World Tea Expo, June 1 - 3, Celebrates Its 10-year Anniversary of Cultivating the Tea Industry

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years ago, the first-ever trade show dedicated to tea launched in Las Vegas, Nev. Today, World Tea Expo is the largest and most prominent B2B event for the industry. This year's exposition, June 1 – 3, 2012 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, celebrates the 10-year anniversary with thousands of professionals for a packed three-day exhibit hall and educational conference.

In the last 10 years, more than 33,000 people have attended World Tea Expo, to meet with more than 1,700 tea and related product suppliers in more than 206,000 net square feet of space. Registration for the 2012 convention, which is expected to draw more than 4,500 delegates from around the world, is now open at WorldTeaExpo.com.

In honor of the 10-year anniversary, World Tea Expo is promoting its new "No Repeat" policy for the 40+ in-depth, hands-on educational seminars, skill-building workshops, technical sessions and focused tastings. The Expo's entire 2012 curriculum covers new ground and the hottest topics facing the industry. In addition, the can't-miss event features an updated show floor, more than 200 vendor booths, an exciting new layout and look, and hundreds of the freshest new tea products – all to enhance the tea retail experience. Attendees can learn about hundreds of quality suppliers in just three days, while gathering insights on the latest trends and sipping and savoring the newest teas from across the globe. The show floor also includes unique tea ware manufacturers, delicious baked-goods suppliers, innovative tea product manufacturers and specialized accessory and gift dealers. Overall, delegates gain wide-ranging product knowledge of the industry, discover solutions for current business challenges and network and develop new partnerships. The convention also includes the annual Tea Infusion Challenge and the North American Tea Championship Winners Tasting Circle.

"I'm humbled by our 10-year anniversary and the enthusiastic loyalty from the tea community," says George Jage, director of World Tea Media, a division of F+W Media, organizers of World Tea Expo. "The industry undoubtedly got behind this little event that quickly became tea's largest and most prominent international exposition. We're thankful for the many contributions to the show's success. We're looking forward to presenting another highly impactful Expo, to continue enhancing and stimulating the business of tea." 

2012 Expo & Anniversary Thoughts

"When founded, World Tea Expo's vision was to develop and bring greater awareness to the tea industry," shares 10-x exhibitor and tea expert Rona Tison, senior vice president of corporate relations for ITO EN (North America) INC., a subsidiary of ITO EN, LTD., a purveyor of Japanese green tea products and beverages in the United States. "It's exciting to see that vision executed through all the training and education that Expo offers each year. It's commendable how World Tea Expo has attracted all of the industry players, to create a dialogue to support the growing trend of tea. Over the past 10 years, the show has encouraged camaraderie – with everyone working together to educate and communicate to the public what the beverage is all about. Yes, we are all individual companies, but through World Tea Expo, we are all joining forces to build the industry and various expressions of tea. We look forward to our ongoing support of World Tea Expo's mission to strengthen the message of tea."

Vendor, expert and 10-year conference exhibitor Mim Enck, president of East Indies Coffee & Tea Company, which has a 35-year history of offering fine teas to retailers, says, "As an agricultural product, tea is always changing. Consequently, the industry has transformed tremendously over the last 10 years, and World Tea Expo has evolved right there with it. The Expo has certainly helped the industry get to where it is today, contributing to tea's rise. To personally experience the growth of the Expo and see what it's done for the tea community is wonderful. As a comparison, I think of the wine industry. It used to be very stringent in terms of pairing white wine with fish and red wine with beef. The tea industry was a lot like that with its proper traditions, but now we're not so frightfully serious. The tea community is playful and innovative with its approach to the beverage and the blending of teas and traditions. At the same time, we're attracting a different generation of tea drinkers, including men and college students. We're much more approachable. World Tea Expo has done a great job."

Retailer and World Tea Expo attendee Lisa Baughman, of Take Thyme Today in York, Pa., reflects on the Expos she's attended during the last 10 years. Her retail business offers more than 140 loose teas and shares proper brewing techniques with customers. "When I think of the Expo in the last decade, I think of demographics and how the industry has matured from simply tea rooms to innovative tea retail storefronts and chains. Indeed, tea has a much broader audience now. It's more available and there's a wider variety. We're seeing finer teas and loose leaf teas in the aisles. The flavored-tea world has advanced, and so have methods for brewing tea. And as the industry has progressed, so has my business. I have a deeper knowledge of the beverage and a more successful retail business, thanks to attending World Tea Expo. I'm looking forward to the 2012 Expo this June and moving right along with it, into our industry of tomorrow."

World Tea Expo 10-year Anniversary Facts
In the course of a decade…

• Approximately 6,120,000 samples of tea have been tasted – that's nearly three gallons per person – at World Tea Expo.
• Conservatively speaking, approximately 35,000 different flavors of tea have been savored.
• Nearly 17 tons of premium tea has been showcased.
• Nearly 1,000 new products were launched at World Tea Expo.
• Some 484 educational conference sessions have been taught.
• The first tea auction on U.S. soil was held.
• The first professional tea competition in the United States was conducted.
• The first tea brewing competition was created.
• The first cooking with tea demonstration by a professional chef was offered. 
• The first authentic Gong Fu, Korean and Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations were held at a U.S. show.
• More than 60 languages have been spoken.
• Seven companies exhibited since the inception of the Expo and every year thereafter, including: East Indies Coffee & Tea Company, Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates, Rishi Tea, Eastrise Trading Corp., Harney & Sons Fine Teas, ITO EN and Newco.
• Two tea buyers have attended since the inception of the show and every year thereafter, including: Lisa Baughman of Take Thyme Today, and Jodie Cohen of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

As the most comprehensive exhibition and educational event in the world of tea, World Tea Expo's exhibit floor, lectures, tastings and workshops can assist established tea room owners, coffeehouse proprietors, retailers, foodservice and beverage professionals, spa managers, hoteliers and grocers, in making key business decisions. Visit www.WorldTeaExpo.com to register and to learn more.

About World Tea Media

World Tea Media is an integrated media company dedicated to providing business solutions to the global tea industry. Events include the annual World Tea Expo, the largest and most prominent event for the industry, and World Tea East, the regional event for the northeast, mid-Atlantic and southeast United States. World Tea Media also produces the North American Tea Championship and World Tea News. The North American Tea Championship is the only professional and independent competition that distinguishes the highest quality and best tasting teas commercially available in the North American marketplace. World Tea News is an online portal that offers in-depth news, features and business insight for the global tea industry. World Tea Media is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev. www.worldteamedia.com  

About F+W Media, Inc.

F+W Media is a community-focused, content creator and marketer of products and services for enthusiasts. The Company offers a diversified portfolio of books, ebooks, magazines, events, competitions, ecommerce, education, video and more. The Company serves 20 different markets, including writing, fine art, genealogy, antiques and collectibles, design, outdoors, and horticulture. Its growing portfolio includes print and online properties, free and for-fee subscription sites, educational programs, competitions and events. www.fwmedia.com

SOURCE World Tea Expo 2012