One Safe Solution

Of course, one way to avoid the inebriation problem is to keep employees from getting drunk in the first place. One Ontario, Canada-based company offers a product that gives attendees of corporate events the opportunity to track their blood alcohol levels during an event.

Using its Blood Alcohol Quotient software, Ladybug Teknologies Inc. of Cambridge, Ontario, can help attendees to make informed decisions about when they have had enough to drink.

When hired for an event, Ladybug personnel will set up breath stations, the quantity depending on the number of attendees. Each attendee is given a mouthpiece that they can use to blow into a Breathalyzer.

Attendees can go to the breath stations “at will,” says Ladybug CEO Sherry Colbourne. “There's no pressure and no judgment.” Every time the attendee uses the station, the BAQ software records the time and corresponding blood alcohol level so that the attendee has a complete picture of how that blood alcohol level changes over time.

Colbourne says that every time the attendee goes to the station, he is asked to estimate his blood alcohol level — and invariably underestimates it. “People are stunned to see how poorly they judge their level of impairment,” Colbourne says. “And they're usually shocked to see how high their blood alcohol level is after one or two drinks.”

Gabrielle Clermont of Dandy Productions, Guelph, Ontario, uses Ladybug for her corporate events and finds that it not only serves an educational service, but also provides some entertainment value.

“I had one event with about 300 attendees,” she says. “About five didn't participate. Everyone was curious to see what it was all about.”

Most of her corporate clients use the service for their events. “I have one client who, because they are offering an open bar, is requiring attendees to use the service,” Clermont says. “As people come into the venue, they'll get a drink bracelet and give us their car keys. When they want to leave, they'll have to visit Ladybug. If their blood alcohol level is under 0.4, then they will get their keys back.”

10-Step Program

Arlene Sheff, CMP, a senior meeting and event planner for Boeing Co., Seal Beach, Calif., suggests that planners take these 10 steps when serving alcoholic beverages:

1. Provide pre-meeting information outlining guidelines for drinking responsibly.

2. Serve only beer and wine.

3. Provide sufficient food (avoid salty snacks) and complimentary nonalcoholic beverages.

4. Provide drink tickets to control consumption.

5. Include a dual indemnifi-cation clause in your contract.

6. Instruct bartenders not to serve anyone who appears to be intoxicated.

7. Never allow people to serve themselves. Always hire a bartender, even in hospitality suites.

8. Cut 15 minutes off your cocktail party — no one will notice, and you'll save money.

9. Close bars before the end of the event. Do not announce a ‘last call.’

10. As a precaution, pre-arrange taxi service and hotel accommodations.

Serving Tips from Lawyer James Goldberg

• Consider using a distinctive name badge for any attendee who is under 21.

• Be sure that the contract requires the venue or caterer to comply with all alcohol service laws, such as not serving minors or anyone who appears to be intoxicated. Emphasize to the venue or caterer that they have an obligation not to over-serve anyone.

• Consider a contractual requirement that all alcohol servers complete liability training. Some states mandate such training.

• If you observe an intoxicated attendee, you have just assumed “ownership” of the problem (and thus potential liability). Come up with an alternative to letting the individual drive.

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