Annette Ott-Barnett

After decades of planning business events, Annette found herself jobless and without college experience, something most employers were now requiring, which made finding a job nearly impossible. Her first plan of attack was to become certified, and in one year, she earned three. This was still not helpful for securing work. The next plan was to enrol at the local college. Long story short, in just four years, Annette graduated summa cum laude, and in addition to her major, Bachelor of Individualised Studies: Sustainable Business Events Management, she earned two minors: Tourism & Events Management and Nonprofit Studies (Fellows Program). Almost immediately following graduation, Annette moved to Australia to pursue her master's degree in event management, graduating 18 months later amidst COVID-19. Once the borders reopened, her husband and she cruised the seven seas. It was wonderful to take a six-month vacation, but something was missing. Annette wanted to learn more. She returned to Australia to pursue a Professional Doctorate. She chose to focus on a topic of utmost importance to the events industry: Food waste. This issue has been largely overlooked in the context of business events, and her research aims to fill this gap through comprehensive research, including observational methods, interviews, and robust questionnaires with the help of event planners, food service providers, and attendees.