ADA: What's F&B Got to Do With It?

Eating and drinking are fundamental requirements for life. We all must eat to survive. Thus, having safe, healthy and accessible food and beverage to eat at an event is a right, not a privilege. And, yet safe, healthy, and accessible food and beverage are often disregarded when planning meetings and events.

There is definitely plenty of food and beverage at meetings, but in most cases what is offered fails to meet the safety needs of attendees with dietary and/or mobility requirements.

As a meeting professional, you have a duty of care to ensure all attendees, staff and vendors are kept safe and not excluded in at events. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended in 2008 expanding the protections provided to people with disabilities under the ADA, that care now includes what food is served and how food is handled and served at events.

In this interactive presentation, we will provide a basic understanding of how the laws that protect individuals with disabilities and will offer guidance on how to create safe and inclusive food and beverage environments for all attendees.

Learning Objectives:

• Walk away with 39 ways to reduce food waste at your meetings
• Learn how understanding your attendees food preferences/needs as well as arrival/departure schedules impact food waste at your meeting.
• Understand food waste impacts your event budget