PHILADELPHIA, Penn.
Entrepreneurs starting a tea retail business will discover World Tea East is a rich learning experience beginning with the first East Coast edition of the New Business Boot Camp.
Experienced tea professionals will find a sophisticated educational program of top-name speakers on topics from geo location target marketing; sustainability and health & wellness to a session on how to pair tea as you would wines.
An opening night reception from 5:30-7:30 Tuesday will honor Tea Association of the USA President Joe Simrany who will be presented the Cha Jing Award for lifetime service.
Previously offered only at World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, the NBBC and the accompanying World Origin Tasting Tour offers an intensive course in business management followed by a high-level tasting experience with hosts from seven major regions pouring and explaining the nuances of their finest tea.
The show annually draws retailers, tea room owners, distributors, food and beverage directors, specialty grocers, mass merchants and spa managers who will see more than 200 tea suppliers and vendors offering a bevy of new products and services.
The event is Oct. 2-3 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The New Business Boot Camp starts 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown and the World Origins Tasting Tour starts 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 1. Click here to register online.
“World Tea East is a regional trade event that supports and fuels the expanding demand for specialty tea and related products in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States, and provides solid tea education for the category's ever-growing popularity,” says Sales & Marketing Director Kim Jage. She says that 45% of those exhibiting display nowhere else.
The tradeshow floor in the PACC Grand Ballroom is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Educational sessions start at 8 a.m.
Here are some of the hot topics and speakers.
Geo Location Target Marketing
Wednesday, 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
Speaker: Susanna Reppert, Owner, The Rosemary House
Applying Big Business Marketing Principles to Your Tea Room
Tuesday, 11:00 a.m. - noon.
Speaker: Anupa Mueller, CEO, Eco-Prima Tea
Pair Like a Pro- Pairing Fine Teas as You Would Wine
Tuesday, 8-9 a.m.
Speaker: Cynthia Gold, Tea Sommelier, L'Espalier at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston
Unusual Japanese Tea
Focused Tasting, Wednesday, 8- 9:30 a.m.
Forum on the Future of Victorian/Traditional Tea Rooms
Wednesday, 8-9 a.m.
Moderator: Annelise Pitt, Owner, Thistledown Cozies, Brenda Ghorashi, Owner, The Tea Parlour
Panelist: Susan Peterson, Owner TeaBerry's Tea Room; Bonnie Helm, Owner, The Front Porch Tea Room; Lorna Reeves, Editor, Tea Time Magazine; Tracy Stern, CEO of SALONTEA
Tea, Nutrition and Health: Myths & Truths for the Layman
Wednesday, 11 a.m. - noon
Speaker: Kyle Stewart, Owner, The Cultured Cup and Neva Cochran, Nutrition Consultant
Click here for a complete list of educational sessions.
Additional focused tastings include: Making the Perfect Bowl of Matcha by Fumi Sugita, AIYA America and The Hidden World of Puer & Dark Tea by TeaSource Founder Bill Waddington.
Click here for a complete list of focused tastings and workshops.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to taste the winners of the North American Tea Championships, witness the Dragon Tea Ceremony.
The show is produced by World Tea Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Call 702-253-1893 or click here to download a registration form.