MELBOURNE, Australia – Now in its seventh year, MICE kicks off tomorrow until March 24th. The first two days are for the industry and the third day is open to the public. As much as 9,646 café owners, roasters, baristas, equipment manufacturers, service providers and more flocked to the Melbourne Showgrounds in 2017 to experience everything the specialty coffee industry has to offer.
MICE stands for Melbourne International Coffee Expo and is known as the largest, not-to-be-missed coffee event throughout Asia Pacific.
The event showcases products like coffee production companies, manufacturers, sellers, dealers, distributors, exporters and various other professionals related to the business of coffee etc. in the Tea & Coffee industry.
“MICE is as a must-attend event on the global expo circuit. We might be a small industry in comparison to others, but our impact is huge. International travellers see the event as one of the most important in the Australasia market, a place to do business, network, and become educated on our unique Australian coffee culture – it’s also a good excuse for international guests to tack on a holiday to a country most have on their bucket list but deem too far away,” says MICE Show Director Simon Coburn.
“MICE really does cater to everyone’s needs. From day one back in 2012 when MICE was first launched, it was established with the core purpose to be a place industry members did business,” Simon says. “Year on year, it’s growing considerably with many beneficial add-ons that increase value to our visitors, such as training certifications, hosting the Australian Coffee Championship, Australian International Coffee Awards, and Melbourne Coffee Week, but it’s always stayed true to its core objective. No matter how big it becomes, that will always be the case.”
The 2017 edition of MICE had one of its largest presence of international media with 77 registered media attendees, mostly from Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and China.
Melbourne Coffee Week
From 19–24 March 2018, Melbourne Coffee Week celebrates all things coffee. The event is designed to help the local coffee scene grow, increase local café brand awareness and also celebrate Melbourne’s rich coffee culture and history.
Melbourne Coffee Week culminates with MICE 2018.
To help visitors decide which events to take part in, the organisers have come up with a few types of categories to get involved in:
Morning Rush
Coffee deals and specials offered to start the day off with the perfect cup.
Smart Beans
Events including coffee education classes, demonstrations, training or programs to increase consumer knowledge.
Night-Time Buzz
After-hour coffee offerings like after-work espresso martinis or coffee-based desserts.
Something Coffee
Coffee is dynamic. Events listed in this category are for those outside the box.