The 6^th annual World Tea Expo has officially wrapped up, and it continues to be one of the fastest growing trade events in North America. It would not be normal for a 6-year old to become reflective of the road he has traveled to make this milestone; the far more rapid maturation of a trade event makes it more appropriately evaluated in dog years (42). But this isn’t about a mid-life hyper-evaluation of what-did-we-do-with-the-first-part-of-our-life diatribe or run-on sentences. It is about reflecting on the continual change in the community that attends the show.

One of the best things I get to do during the Expo is talk to our attendees and exhibitors about how their business is going and how the expo is helping them (and if it isn’t what needs to change, them or the expo?). I was deeply struck by one comment made to me that there didn’t seem to be many big hats this year, and having both my father and grandfather in the apparel business, the comment got stuck in that special part of the brain where I kept thinking about it.

For those who haven’t seen the Expo since its inception as Take Me 2 Tea Expo in 2003, there has been a gradual change in the clothes donned by the average tea-expo-goer. In the early years, there were always a dozen or so attendees (usually women) that wore their full tea regalia, big brimmed hat and Victorian-style dresses. This year, other than the fabulous Miss Mille Coleman, who was a presenter, I did not see a single attendee wearing their creativi-tea on their head. Furthering the epiphany, I became aware of how almost every attendee was dressed to be taken seriously as a business person. To me, this signified that the Expo has evolved from being an annual mega tea party to a serious face-to-face trade event. (And this is no reflection of my feelings about hats.)

Over the past few years, major multi-national companies have added their names to our attendee list, including the likes of McDonald’s, Phillip Morris, Costco, Target, CostPlus and more. This group of super power buyers for any trade event only represents a small portion of the total attendance, but is indicative of the reach of the event and, even more importantly, of tea as a powerful and profitable market category.

Prior to the show, I spoke to a gentleman who had started and run a major footwear retail chain and was now looking for his next opportunity and knew it was in tea. As our industry continues to build momentum, it attracts more and more accomplished entrepreneurs with business acumen from diverse backgrounds.

At the core of our community, like that of all successful industries, are the thousands of independent business people who collectively are far bigger than even Wal-mart. And witnessing how well they were dressed, I’d like to say that you all looked fabulous!

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