World Tea Expo & Healthy Beverage Expo Return to SoCal, May 6 - 8, 2015

LAS VEGAS, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo and #WTE15) and Healthy Beverage Expo (#HealthyBevExpo and #HBE15) are returning to Southern California in 2015 with Long Beach, Calif. as the official host city – for the second year in a row. World Tea Expo takes place May 6 – 8, 2015, and Healthy Beverage Expo is set for May 6 – 7, 2015. The two B2B expos are scheduled for the Los Angeles region after a highly successful run during May 2014 at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, where the events will be held again. Exhibitor booth registration is now open for both events and speaker proposals are being considered. Attendee registration opens mid-January 2015, with more than 5,000 attendees expected. Details are available at WorldTeaExpo.com and HealthyBeverageExpo.com.

Healthy Beverage Expo focuses on better-for-you beverages with healthful ingredients, facilitating the dialogue surrounding what "healthy" means to the industry and ultimately the consumer. World Tea Expo is the leading tradeshow and conference focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products.

"We originally planned to take the 13^th Annual World Tea Expo and the 3^rd Annual Healthy Beverage Expo to the east coast in 2015, but we received so much positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees about Long Beach and its convention center that we decided to repeat the destination," says Valerie Moon, director of marketing and sales for the expos. "Not only is Long Beach the perfect host city, but SoCal is one of the west coast's most dynamic beverage marketplaces. We know the tea and healthy beverage communities will be pleased about the Expos' return to the area and, more importantly, how the events positively impact business throughout the industries."

Rona Tison, senior vice president at ITO EN (North America) INC., a leading purveyor of green tea, says, "The recent World Tea Expo in Long Beach was a great success across the board – numerous highly-qualified attendees, a lively expo floor, insightful and cutting-edge educational sessions, plentiful networking opportunities and a picture-perfect locale. ITO EN is delighted to be part of this global industry event."

Donald Wilkes, president and CEO of Los Angeles, Calif.-based Blue Pacific Flavors, a Healthy Beverage Expo exhibitor and leader in Natural and Organic, Non-GMO, whole fruit, vanilla and coffee flavor creation, says, "It was a pleasure to share our flavor capabilities range and creative development services at the 2^nd Annual Healthy Beverage Expo in Long Beach, Calif. The Long Beach venue is a smart choice for the Expo, and the conference organizers continue to build and deliver a high-caliber trade show for the beverage industry. We look forward to attending again in 2015 and experiencing all of the business opportunities."

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia notes, "We could not be more thrilled and honored to welcome back the thousands of attendees of World Tea Expo and Healthy Beverage Expo to the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in 2015. Long Beach is the right city to host these two expos with its focus on health, as well as its numerous attractions, local businesses and beautiful waterfront."

About the Expos
As the premier marketplace and most comprehensive educational event in tea, World Tea Expo gathers thousands of attendees. These delegates seek out high-quality merchandise from the 200+ exhibitors, sample award-winning teas, and learn about the latest tea innovations, trends, issues and best practices. The event also features more than 30 conference sessions, including hands-on skill building workshops, focused tastings and technical education. Participants include retailers, tea room owners, distributors and manufacturers, food service directors, hotel food and beverage management, chefs, restaurateurs, specialty grocers and convenience stores, mass merchants, spa managers and other business professionals. 

Launched in 2013, Healthy Beverage Expo gathers forward-thinking beverage companies and professionals to meet face-to-face with key buyers. Attendees have included such buyers as Amazon.com, Campbell Soup Company, Consolidated Foods, Core-Mark, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Pepper Snapple Group, HomeGoods, The Kroger Co., PepsiCo, Starbucks Coffee Company, Target Corporation, Whole Foods Market and hundreds more. In addition to buyers, Healthy Beverage Expo attracts distributors, manufacturers, retailers and dietitians, all of whom can preview and compare an extensive range of healthy beverage options, hear from top imbibe experts, and evaluate opportunities to capitalize on this key beverage segment.

About The Beverage Group, a division of F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company
The Beverage Group, a division of F+W, is an integrated media company dedicated to providing business solutions to the global beverage industry. Events include: Healthy Beverage Expo and World Tea Expo. The Beverage Group also produces the North American Tea Championship, World Tea Academy and World Tea News. F+W serves 20 Million consumers annually via the Company's print portfolio, ecommerce stores, extensive online education programs, trade and consumer events, popular consumer catalog brands, nationally-broadcast TV programs and more, all in service of passionate niche communities of professionals and enthusiasts. (fwmedia.com)

SOURCE The Beverage Group, a division of F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company