SEOUL – The Seoul International Cafe Show 2013 is scheduled to take place from November 21 to 24 on the first and third floors of COEX (Convention and Exhibition Center) in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Marking its 12th this year, the Seoul Int’l Café Show has been featuring beverage cultures around the world and the latest cafe trends annually.
This year, 500 companies from 30 different countries will be participating in the event to showcase a variety of cafe-related items such as coffee, tea, bread and pastries, coffee equipment, cafe interior design, and more.
The event will also feature the Korea Barista Championship, Korea Chocolatier Contest, Wilton Contest Korea, and the Angel-In-Us Barista World Grand Prix.
World Coffee Leaders Forum 2013 opens today The World Coffee Leaders Forum 2013 will take place in conjunction with the Seoul Int’l Café Show at the Coex Conference Centre. The event opens today through November 22, 2013.
Sixteen industry experts will present during the seven plenary sessions under the theme “Global Coffee Industry Issues and Potential of the Asian Market.”
Topics of this year’s event include, Asian Coffee Market Insight, Global Coffee Market Insight & Specialty Coffee, Changes in Coffee Market, Coffee Leaf Rust, Coffee Price & Marketing Strategy, Relationship, and Sustainability & Fair Trade. Each day’s plenary sessions will be concluded with a panel discussion made up of the day’s speakers.
The first day’s events will commence on the morning of November 20 with a keynote speech from International Coffee Association (ICO)’s distinguished Executive Director, Mr. Robério Oliveira Silva. Mr. Silva will share his insights on the industry’s global issues and trends in the keynote speech.
Following this opening speech, a closer look at markets and trends will take place. Many familiar faces of the coffee industry will be presenting, such as David Veal, Executive Director of SCAE, who is prepared to discuss specialty coffee and trends of the European market, and Mr. Hidetaka Hayashi, President of Hayashi Coffee Institute, who plans to provide insights into the Japanese consumer market.
Changes to the market and consumer consumption patterns worldwide will be closely examined.
Day two starts the morning with a serious topic that has the entire industry’s attention: Coffee Leaf Rust. A discussion of the problem and solutions will be examined by those with firsthand experience dealing with the issue.
Afterwards, a look into marketing strategy will take place under the guidance of industry veterans Mr. Christopher L. Gilbert, Professor in the Department of Economics and Management at University of Trento and Mr. Geoff Watts, Vice President of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. The afternoon session will also delve deeper into social issues and sustainability practices through the sessions <Relationship> and <Sustainability & Fair Trade>.
Many socially conscious organization representatives will be present, such as UTZ Certified and FLO-Cert, to share their knowledge of certifications, fair trade, and social responsibility.
The public will also have an opportunity to experience firsthand the unique stories and tastes of coffee through various interactive sessions taking place on November 22.
These sessions include Technical Session, World Coffee Adventure Session, World Youth Leadership Forum, and Business Session.
Participants can learn the art of a perfect cup through the careful instruction of baristas Pete Licata and Bailey Manson during Technical Sessions 1 and 2. Pete Licata is the world-renowned Barista who recently attained a barista’s highest honor: 2013 World Barista Champion.
Participants can also explore the unique and exotic variety of coffee throughout the world from World Coffee Adventure Session. Five countries (Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, India, and Burundi) will present on the special qualities and taste of their country’s coffees. WCLF will also focus on developing future global coffee leaders through the World Coffee Youth Leadership Forum.
