Organizers Anticipate More Than 2,000 Retail Buyers, Tea Professionals, Foodservice Managers and Decision Makers in Related Industries
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (June 16, 2011) --- The tea industry is headed to Philadelphia this September for the launch of World Tea East, Sept. 9 – 10 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Pennsylvania. The East coast-focused Expo features more than 100 leading-edge tea manufacturers and suppliers, providing professionals the opportunity to discover new products, optimize merchandise, gain product knowledge and network with peers in an intimate setting.
World Tea Media, the organizer of World Tea East, expects more than 2,000 retail buyers, tea professionals, food and beverage manufacturers and decision makers in related industries, including hoteliers, spa owners and restaurateurs.
“The objective of World Tea East is to support and fuel the expanding demand for specialty tea and related products in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States, and provide solid tea education for the category's ever-growing popularity,” says George Jage, president of World Tea Media. “The timing of World Tea East is designed to facilitate immediate or near-term business for the holiday season and first-quarter business.”
In addition to the Expo, the 2011 World Tea East conference features three main programs: Core Conference Sessions, an Executive & Technical Series and a New Business Boot Camp. Each program is designed to meet specific needs, ensuring that professionals of all experience levels stay informed, knowledgeable and ahead of the curve.
The Core Conference is comprised of 20 individual sessions, including seminars, focused tea tastings and hands-on skill building workshops. Seminar topics cover the latest trends in the industry, answer current business challenges, provide real take-away solutions and debunk both tea and business myths. Focused Tea Tastings include type-specific tastings as well as advanced training in detecting defects and assessing quality, among other topics.
The session “Top Tea Retail Trends” looks at American tea retailers that are already grossing $7.3 billion, including small footprint stores located in malls and near foodie-focused grocers.
“Tea retail growth is growing significantly faster than foodservice at the moment,” says Jage. “Some of our forward-looking sessions, including a session by Dan Bolton, editor and publisher of World Tea News, assess consumer trends, corresponding changes in the industry and market-leading store concepts, and reveal the formula shared by the industry’s winners.”
In the session “Understanding the Retail Shopper for Tea Products,” gain insights on:
purchasing rates by product type; variety and flavor choices for bagged/loose leaf tea vs. ready-to-drink (RTD) tea; planned vs. impulse purchasing; price/promotion based purchasing; and product choice motivators. Another lecture offers a global look at RTD teas, including what’s hot and what’s not, and how RTD's have grown in importance and relevance with consumers today.
In addition, one World Tea East session looks at Fair Trade certified alternatives for tea and herbs. With more than 38 percent annual growth for Fair Trade certified teas and major commitments from industry leaders to certify their ingredients, Fair Trade tea is here to stay, according to the tea experts and organizers of World Tea East.
And building on the growing trend of premium tea on restaurant menus and tea as an
ingredient in cuisine, the “Think Tea in Every Menu Course” presentation looks at how many chefs and restaurants are experimenting with tea. The session also looks at how tea businesses can capitalize on this movement. Another key lecture looks at food service marketing trends and what’s driving iced tea sales. In the interactive seminar “Tea and Cocktails – Flavor Fusion,” attendees learn how to marry the diverse and interesting flavors of tea with the world of cocktails. The seminar focuses on tea types and flavor pairings, health benefits of tea and cocktail mixing and tasting.
Also of note is the expo’s “Using the Health Message to Sell Tea” lecture, which shares how to use this strategy to build business while avoiding pitfalls.
Additional World Tea East educational highlights include:
• How to Conduct a Successful Tea Tasting
• A Focused Tasting on Blended/Favored Tea
• Edible Flowers
• A Focused Tasting on Taiwan Oolong
• Building a Culture of Sustainability and Using Mindfulness in Business
• Teas of Africa
• Using Protocol and Etiquette to Increase Sales and Traffic
• Marketing Your Business Through Multiple Channels
• Building Tea Community the Easy Way
• Tea Business 201: Next Steps
World Tea East’s line-up of speakers includes:
• Lisa Boalt Richardson, Lisa Knows Tea
• Dan Bolton, World Tea News
• Charles Cain, Adagio Teas
• Chris Cason, Tavalon Tea
• Mim Enck, East Indies Coffee and Tea
• Gail Gastelu, The Tea House Times
• Raelene Gannon, tea & all its splendor
• Paulette Haber, Virginia Dare
• Dianna Harbin, certified tea specialist
• Margaret Heery, Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
• Beth Johnston, Teas Etc.
• Anupa Mueller, Eco-Prima, Inc. and Silver Tips Tea Room
• Susan Peterson, Teaberry’s Tea Room
• Jane Pettigrew, international tea consultant and writer
• Tyler Gage, Runa
• David Sprinkle, Packaged Facts
• James Tonkin, Healthy Brand Builders
• Thomas Shu, ABC Tea House
• Joe Simrany, Tea Association of the USA, Inc.
• David Walker, Walker Teas
• Todd Wickstrom, Rishi Teas
For more information on attending, exhibiting or sponsoring, visit www.WorldTeaEast.com or call World Tea Media’s customer service line for World Tea East at 702-253-1893. About World Tea Media World Tea Media is an integrated media company dedicated to providing business solutions to the global tea industry. Events include World Tea Expo, June 24-26, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev., and World Tea East, Sept. 9 -10, 2011, in Philadelphia, Penn. World Tea Media also produces the North American Tea Championship, which evaluates the top teas in North America, and World Tea News, the premier news portal for the tea industry.
Pictures from 2011 World Tea Expo, hopefully World Tea East is just as great!
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