This year’s World Tea Conference + Expo – held March 21-23 in Las Vegas – was a huge success with its in-depth educational sessions, busy show floor, the 20th Anniversary Celebration, the Tea Bar, Boba Tea Experience, Devan Shah Tea Tycoons competition and awards, and the many networking opportunities.
But what did participants really think?
World Tea News spoke with numerous attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors to get their feedback on the recent event at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which was co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo.
‘The Show Continues to Evolve with New Dimension and Outreach’
“Given these challenging times, it was an absolute pleasure to celebrate the ‘goodness of tea’ and toast the 20th Anniversary of the World Tea Conference + Expo,” said attendee Rona Tison, executive vice president of corporate relations for ITO EN (North America) INC, a longtime participant of the event. “The show continues to evolve with new dimension and outreach. From the tea flight tastings to the Devan Shah Tea Tycoon competition, World Tea will no doubt continue to sustain another 20 years and beyond. With the popularity of tea in food and cocktails, it was also an added bonus to co-exhibit with the Bar & Restaurant Expo and have greater exposure.”
Amy Dubin, owner of Janam Tea and a speaker at the event, said, “This year’s event was abuzz with enthusiasm for developing a greater demand for tea in the United States. There were numerous opportunities for hopeful business owners and potential ones alike to understand the nitty-gritty of what it takes to run a business in tea. I noted several of the sessions had long lines of people waiting to get in, and the attendance was very good.”
Dubin said the show – which intermingled with the Bar & Restaurant Expo – was valuable as it delivered “inter-industry pollination.” “Putting one’s business of tea in perspective vis-à-vis the larger restaurant café and bar community carries significant value,” she said. “This is a wonderful show to attend about building a tea company – it helps to balance the dreamy romanticism [of tea] with cold, hard facts… and I’m looking forward to future shows!”
Gail Gastelu, publisher of The Tea House Times, who exhibited and judged the Devan Shah Tea Tycoons competition on the event’s NxT Stage, explained, “If the world has been sleepy, you'd never know it by the masses in attendance at this year's World Tea Conference + Expo. The Tea House Times booth was busy – non-stop – with familiar, comforting faces, who have followed along the 20-year journey of the show along with many, many new tea industry entrepreneurs. The Tea Bar, conference sessions, and all events were fully occupied by enthusiastic, happy people, eager to make tea businesses profitable, successful and sustainable in every sense of the word. Well done! Cannot wait for 2023.”
Daniel Lewis, an award-winning entrepreneur, author, public speaker and tea expert (see IAmDaniel.ca), who participated as a speaker during the event’s Tea Incubator, said, “Wow! What a spectacular event this year at the World Tea Conference + Expo 2022. There was definitely a magical sense of optimism and adventure in the air, which appears to be caused by tea lovers from all over the world that were relieved and rejuvenated by the experience of connecting with other passionate tea enthusiasts as millennials say, ‘IRL’ [in real life]. Excitement, enthusiasm, exploration and joy are the words that I believe best sum up this year’s expo.”
‘We Had Many Large Tea and Herbal Company Buyers’
Exhibitor Manik Jayakumar, founder of QTrade Teas & Herbs, was also thrilled with the 2022 event. “We were happy that we exhibited at this year’s World Tea Conference + Expo. Thanks to a considerable marketing effort by the organizers, we had many large tea and herbal company buyers visiting the show. Unlike in the past, we also had several international buyers – particularly from South America – coming to our booth and also several reputable vendors visiting the show. We will continue to support the show in the future, especially as its educational program continues to be attractive to the participants as it highlights new trends and the latest topics in the classes. A job well done by the organizers!”
Art Lopez, marketing director for tea at Finlays Americas, who presented a session on “The Journey of Global Tea Trends,” shared: “This year’s World Tea Expo really felt like a return to normal. The attendance was strong and there seemed to be a little extra excitement in the air. It seems fitting that this coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Expo. It is the people, after all, who make up this fun industry. It was great to have more people back so our industry could get together, connect and celebrate tea for a few days.”
Cody Wade, tea blogger and educator with The Oolong Drunk, who was also a speaker at the recent event, acknowledged, “I think the Bar & Restaurant Expo merging with the World Tea Conference + Expo was a success, and this became evident when flying back home to Denver from Las Vegas. On my flight back, a woman sitting in front of me was explaining to the woman beside her how she didn’t realize tea was as big as it was and felt inspired to incorporate tea into a chain of restaurants back at her home. Seeing so many bar and restaurant owners – as well as massive food and beverage entities – discovering tea for the very first time was exhilarating.”
First-time attendee Olivia Chen, co-founder and CMO at Twrl Milk Tea, revealed, “It was fantastic meeting tea industry leaders and suppliers, as well as Twrl Milk Tea customer fans at our first World Tea Conference + Expo 2022. The excitement of being able to try so many wonderful teas from all over the world and share our plant-based milk teas with everyone were definitely highlights for me. I foresee many wonderful opportunities for collaborations and business partnerships and am looking forward to next year’s expo.”
‘Definitely Look Forward to Returning Next Year and Showing Off Even More!’
Exhibitor and sponsor Darian Ahler, CEO of Bobacino – which debuted its automated boba-making machine – said, "As the sole robot at the World Tea Expo, we had a great time showing off Bobacino. Attendees were wowed by the motion of the arm and the beauty of the machine, and we were so excited to chat with them on the applications of it and explore where we might go. We were honored to exhibit at the show alongside US Boba Co and Tea People and definitely look forward to returning next year and showing off even more!"
Jakub Nowak, sales manager at Scorpion, which also exhibited, explained, “The trade show itself seems to have a lot of potential and we will be looking forward to the next iteration, its expansion and enhanced number of exhibitors. We have had the opportunity to meet many fascinating people within the industry and made a number of new contacts. We do hope that by exhibiting at the show, Scorpion will gain wider and stronger presence on the American market and will permanently enter the perception of tea, herbs and spices producers.”
Exhibitor Natalie Ben-Zur, COO of Mennä Life, shared: “The World Tea Conference + Expo was a great venue, where we had the opportunity to meet new retailers and tea enthusiasts like us, and catch up with existing retailers. It gave us the opportunity to see what was trending in the tea world and to learn how we can adapt our business model to fit those trends. In the two days of the event, we met hundreds of interesting retailers and overall were very pleased with the experience.”
Kelly Hackman, the owner of The White Heron Tea & Gifts and Driftwood Tea Company – in addition to being a World Tea Academy Certified Tea Sommelier and Certified Tea Specialist – said she enjoyed being a part of this year’s event as a speaker. Hackman presented a session alongside her husband (Bryan Hackman, founder of Cotee River Brewing Co) on “A Partnership of Tea & Beer.”
“Speaking to attendees about how my company and my husband’s company work together to create unique tea infused beers was well received from those who attended our session, and I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with in the future,” said Hackman. “Attending the expo portion of the event allowed me to make new contacts with some potential vendors, and I especially enjoyed trying several new teas at the Tea Bar. The World Tea Conference + Expo is truly a great opportunity to expand your tea business, no matter which area of the industry [or vertical market] you are in.”
JoAni Johnson of Scandalous Tea, and the chief coordinating organizer of The TeaBloggers Roundtable, helmed the popular “TeaBloggers Roundtable 2022” session – which also featured Nicole Wilson of Tea For Me Please, Cody Wade of The Oolong Drunk, and Babette Donaldson of T Ching.
“I’m always amazed and grateful for the immediate response we receive after presenting at the World Tea Conference + Expo,” said Johnson. “One participant said it was the best presentation she had attended at the expo. I thank FaithAnn Bailes [the conference and content manager for the World Tea Conference + Expo] and Aaron Kiel [editor for World Tea News] for including The TeaBloggers Roundtable in this year’s education presentations and placing us in the main lineup of offerings. Hopefully we will have another opportunity next year to provide information that serves as a benefit to attendees.”
A ‘New Life’ for the World Tea Conference + Expo
Well-known tea author James Norwood Pratt, who has served the cause of tea around the world for more than 40 years, highlighted FaithAnn Bailes, who helped make the World Tea Conference + Expo a success. “Faith was co-creator of its original 20 years ago and she has given the expo new life. Conjoining the World Tea Conference + Expo with the Bar & Restaurant Expo added excitement and cross pollination. Fun was had.”
Brendan Shah, CEO of International Tea Importers (ITI) – one of the key sponsors and exhibitors of the event – said, “We are deeply grateful that World Tea Expo could honor ITI's founder and my father, Devan Shah, by holding the Tea Tycoons event in his name. Reena Shah – our president and my mother – was humbled by her experience as one of the judges and appreciates the opportunity to be involved with the next generation of innovative tea entrepreneurs. This year's World Tea Conference + Expo provided some much-needed stimulation into the industry, and we are looking forward to seeing the exciting new developments in the months and years to come, both by World Tea Expo and the tea industry in general.”
Plan to Attend or Participate in the
World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend the World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the World Tea Conference + Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello
(for companies A to G)
e: [email protected]
p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz
(for companies H to Q)
e: [email protected]
p: (917) 258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh
(for companies R to Z)
e: [email protected]
p: 917-258-5174
Also, be sure to stay connected with the World Tea Conference + Expo on social media for details and insights about the event. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.