Food at MW2011

As we get closer to MW2011, most people begin to think about food, for reasons of budgeting and scheduling meetings with friends. For example, while the Loews, like most American hotels, doesn't include breakfast with your room, the conference has these every day. Indeed, a substantial number of conference events include food  – all the better to socialize with other delegates!

I hope my detailing these will help in planning.

Anyone attending the pre-conference Workshops April 6 will find our standard continental breakfast of coffee, tea, juices, bagels or breakfast rolls, yoghurt and granola. Morning and afternoon attendees will both be served a box lunch with a wide selection of sandwiches, fruit and desert. An afternoon snack, including granola bars and frapucinno, will be provided. And, of course, after the workshops all attendees who are in Philadelphia are invited to the Welcome Reception at the Franklin Institute where there will be a light Mediterranean buffet of kabobs and pita with dips with an open bar and opportunity to visit the science exhibits at the museum from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

On April 7, the opening morning of the conference, a continental breakfast will be served before and after the plenary and keynote speech. Lunch is on your own - perhaps at the nearby Reading Terminal Market a delightful historical food distribution center with a wide range of ethnic and local lunch offerings. The evening Exhibitors' Reception is a full dinner buffet including artisanal cheeses, antipastos and roast vegetable salads, and a Steamship round of beef, with a ticketed bar.

Friday, April 8 begins with the Birds of a Feather Breakfasts and a continental breakfast in the exhibit hall. A lunch buffet of custom pasta stations will be served in the exhibit halls. The afternoon break is punctuated by ice cream. After the Best of the Web awards, the Conference Reception at the University of the Arts from 7-10 pm will including a wide ranging meal with desert and an open bar that should keep everyone happily viewing the state of the art projects being demonstrated by university research teams all night.

On Saturday, April 9, we will begin with the usual continental breakfast. Lunch will again be on your own. The final coffee break will feature Philadelphia's famous soft pretzels!

In all these events we accommodate vegetarians (like jennifer!) and try to avoid foods with prevalent allergies or religious restrictions. Ingredients and preparation information are always available on request to those with special needs.