

556
00:26:45,782 --> 00:26:47,512
KiKi L'Italien: what you just
said, because that is such a

557
00:26:47,532 --> 00:26:49,942
great, that's the power of words.

558
00:26:49,982 --> 00:26:52,122
That's the power by changing your words.

559
00:26:52,122 --> 00:26:56,762
And everyone, if you are not
following Trevor Lou, he is amazing.

560
00:26:57,232 --> 00:27:02,332
Restaurant tour dedicated events,
professional just a fascinating

561
00:27:02,332 --> 00:27:06,122
human, but and he has a cookbook and
you can like, you can get that too.

562
00:27:06,522 --> 00:27:07,802
Double happiness, I think.

563
00:27:07,832 --> 00:27:08,352
I think so.

564
00:27:08,352 --> 00:27:08,702
Yeah.

565
00:27:08,792 --> 00:27:09,122
So it's cool.

566
00:27:09,322 --> 00:27:15,682
But anyway I love that the intention
behind the words and just shifting

567
00:27:15,702 --> 00:27:19,822
perspective, just that shift
can make such a huge difference.

568
00:27:20,422 --> 00:27:23,132
Tracy Stuckrath: Completely because you're
looking at the people in your community

569
00:27:23,162 --> 00:27:27,212
differently then and you're looking
about the people in your own audience

570
00:27:27,212 --> 00:27:33,122
differently too and thinking through
how you're going to provide not only for

571
00:27:33,122 --> 00:27:37,212
your association, for your membership,
and then for your the community

572
00:27:37,212 --> 00:27:38,337
that you're supporting with that.

573
00:27:38,487 --> 00:27:40,247
revenue that you're bringing to the city.

574
00:27:40,257 --> 00:27:43,587
If you know the economic impact that
you have on that city based on your

575
00:27:43,587 --> 00:27:47,547
convention, then you should also
be looking at the economic impact

576
00:27:47,807 --> 00:27:52,227
that your food choices make and
provide to the community as well.

577
00:27:52,907 --> 00:27:53,697
KiKi L'Italien: I love that.

578
00:27:53,707 --> 00:27:56,727
And I think that that's that
engaging with the community, having

579
00:27:56,727 --> 00:28:01,537
a better impact, really thinking
about in a deeper way about the way

580
00:28:01,537 --> 00:28:05,377
that your meeting is impacting the
environment that you're going into.

581
00:28:05,727 --> 00:28:09,457
And certainly sustainability has
been huge on everyone's minds, but

582
00:28:09,457 --> 00:28:13,897
I love that concept of giving rather
than thinking of it as throwing

583
00:28:13,897 --> 00:28:15,747
something away or getting rid of waste.

584
00:28:16,277 --> 00:28:19,997
I want to go back to the economy of
all of it and the financial aspects

585
00:28:19,997 --> 00:28:22,942
of it, because that's definitely
something that is, that's something

586
00:28:23,322 --> 00:28:26,152
such a driver of many decisions.

587
00:28:26,182 --> 00:28:31,282
And it's something I don't hear
anyone complaining or talking

588
00:28:31,282 --> 00:28:33,052
about paying less for things.

589
00:28:33,052 --> 00:28:37,182
It's only that meetings having meetings,
it's costing more, everything costs

590
00:28:37,182 --> 00:28:39,592
more, whether it's a V or food.

591
00:28:40,022 --> 00:28:43,652
So you were talking about it earlier
about how some of these shocking.

592
00:28:44,057 --> 00:28:47,457
Discoveries sad, unfortunate
discoveries where it's like you show

593
00:28:47,457 --> 00:28:51,277
up and like suddenly the buffet that
you ordered last year is, sometimes

594
00:28:51,277 --> 00:28:55,587
double, a lot of times I'm hearing
horror stories similar to that.

595
00:28:56,477 --> 00:28:57,527
So, oh yeah.

596
00:28:57,527 --> 00:29:01,447
That and like coffee was never, we never
thought of coffee as the cheap thing at

597
00:29:01,567 --> 00:29:04,197
a meeting, but it's even more expensive.

598
00:29:04,197 --> 00:29:05,987
It's a, even more of a premium now.

599
00:29:06,347 --> 00:29:09,827
What are some of the ways that you're
advising people To think about this

600
00:29:09,857 --> 00:29:11,497
in different ways to cut costs.

601
00:29:11,497 --> 00:29:15,197
Cause everyone's looking for
the, I don't know, key, the

602
00:29:15,207 --> 00:29:17,337
secrets, the tips and tricks.

603
00:29:17,347 --> 00:29:19,097
Are there any Tracy that we can use?

604
00:29:19,757 --> 00:29:23,027
Tracy Stuckrath: My biggest one is
know your numbers, like really ask

605
00:29:23,077 --> 00:29:25,347
the question, pay attention okay.

606
00:29:25,347 --> 00:29:28,527
So my client that I'm doing that
event next year, but two years

607
00:29:28,527 --> 00:29:30,057
ago we were in Palm desert.

608
00:29:31,172 --> 00:29:35,472
And he, my client said, okay,
we're going to have 450 people

609
00:29:35,502 --> 00:29:36,332
based on a registration.

610
00:29:36,332 --> 00:29:38,572
We're going to have 450
people for our closing lunch.

611
00:29:39,102 --> 00:29:45,292
And I'm like, I looked at the room pickup
and our room drop pickup went from 600

612
00:29:45,292 --> 00:29:45,862
KiKi L'Italien: to 300.

613
00:29:45,862 --> 00:29:45,932
I'm

614
00:29:45,942 --> 00:29:48,012
Tracy Stuckrath: like, okay,
that's less than the 400.

615
00:29:48,072 --> 00:29:49,492
And I know people will be leaving.

616
00:29:49,512 --> 00:29:53,562
But then I asked him, I said, how many
of those people live on the East coast?

617
00:29:54,082 --> 00:29:55,082
And he said, why?

618
00:29:55,632 --> 00:29:57,222
I said because they're
going to get on the 7 a.

619
00:29:57,222 --> 00:29:57,422
m.

620
00:29:57,422 --> 00:30:00,382
Flight home because otherwise
they have to take the red eye.

621
00:30:00,822 --> 00:30:02,002
And so they're all going to leave.

622
00:30:02,642 --> 00:30:06,872
So I ordered instead of the four
50, I actually ordered two 50

623
00:30:07,552 --> 00:30:07,762
KiKi L'Italien: and we

624
00:30:07,762 --> 00:30:08,932
Tracy Stuckrath: ended up serving 300.

625
00:30:09,982 --> 00:30:14,092
So I still saved, even though
we went over by, and it was an

626
00:30:14,092 --> 00:30:15,502
easy salad with chicken on it.

627
00:30:15,502 --> 00:30:19,232
So it was easy to redo or, and they
had extras in the back of course,

628
00:30:19,232 --> 00:30:26,487
but instead of spending 150 150 extra
plates, one that's food waste, right?

629
00:30:26,847 --> 00:30:30,027
And at what, 45, $50 a person.

630
00:30:30,217 --> 00:30:31,657
I save my clan a lot of money.

631
00:30:31,977 --> 00:30:35,667
So one is really knowing your
numbers and that's looking at the

632
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:37,557
historical data that you have.

633
00:30:38,057 --> 00:30:42,267
And another association I worked with and
that was this summer, my event manager at

634
00:30:42,267 --> 00:30:45,667
the hotel was like, Tracy, you have 500
people registered for your conference.

635
00:30:45,677 --> 00:30:48,077
Why are you only ordering food for two 50?

636
00:30:48,667 --> 00:30:52,657
We had my client, it was his first time
client, but she had historical data from

637
00:30:52,657 --> 00:30:54,687
five years to show how many people hit.

638
00:30:54,687 --> 00:30:58,057
She had actually served for
every single meal function

639
00:30:58,617 --> 00:31:00,077
from, for the last five years.

640
00:31:00,267 --> 00:31:00,987
KiKi L'Italien: Oh my gosh.

641
00:31:00,997 --> 00:31:03,037
Tracy Stuckrath: So
she knew to only order.

642
00:31:03,457 --> 00:31:07,437
Half the number of people and the
numbers were accurate on this round.

643
00:31:07,837 --> 00:31:12,567
So really paying attention to that
and it's counting the rollups, right?

644
00:31:12,567 --> 00:31:17,117
It's doing counting at the door, if you
can, or tickets, whatever way you want

645
00:31:17,117 --> 00:31:22,957
to do it, but also, so knowing that, and
then also switching to on consumption

646
00:31:22,967 --> 00:31:26,107
items for your breaks, don't order.

647
00:31:26,657 --> 00:31:31,787
Desserts for 350 people, for your
break breaks, use it on consumption.

648
00:31:31,787 --> 00:31:36,517
You will see the number of items
that are purchased actually.

649
00:31:36,597 --> 00:31:40,307
And so your numbers can come
down on that instead of paying 17

650
00:31:40,317 --> 00:31:43,597
for a break, you're paying eight
bucks by only what's consumed.

651
00:31:44,837 --> 00:31:45,947
And then also your coffee.

652
00:31:45,947 --> 00:31:49,897
A lot of the, in the, some of the Facebook
groups that are out there for planners

653
00:31:49,897 --> 00:31:52,957
have cut decaf and tea from their menus.

654
00:31:53,107 --> 00:31:53,497
Interesting.

655
00:31:53,497 --> 00:31:55,177
They're only serving, wow.

656
00:31:55,237 --> 00:32:00,587
The caffeine and the decaf and the tea
are on request and they've been able

657
00:32:00,587 --> 00:32:02,567
to drop their costs a lot on that.

658
00:32:03,087 --> 00:32:07,137
But again, it's looking
at your numbers on that.

659
00:32:07,137 --> 00:32:10,927
And then alcohol too, if you can.

660
00:32:11,722 --> 00:32:12,842
Do it on consumption.

661
00:32:13,207 --> 00:32:18,537
Like you do not want to pay
for per person for a bar.

662
00:32:19,107 --> 00:32:20,357
If you can tell,

663
00:32:20,617 --> 00:32:22,207
KiKi L'Italien: do you want to
talk a little bit about that?

664
00:32:22,207 --> 00:32:28,027
Cause alcohol, I know it has
become more and more of a topic.

665
00:32:28,027 --> 00:32:29,797
I know in the event space.

666
00:32:29,847 --> 00:32:33,397
And in finally now I'm hearing
more and more association.

667
00:32:33,462 --> 00:32:34,882
professionals talk about it too.

668
00:32:35,672 --> 00:32:41,112
What does it look like if we were to
offer networking opportunities, receptions

669
00:32:41,142 --> 00:32:50,152
where people weren't forced to just have
water or soda, as opposed to all of that.

670
00:32:50,547 --> 00:32:53,817
Mixed drinks and stuff like that
with lots and lots of alcohol.

671
00:32:53,817 --> 00:33:00,407
And this idea of the mocktail, a signature
mocktail or something to make to allow

672
00:33:00,407 --> 00:33:05,367
people not to feel othered and not to feel
like they don't belong or don't fit in.

673
00:33:05,827 --> 00:33:07,487
So talk to us about that.

674
00:33:07,857 --> 00:33:08,357
Tracy Stuckrath: Yeah.

675
00:33:08,417 --> 00:33:10,387
So that is a whole nother way.

676
00:33:10,847 --> 00:33:14,147
to think about your bar and
you can have your full bar.

677
00:33:14,227 --> 00:33:15,937
I'm not telling you to
take your full bar away.

678
00:33:15,987 --> 00:33:21,977
I'm telling, asking you to improve
upon it and add alcohol free

679
00:33:22,037 --> 00:33:24,417
options and to that menu item.

680
00:33:25,287 --> 00:33:27,577
And that could be your athletic beer.

681
00:33:27,597 --> 00:33:34,107
It could be your ritual gin, which is a
non alcoholic gin, and creating a curated

682
00:33:34,437 --> 00:33:37,837
pre batched, if you want non alcoholic.

683
00:33:38,152 --> 00:33:38,792
cocktail.

684
00:33:39,402 --> 00:33:39,902
KiKi L'Italien: And

685
00:33:40,002 --> 00:33:43,382
Tracy Stuckrath: it is, it gives
me, it gives all of us the ability

686
00:33:43,382 --> 00:33:48,152
to still walk around with the same
kind of glassware and participate

687
00:33:48,152 --> 00:33:49,572
that or have something in your hand.

688
00:33:49,582 --> 00:33:53,912
Because we all know going to a
party, no matter what, you always

689
00:33:53,912 --> 00:33:54,932
have something in your hand.

690
00:33:54,952 --> 00:33:58,882
You feel awkward without having
to do it's something, right?

691
00:33:59,752 --> 00:34:00,802
Yeah, exactly.

692
00:34:01,247 --> 00:34:05,547
And even at my event in June, this one
guy, he came up and he ordered an athletic

693
00:34:05,547 --> 00:34:07,117
beer and he had no idea who I was.

694
00:34:07,117 --> 00:34:08,777
And I was just standing there
talking to the bartender.

695
00:34:09,137 --> 00:34:10,667
He's God, these association things.

696
00:34:10,667 --> 00:34:15,007
He's I like my alcohol, but I need
to do a non alcoholic version in

697
00:34:15,007 --> 00:34:17,497
between my regular version of beer

698
00:34:18,127 --> 00:34:18,687
KiKi L'Italien: because I need to

699
00:34:18,687 --> 00:34:20,017
Tracy Stuckrath: be able to stay focused.

700
00:34:20,607 --> 00:34:24,747
And even a woman that I interviewed
a couple of years ago on eating

701
00:34:24,747 --> 00:34:26,267
in a meeting She's neurodivergent.

702
00:34:26,307 --> 00:34:27,107
She's autistic.

703
00:34:27,307 --> 00:34:28,867
She's I'm already neurodivergent.

704
00:34:28,877 --> 00:34:32,787
So why am I going to add something
that's going to impede my perception,

705
00:34:33,347 --> 00:34:33,887
KiKi L'Italien: right?

706
00:34:34,037 --> 00:34:35,117
Tracy Stuckrath: Inhibit my perception.

707
00:34:35,447 --> 00:34:41,527
But I want to say that adding these
to your venue or to your menu for

708
00:34:41,557 --> 00:34:45,512
the bars, will actually help you
meet your food and beverage minimum.

709
00:34:46,062 --> 00:34:46,692
Think about it.

710
00:34:47,002 --> 00:34:48,912
And you're trying to
meet a minimum anyways.

711
00:34:49,212 --> 00:34:52,322
If you're offering it, might as well
do it with some other things that are

712
00:34:52,322 --> 00:34:54,982
also keeping your attendees alert.

713
00:34:55,302 --> 00:34:59,592
But the non alcoholic mocktails,
or cocktails alcohol free

714
00:34:59,592 --> 00:35:02,632
cocktails, are still 16.

715
00:35:03,112 --> 00:35:03,462
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

716
00:35:03,502 --> 00:35:07,322
Tracy Stuckrath: Because they're curated
and they're so they're still there.

717
00:35:07,322 --> 00:35:10,352
And so you will still meet your
food and beverage minimum with them.

718
00:35:10,612 --> 00:35:12,172
So why not go ahead and offer them?

719
00:35:12,872 --> 00:35:13,272
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah.

720
00:35:13,532 --> 00:35:15,142
Yeah, absolutely.

721
00:35:15,192 --> 00:35:15,962
Oh my gosh.

722
00:35:16,472 --> 00:35:19,702
Tracy Stuckrath: It makes people, I
remember this is a long time ago, KiKi.

723
00:35:20,202 --> 00:35:22,802
This was 2003 probably.

724
00:35:23,002 --> 00:35:24,682
And I was at a convention in Las Vegas.

725
00:35:24,682 --> 00:35:25,802
I'm a corporate planner.

726
00:35:26,292 --> 00:35:28,072
And I'm in the booth the next morning.

727
00:35:28,092 --> 00:35:28,722
I'm there.

728
00:35:28,772 --> 00:35:29,592
Cause that's what I'm doing.

729
00:35:29,592 --> 00:35:32,142
I'm running the booth and one
of my sales guys comes in and

730
00:35:32,142 --> 00:35:33,712
he's yeah, I took out my client.

731
00:35:33,712 --> 00:35:34,822
We were drunk all night.

732
00:35:34,822 --> 00:35:37,882
We danced and then I'm like,
I do not want to hear that.

733
00:35:38,282 --> 00:35:40,232
I don't want to hear how you

734
00:35:42,272 --> 00:35:44,292
like totally got our clients drunk.

735
00:35:44,562 --> 00:35:45,822
And you think that's awesome.

736
00:35:46,892 --> 00:35:50,142
And because you should be
alert, you should be on time

737
00:35:50,142 --> 00:35:51,082
in the booth the next day.

738
00:35:51,082 --> 00:35:52,262
You should be selling the booth.

739
00:35:52,262 --> 00:35:55,772
You should be selling our products
and I don't want you to be in.

740
00:35:56,322 --> 00:35:58,192
Discombobulated from the alcohol.

741
00:35:58,362 --> 00:36:02,462
KiKi L'Italien: And I think that, this
is venturing into some other topics,

742
00:36:02,462 --> 00:36:07,092
but I think that we've become more aware
of some of the horrible things that

743
00:36:07,092 --> 00:36:14,092
can happen when too much alcohol is
consumed at our events and the liability.

744
00:36:14,247 --> 00:36:16,787
of because we have such a responsibility.

745
00:36:16,787 --> 00:36:22,857
We associations, we organizations hosting
these events have a responsibility for

746
00:36:22,857 --> 00:36:30,847
the safety and care of our, attendees and
over consumption of alcohol, obviously.

747
00:36:30,932 --> 00:36:36,332
Leads to a lot of different complications
and not the least of which is sometimes

748
00:36:36,332 --> 00:36:38,432
assaults and things like that can happen.

749
00:36:38,452 --> 00:36:43,072
And so that's also something I feel like
there's more awareness around it now.

750
00:36:43,082 --> 00:36:47,392
It's something where I even think
that younger generations are coming

751
00:36:47,412 --> 00:36:52,482
into the workplace are not as I
don't want to say like party hardy.

752
00:36:52,482 --> 00:36:56,622
I sound so old, but like
they're not so driven to drink.

753
00:36:56,817 --> 00:37:02,817
As some of us olds maybe we're
familiar with in the early

754
00:37:02,817 --> 00:37:05,217
days of attending conferences.

755
00:37:05,357 --> 00:37:09,257
I'm not going to say that for every
conference because certain industries

756
00:37:09,257 --> 00:37:15,117
that's still happening, but I definitely
see where things like the sands bars

757
00:37:15,217 --> 00:37:19,597
and things like that, where, you're
not, it's not as focused on alcohol

758
00:37:19,597 --> 00:37:22,427
and it's more because of, wellness.

759
00:37:22,457 --> 00:37:27,287
It's more because of trying
to avoid unsafe conditions.

760
00:37:27,317 --> 00:37:29,357
And I just think that
people are more aware now,

761
00:37:29,357 --> 00:37:29,757
Tracy Stuckrath: yeah.

762
00:37:29,917 --> 00:37:33,327
And some stats to back that up
is I think it's about 45 percent

763
00:37:33,367 --> 00:37:35,922
of Gen Z has never had alcohol.

764
00:37:36,272 --> 00:37:36,702
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah,

765
00:37:36,802 --> 00:37:38,212
Tracy Stuckrath: that's nice.

766
00:37:38,352 --> 00:37:39,582
And that's a huge number.

767
00:37:39,582 --> 00:37:41,872
If you're thinking about them
coming into your workforce.

768
00:37:41,922 --> 00:37:46,362
But the other stat is like 94 percent
of people who are buying the non

769
00:37:46,362 --> 00:37:48,702
alcoholic drinks still drink alcohol.

770
00:37:49,802 --> 00:37:51,432
So they're doing what that guy was doing.

771
00:37:51,432 --> 00:37:53,872
I want to have a, I want to
have a Budweiser, but then

772
00:37:53,872 --> 00:37:54,862
I want to have an athletic.

773
00:37:54,862 --> 00:37:54,912
Yeah.

774
00:37:55,827 --> 00:37:58,077
And so he's buying both.

775
00:37:58,617 --> 00:38:03,537
And so if you can capture that 94
percent of people and not just give

776
00:38:03,537 --> 00:38:06,737
them a bottle of water, but you can
upload okay, so you're selling a

777
00:38:06,737 --> 00:38:10,677
bottle of water for seven bucks, right?

778
00:38:10,837 --> 00:38:13,152
But your cock, your beer is 12 bucks.

779
00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:17,632
So why not sell him that alcohol,
that non alcoholic beer for

780
00:38:17,632 --> 00:38:20,882
12 versus the 5, the 7 soda?

781
00:38:21,282 --> 00:38:23,942
Or that non alcohol free cocktail, right?

782
00:38:24,162 --> 00:38:24,882
I love those.

783
00:38:25,442 --> 00:38:25,782
KiKi L'Italien: Oh my gosh.

784
00:38:26,112 --> 00:38:28,165
Tracy Stuckrath: I'm so glad
that you So it's a financial,

785
00:38:28,165 --> 00:38:29,502
it's a financial opportunity.

786
00:38:29,912 --> 00:38:32,272
KiKi L'Italien: Yeah, I'm so
glad that you joined me today.

787
00:38:32,302 --> 00:38:35,172
It's just been so great and
it's been a long time in coming.

788
00:38:35,172 --> 00:38:36,612
We need to do this more.

789
00:38:37,292 --> 00:38:39,442
I love the collab cast idea.

790
00:38:39,452 --> 00:38:45,062
If people have not gone over and
followed eating at a meeting podcast

791
00:38:45,222 --> 00:38:49,242
podcast, they need to go check it out
because you just, you have great guests.

792
00:38:49,552 --> 00:38:51,972
You are constantly giving good ideas.

793
00:38:51,992 --> 00:38:54,422
And I don't know, I feel
like that's something that.

794
00:38:54,622 --> 00:38:58,452
I'm just better informed and know a
little bit more about what's going,

795
00:38:58,492 --> 00:39:00,292
what's moving and shaking in the world.

796
00:39:00,342 --> 00:39:02,262
When I follow you and listen to you.

797
00:39:02,502 --> 00:39:03,142
Thank you.

798
00:39:03,462 --> 00:39:04,192
Tracy Stuckrath: I appreciate that.

799
00:39:04,192 --> 00:39:06,052
And likewise with the Association Chat.

800
00:39:06,062 --> 00:39:08,512
I love going in there and seeing
what people are talking about.

801
00:39:08,512 --> 00:39:12,092
I'm always searching for food
conversations as well, but it's

802
00:39:12,342 --> 00:39:16,947
like I had a conversation with
a guy yesterday that runs not a

803
00:39:16,947 --> 00:39:18,657
transportation company that's helping us.

804
00:39:18,677 --> 00:39:20,047
And I'm like, Oh, but you could do this.

805
00:39:20,057 --> 00:39:23,837
And, and I love just collaborating
with people and learning what they're

806
00:39:23,837 --> 00:39:25,957
learning and what they're experiencing.

807
00:39:26,347 --> 00:39:29,257
And I'm taking something
from your playbook.

808
00:39:29,657 --> 00:39:34,147
And with my eating at a meeting
facebook group, I'm doing your weekly

809
00:39:34,787 --> 00:39:35,967
I don't know what do you call yours?

810
00:39:36,007 --> 00:39:37,177
The weekly, the AC

811
00:39:37,227 --> 00:39:37,997
KiKi L'Italien: Insider.

812
00:39:37,997 --> 00:39:39,687
Yeah, it's the recap discussion.

813
00:39:39,877 --> 00:39:41,687
And actually today we're having it again.

814
00:39:41,707 --> 00:39:44,487
It's every Thursday at
three o'clock Eastern time.

815
00:39:44,827 --> 00:39:45,157
Okay.

816
00:39:45,167 --> 00:39:49,037
And and and that's, that is
where everyone comes together.

817
00:39:49,287 --> 00:39:51,417
It's not streamed, it's not recorded.

818
00:39:51,427 --> 00:39:51,977
It's just.

819
00:39:52,542 --> 00:39:57,552
conversation, and it's usually pulling
from, we'll kick off with a hot topic

820
00:39:57,552 --> 00:40:01,922
from the group for that week just
to get things rolling, but really it

821
00:40:01,922 --> 00:40:05,922
can be about anything that the group
decides that they want to focus on.

822
00:40:06,192 --> 00:40:08,602
Tracy Stuckrath: I'm doing my first
one in the eating meeting group on

823
00:40:08,602 --> 00:40:10,892
November 1st, which is next Friday.

824
00:40:10,942 --> 00:40:14,532
And I've had a bunch of people sign up
and it, and mine's called table talks.

825
00:40:14,957 --> 00:40:16,127
KiKi L'Italien: So how are you doing this?

826
00:40:16,177 --> 00:40:17,697
So people are signing up ahead of time.

827
00:40:17,697 --> 00:40:19,507
Who's going to be there and, or yes,

828
00:40:19,937 --> 00:40:22,457
Tracy Stuckrath: I, I just put it
in the Facebook group as an event.

829
00:40:22,467 --> 00:40:25,027
So I know, but, and I gave
them the link to zoom.

830
00:40:25,537 --> 00:40:29,947
Yeah, because I do, but I want
to have that conversation.

831
00:40:29,957 --> 00:40:32,947
Cause I, we all need to learn from each
other because I am not the end all be

832
00:40:32,947 --> 00:40:37,117
all in knowing things about food and
beverage, but I want people, but I learned

833
00:40:37,117 --> 00:40:38,747
from everybody and I'm a sponge in that.

834
00:40:40,497 --> 00:40:40,787
Yeah,

835
00:40:40,807 --> 00:40:43,447
KiKi L'Italien: I feel if we're not
constantly learning especially these

836
00:40:43,447 --> 00:40:48,567
days it's just, we all get stronger,
but we need to stay on top of things.

837
00:40:48,597 --> 00:40:51,257
Just because so much is
changing so very quickly.

838
00:40:51,817 --> 00:40:54,487
That, how are we gonna, how are
we going to stay on top of it?

839
00:40:54,487 --> 00:40:57,207
And how are we going to innovate and
how are we going to help each other out?

840
00:40:57,207 --> 00:41:02,027
Where we as a collective are
solving some of the biggest problems

841
00:41:02,327 --> 00:41:04,117
that our world has ever faced.

842
00:41:04,127 --> 00:41:07,247
So how are we going to solve the big
and the small problems if we don't

843
00:41:07,687 --> 00:41:09,007
come together and talk about them?

844
00:41:09,057 --> 00:41:09,417
Tracy Stuckrath: Exactly.

845
00:41:09,687 --> 00:41:09,887
Yeah.

846
00:41:09,887 --> 00:41:14,427
And then if food allergies and dietary
restrictions annoy you to no end,

847
00:41:14,777 --> 00:41:19,087
then find somebody who, it doesn't
and figure out what they're doing

848
00:41:19,147 --> 00:41:23,047
that makes it not so annoying to
them, and and figure out how you can

849
00:41:23,057 --> 00:41:24,767
legally protect yourself as well.

850
00:41:24,807 --> 00:41:26,427
Because we didn't even get into that,

851
00:41:26,947 --> 00:41:29,507
The legal, because food allergies
and celiac come under the

852
00:41:29,507 --> 00:41:31,037
Americans with Disabilities Act.

853
00:41:31,697 --> 00:41:36,417
So providing options for them, we have
to provide a reasonable accommodation.

854
00:41:37,067 --> 00:41:37,467
For them.

855
00:41:37,477 --> 00:41:38,217
KiKi L'Italien: Interesting.

856
00:41:38,317 --> 00:41:39,187
Interesting.

857
00:41:39,237 --> 00:41:42,057
Oh, gosh, I can foresee that we're
going to have another conversation.

858
00:41:42,057 --> 00:41:42,537
Tracy.

859
00:41:42,557 --> 00:41:42,767
Yeah,

860
00:41:43,177 --> 00:41:43,827
Tracy Stuckrath: it's well.

861
00:41:43,827 --> 00:41:45,617
And so the Disney case is one.

862
00:41:45,617 --> 00:41:47,777
And then there's a case
against United Airlines,

863
00:41:48,377 --> 00:41:48,647
KiKi L'Italien: a pilot

864
00:41:48,907 --> 00:41:50,217
Tracy Stuckrath: who has celiac disease.

865
00:41:50,797 --> 00:41:57,557
And they, he cannot eat safely when
he's on duty and they, for every

866
00:41:57,557 --> 00:42:01,827
employee, they deduct the food, the cost
of food from their paycheck whenever

867
00:42:01,957 --> 00:42:06,307
they're working, but when he can't eat
safely and then he goes and buys his

868
00:42:06,307 --> 00:42:07,577
own food, they won't reimburse him.

869
00:42:08,027 --> 00:42:12,377
So this is, he's, United is
being sued under the ADA for

870
00:42:12,377 --> 00:42:13,087
KiKi L'Italien: accessibility.

871
00:42:13,167 --> 00:42:14,777
So that to me,

872
00:42:14,907 --> 00:42:19,087
Tracy Stuckrath: those two cases will have
a lot of impact on a meetings in general,

873
00:42:19,197 --> 00:42:23,247
but I think it's memberships, looking
at memberships and employee status.

874
00:42:24,477 --> 00:42:25,117
or employee.

875
00:42:25,947 --> 00:42:27,887
KiKi L'Italien: It's something
the association executives need

876
00:42:27,887 --> 00:42:30,027
to be aware of and be watching.

877
00:42:30,057 --> 00:42:31,317
Yeah, for sure.

878
00:42:31,497 --> 00:42:32,227
Oh my gosh.

879
00:42:32,767 --> 00:42:33,397
Thank you.

880
00:42:33,637 --> 00:42:36,847
I want to say thanks for joining me today.

881
00:42:36,867 --> 00:42:39,297
And I hope that you'll join me again.

882
00:42:39,597 --> 00:42:40,037
Tracy Stuckrath: Yes, ma'am.

883
00:42:40,547 --> 00:42:41,897
And you need to come on to mine.

884
00:42:42,107 --> 00:42:42,487
KiKi L'Italien: I do.

885
00:42:42,627 --> 00:42:43,627
I, and I will be there.

886
00:42:43,647 --> 00:42:44,207
I will do it.

887
00:42:46,127 --> 00:42:46,597
Okay.

888
00:42:46,657 --> 00:42:51,197
I just kicked Tracy off because
I had to, but Tracy, thank you

889
00:42:51,197 --> 00:42:52,697
so much for joining me today.

890
00:42:53,017 --> 00:42:56,877
I don't know about all of you, but I
got an enormous amount of value from

891
00:42:56,877 --> 00:43:01,417
just listening to Tracy, share her
stories and give us examples about ways

892
00:43:01,427 --> 00:43:05,057
that we can improve some of the things
that are happening at our meetings when

893
00:43:05,057 --> 00:43:05,792
we're eating, drinking, and sleeping.

894
00:43:05,962 --> 00:43:06,792
At a meeting.

895
00:43:06,792 --> 00:43:12,012
So please follow Tracy's podcast, join
her Facebook group, go be a part of

896
00:43:12,012 --> 00:43:13,442
these conversations that she's starting.

897
00:43:13,442 --> 00:43:14,912
Cause I think that they're
going to be really good.

898
00:43:15,292 --> 00:43:19,152
And as always keep asking
questions to learn every day.

899
00:43:19,332 --> 00:43:20,102
Why?

900
00:43:20,172 --> 00:43:24,492
Because as Joseph Campbell once
said, the cave you fear to enter

901
00:43:24,952 --> 00:43:27,452
holds the treasure you seek.

902
00:43:28,162 --> 00:43:30,712
Have a great rest of the week, everyone.