People with dietary needs choosing not to attend outdoor events

Individuals with dietary requirements are choosing not to attend outdoor events because of the risks they associate with the experience, according to new research.

The study by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) was funded by the Association for Events Management Education (AEME).

The risks that concern UK residents with dietary requirements include not being able to purchase food they can eat, the potential for cross-contamination and being stigmatised when trying to purchase food.

A total of 710 people with medical, religious and ethical dietary needs were surveyed as part of a mixed-method research project which aims to explore the experiences of those with dietary requirements at UK outdoor events. This includes people who have attended an event in the last 12 months and those who have not.

More than half (53 per cent) of respondents had opted not to attend an event at least once for reasons relating to their dietary needs, with 49 per cent having felt ‘sad’ about this.

Over half (56 per cent) of the respondents agree to some extent that they feel ‘frustrated’ by their experience.

The research was conducted by Clare MacKay, Senior Lecturer in Events Management, and Dr Ed Little, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at UWE Bristol. 

Clare said: “Our research shows that people with dietary needs associate outdoor events with risk, and this makes them anxious. They adopt various strategies to try to cope, including not attending, and this experience has a negative impact on their wellbeing.

“Forward thinking events organisers and food vendors can make changes to positively contribute to the wellbeing of attendees with dietary requirements and make events more sustainable.”

The researchers recommend events organisers undertake training to understand the diversity of dietary requirements and the impact of dietary needs not being met on individuals’ wellbeing.

They encourage events organisers to make a commitment to catering to the needs of attendees with dietary requirements for medical, religious and ethical reasons and ensure this is implemented in practice.

Finally, they advise events organisers to improve communications for attendees with dietary requirements and to avoid generalised statements that all dietary requirements will be catered for. 

UWE Bristol is hosting an interactive workshop on Tuesday 27 May to share the research findings and provide events professionals with an opportunity to identify how they can make their events more inclusive. Further details and registration via this link: go.uwe.ac.uk/InclusiveEvents