Diversity Economics @ National Foodservice & Hospitality Conference.

Executives in food service and hospitality, suppliers, community organizations, educators and the media to discuss economic impact of the browning of America’

“Diversity Economics: Turning Difference into Dollars” will be the theme of a conference to be hosted by the MultiCultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), the nation’s leading expert on diversity in foodservice and hospitality. The conference will take place on August 11 to 13, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA.

MFHA is a nonprofit think tank that promotes the economic benefits of diversity in the foodservice and hospitality industries. It works with business leaders, suppliers, community organizations and educators throughout the U.S.

“Our conference will focus on diversity economics in foodservice and hospitality. We are witnessing the `browning of America,” said Gerald Fernandez, MFHA president. “Embracing diversity pays off,” he added. “By 2005, 30 percent of consumers and 34 percent of workers will be minorities, which means companies today must have strategies for managing a multicultural and multilingual workforce and for succeeding in multicultural and multilingual consumer markets.”

Fernandez added: “As the No. 1 private-sector employer of women and minorities, the foodservice and hospitality industries have a strategic imperative–and an obligation–to lead America’s diversity discussion.”

The conference agenda of “Diversity Economics” includes a panel discussion on The State of the Industry, MFHA’s benchmark research, conducted in partnership with Coca-Cola and the National Restaurant Association.

Workshops include such critical issues as Ethnic Media: Shaping the Industry’s Image in Minority Markets, ESL: The Future of Our Workforce Depends On It and Women of Color in Foodservice and Hospitality.

General sessions will feature Diversity Economics Defined. They will also address such sensitive issues as “Minorities Don’t Tip”: Fact or Fiction, which will highlight intriguing results of a recent survey and “What About Me?” The Role of White Males in the Diversity Effort.

The conference will also feature Julian Bond, chairman of the board of the NAACP; Samuel Betances, the renowned diversity expert; and Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman and CEO of Carlson Companies, Inc. Charles Zhang, president and CEO of Pick Up Stix, Inc, will moderate a session devoted to the issue of minority franchising.

In addition, the conference will feature Fortune magazine’s most recent survey on diversity. Juan Williams, of National Public Radio, will moderate a panel of representatives from Fortune and executives from the nation’s leading foodservice and hospitality companies, including Advantica, Hyatt and PepsiCo.

Also at the conference, MFHA will honor companies and individuals in foodservice and hospitality who are role models in achieving true diversity. The Ernest Royal Pioneer Award was named for one of the most inspiring leaders in American foodservice history. Mr. Royal’s life and highly successful career as a restaurateur lay the foundation for MFHA’s work today. The Corporate Champion Award honors a company that has served as a role model for promoting inclusion across the industry. The SEED Award will be presented to the industry leader in demonstrating the profitability of embracing diversity.

For information at http/www.mfha.net