LAS VEGAS, US – World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo or #WTE15), the leading tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products, is gearing up for its 13th annual conference program and exposition, May 6 – 8, 2015 in Long Beach, Calif. at the Long Beach Convention Center.
More than 200 exhibitors, top companies and professionals from more than 50 countries will gather to focus on business-building strategies, “what’s next” in tea, new products and distribution channels, and how to capitalize on tea’s massive growth in the marketplace.
Among the many highlights, the event will include a new “Tea Up for Health” pavilion and education track (#TeaUP4health). Registration opens mid-January.
“Tea Up for Health” – part of World Tea Expo’s dynamic and expanding program – is an exciting, education track and Expo pavilion dedicated to health and wellness opportunities.
The track will include informative sessions on the latest research and consumer trends, types of teas and their health benefits, as well as “how to” information about product development and RTDs, issues with labeling, and using the health message to sell tea and tea-based products.
A dedicated area on the Expo floor will feature tea products of all kinds that have been designed, developed or marketed to highlight the health advantages of tea. “Tea Up for Health” will subsume Healthy Beverage Expo, which had been co-located with World Tea Expo for the past two years.
“Tea is a healing and healthy element in today’s world,” said Mim Enck, a World Tea Expo advisory board member, expert and president of East Indies Coffee and Tea in Lebanon, Pa.
“There are many widely-known wellness benefits associated with tea, and many companies are emphasizing tea and health as a boon to the growth of their businesses. We’re looking forward to this new feature at World Tea Expo 2015, in addition to the complete line-up of learning opportunities the event presents each year.”
World Tea Expo advisory board member Brian Keating, blend master, consultant and founder of the Sage Group Networks in Seattle, Wash., says,
“As the premier trade show for the global tea community, World Tea Expo has always promoted and explored the healthy aspects of tea and related market opportunities through its educational sessions.
Now, it’s taking that a step further with its ‘Tea Up for Health’ pavilion and education track, to help businesses profit and succeed. Overall, it’s a thrilling time for tea, and we’re eagerly anticipating the upcoming event and its community of leading professionals.”
Rona Tison, senior vice president at ITO EN (North America) INC. and a World Tea Expo advisory board member, says, “World Tea Expo is certainly an annual must-attend for those wanting to benefit from tea’s popularity in the marketplace.
For ITO EN, the Expo and the new ‘Tea Up for Health’ program are ideal for showcasing our healthy line of unsweetened bottled teas to our finely milled Matcha green tea.”
Samantha Hammer-Mitchell, World Tea Expo event director, notes, “World Tea Expo is building on a tradition of exploring wellness and driving the marketplace in fresh news ways, starting with ‘Tea Up for Health.
‘ We know this new program will be of interest to tea and beverage manufacturers, specialty retailers, tea room owners, grocers, c-stores, distributors and other businesses that want to target the health-minded consumer through tea products.”
World Tea Expo Highlights for 2015
In addition to “Tea Up for Health,” World Tea Expo offers a jam-packed agenda that’s expected to draw an estimated 4,000 attendees. Highlights include:
- A Vibrant, Product-Filled Expo – The exposition floor features hundreds of new products and services, many of which cannot be found at any other trade show.
- Insightful Educational Sessions – Core conference sessions are designed to meet the specific needs of retailers, distributors and developers with different levels of experience.
- Focused Tea Tastings – World Tea Expo offers numerous 90-minute organoleptic explorations of tea styles, tea regions and tea pairings.
- Skill Building Workshops – These three-hour intensive workshops hone important industry skills and include cupping, blending and processing tea.
- Best New Product Awards – Each year, World Tea Expo reviews and selects the very best new tea and related products from among the many exhibitors. The winners are announced prior to the show.
- World Tea Awards – Now in its second year, this awards program celebrates the best and the brightest in the tea industry, covering a broad range of key categories.
- The North American Tea Championship (NATC) Winners Tasting Circle – This is an opportunity for World Tea Expo attendees to taste NATC award-winning teas, some of the best tasting teas that are commercially available in the North American marketplace.
- World Origin Tasting Tour – This full-day session is a highly interactive, educational and entertaining “tour,” covering the tastes and cultures of some of the most important tea growing regions in the world.
- Tea Business Boot Camp – A one-of-a-kind, two-day, intensive and hands-on program that covers critical topics facing the tea entrepreneur, such as the basics of a tea business, financial management considerations, marketing, purchasing and inventory, and Tea 101.
- World Tea Academy LIVE! – This program is a “taste” of what World Tea Academy’s online program has to offer. Attendees can participate and take the first step towards achieving industry certification.
Registration for World Tea Expo opens mid-January. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
