The best tip for conference eating? See what they are serving ahead of time. The conference staff provided a list of meals ahead of time, so I knew going in I would be able to salvage something from each of the main meals (snacks not included). However, even if you are not provided with a list of meals, I’m sure you could ask for it and they would glady let you know. It would be highly possible that there would not be anything salvagable from a conference meal.
I was at our annual staff conference in Orlando for three days. It was a golf resort hotel with very few things around it, so we were pretty much confined to the hotel. I was able to make a grocery run beforehand and pick up a couple of things. I got some larabars, carrots, apples, and pineapple. These helped with snacks and dessert alternatives. The snack options this year were worse than previous conferences. Usually there would be cookies or doughnuts and some assortment of fruit. This year we had no fruit available, only cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream. Great. Those are fabulous treats for fueling yourself through a meeting. Ha. Thank goodness for the grocery run. Pineapple is something I’ve always felt is a good alternative to dessert. I could salvage something from each of the meals provided.
Breakfasts included pastries, pancakes and cereal, but also some form of bacon and eggs. The second day we had breakfast sandwiches of a bagel, cheese, eggs, and bacon. So I piled my plate with three sandwiches, ditched the bagels and got scrambled eggs and bacon. The third day they provided some nasty looking sausage instead of bacon, so I piled my plate high with eggs. I normally stay away from cheese, but some was provided, and I have to say, it was the only thing that made the runny, buffet eggs edible. Lunch and dinner were pretty much alright. Some sort of meat and other options you can work around. We had hamburgers and hot dogs one day for lunch, so I got a weiner and a patty, and again, ditched the bread. Fortunately they had salad to go along with it, even though the dressing was a little unrecognizable.
I definitely got some looks while I was scrapping sandwich contents. Or when I had more eggs than I think I’ve ever had, and of course not partaking in the festive desserts. But, I felt pretty decent throughout the three days. I could have used some more protein, but generally felt fine. One tip for any kind of hotel stays, call ahead to see if they have a fridge in the room. Ours did not, so I didn’t get any meaty snacks. However I did use the ice bucket to rig up something to keep my pineapple in.
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