World Tea Expo returned to Las Vegas last month (24-26 March) and for the first time in several years, the show had its own dedicated space. While the expo was still co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo, World Tea had its own space on the second floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center in the front of the hall, designed to cater to the specific needs and interests of the tea community (previously WTE was located in the middle of the Bar & Restaurant Expo on the first floor). The Japanese pavilion and Restaurant pavilion were behind WTE’s space, which helped maintain strong foot traffic throughout the show.

World Tea Expo’s conference sessions were also on the same floor, making it much easier to navigate than last year when the lectures and classes took place at the back of the expo hall and required a separate entrance. There was a Grand Opening Ceremony on 24 March with a special red carpet and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the new, dedicated expo hall.

Many exhibitors had been requesting a separate space for WTE because they felt the show was lost in the middle of the Bar & Restaurant Expo (B&RE), while others were concerned that if not surrounded by the B&RE, foot traffic would drop significantly. However, the new location proved successful as foot traffic was extremely high on opening day. There was a drop off on the final day, which is normal for trade shows, but there was still a significant number of visitors.

“I liked the idea of a separate space for World Tea Expo because we do get swallowed up in the middle of the Bar & Restaurant Expo but was concerned that a separate space may cause a decline in foot traffic, however, it’s been great. This was the busiest first day we’ve had at the show in years with a lot of interest in our tea,” said one returning exhibitor on the first day of the show.

While the B&RE had a dedicated Japanese food and beverage section for the second year in a row, WTE had its own special Japanese pavilion, featuring 11 companies from Japan’s tea capital, Shizuoka, all touting premium matcha and green teas. There were many newcomers this year from countries such as China, Nepal, Japan (from other areas than Shizuoka), and even Grenada, as well as from the US, including Hawaii. Newcomers included Chichatea (Chinese tea), Wakoen (Japanese tea), YaYa Hawaii (fruit and botanical teas), The Tea Smith (which was promoting tea specifically blended for iced tea), Katú (yerba mate), Bayleaf (soursop tea), iLola, which is offering single serve, loose-leaf tea disks (completely sustainable because there is filter or film covering the tea), Bubble N Tea (bubble/milk tea company that was looking for franchisees), and Tea For Guys, which offers a variety of wellness teas that specifically target men.

Returning companies include Glenburn Tea Direct, which sources tea from Darjeeling and Assam), Harney & Sons Tea, Nepal Tea Collective, Nasu Fuso, Shenzhen Huajuchen International Exhibition Group (which organizes numerous Tea Expos across China) and Royal Tea and Tsubakimoto Kogyo Co (tea bag machinery manufacturer), both of which exhibited for the first time in several years.

While many exhibitors participate in World Tea Expo hoping to sell products and network, others use it as a time to connect with friends, colleagues and clients. “World Tea Expo is a great place to connect with friends and colleagues each year,” said Shalini Prakash Agarwal of Glenburn Tea Direct, which has been exhibiting at the show for many years. Among its offerings this year, Glenburn had a lovely Chinese-style Darjeeling green tea.

World Tea Expo also offered several new aspects including Cash and Carry Purchasing where attendees could purchase products directly from exhibitors, making it easy to discover and buy products on the show floor. There were also new Conference Tracks – included with a Tea Guru Pass or Conference Pass –  covering retail, supply chain, products and innovation, foodservice and hospitality, and ‘Tea Nerdery’.

Despite the presence of different bubble tea companies each year and the occasional ready-to-drink tea company, at its core, World Tea Expo has always been a specialty tea show targeting mom ‘n pop business owners which operate or quite often ‘plan to operate’ small businesses – brick ‘n mortar or online –  who attend the show to learn about tea and the business of tea through the educational sessions and by speaking with exhibitors and other attendees. Several attendees with whom I spoke, felt the show accomplished that and were pleased with both the lectures and exhibition.

Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal
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