...busiest and best event yet.

Caffè Culture 2010 (23 – 25 June, Olympia, London) has announced its full programme of features, workshops, competitions, conference line-up and seminars as it gets set for its biggest, busiest and best event yet. 
 
The show has more than doubled in size year-on-year and in 2010 will be the largest café bar focussed event to take place anywhere in the world.  With over 250 world-class exhibitors it will offer thousands of products and services for café bar operators and hospitality based companies, giving visitors the chance to meet the industry’s leading suppliers under one roof.   Several exhibitors will be using the event as a platform to launch so it will also provide an excellent opportunity to see, try and buy a host of new and innovative products.   Exhibitors at this year’s event include La Cimbali, La Marzocco, Rombouts, Wega, Drury Tea & Coffee, InterAmerican and Cadbury.    Along with associations including Brazil Speciality Coffee, Anacafe, Café de El Salvador, Cup of Excellence and Café de Costa Rica.  
 
The London event is set to attract in excess of 10,000 international visitors from the global coffee community over the three days.   Ensuring visitors achieve the best possible value from taking a day out from their business to attend the show, this year’s extensive programme of conferences, talks, practical demonstrations and workshops are all focused on the future of the café bar – examining everything from the food and beverages on offer and the latest in consumer trends, through to the design, ambience and service provided.  It is a chance for visitors to take a step forward, following the tough trading conditions over the last 18 months, and start planning for a brighter future.
 
For the first time ever the prestigious World Barista Championships and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) World Coffee Championships will be hosted within the UK at Caffè Culture.  The competitions will give all attendees the opportunity to see the very best the world has got to offer in terms of barista skills , providing inspiration for anyone who has coffee at the heart of their business. 
 
The Caffè Business Theatre will deal with some of the most significant issues faced by owners and mangers of small to medium sized hospitality related companies.  In a series of FREE seminars a host of key industry experts will provide advice on everything from profitable menu planning through to building a successful brand.   Speakers include internationally renowned café bar operator and innovator David Schomer, franchising specialist Brian Duckett, Crispin Reed from Brandhouse and Mike Bell from Atlantic Creative Services.  The Coffee Boys, Hugh Gilmartin and John Richardson are also back by popular demand to share the results of the largest ever survey of business issues facing café bar operators in the UK.  Their sessions each day will deal with those issues identified as being of most importance to operators over the next 18 months. 
 
Each year the SCAE put together a programme of practical and interactive workshops.  This year’s four tracked programme has been designed to offer an extensive range of training sessions aimed at different elements of running a café bar business.  Focussed sessions are aimed at all levels, ranging from start-ups and beginners in the coffee industry through to those with an advanced understanding of speciality coffee preparation and multiple outlets. 
 
New for this year and at the heart of the event will be the SCAE’s annual conference - a first class event for anyone with an interest in our fast paced and dynamic industry.  The 2010 programme has been designed to offer an insight into what drives some of the world’s most successful businesses.  It will engage those looking to develop and grow their own operations, providing an opportunity to hear from a host of inspirational speakers and leading industry experts as they share their invaluable experiences.   
 
The SCAE and Caffè Culture has deliberately reached outside the industry to bring together a selection of professionals specialising in change management, design and consumer trends to offer a unique insight into where the café bar industry is heading in the future.  
 
The conference presents a unique opportunity to hear first hand about some of the changes facing our industry.  It will offer interesting debate and the chance to network with peers, as well as with the speakers and other industry leaders.
 
This year’s Caffè Culture will also play host to an exhibition playing tribute to over 100-year history of the Italian espresso coffee machine.  Enrico Maltoni has created a collection of the most important models to have been launched since 1901, featuring the eagle-topped Victoria Arduino ‘Venus’ (1910), La Pavoni’s ‘Ideale’ (1905) and the  shiny, shapely ‘Lollobrigida’, a stunning San Marco machine from the 1950’s named after the Italian actress. 
 
Alongside the nostalgic machines will be a handful of contemporary marvels including the Lavazza Blue capsule machine, designed by carmaker Pininfarina in 2005, the Lavazza ‘A Modo Mio’ (2008) and La Cimbali’s cutting edge new design, the M39 GT.  The Maltoni collection will form a stunning centrepiece to the show and the largest collection of fully functioning vintage espresso machines ever seen in the UK. 
 
Commenting on Caffè Culture 2010, Event Director, Elliot Gard said: “This year is set to be one of the most exciting years the UK coffee industry has ever seen.  There is an audible buzz throughout the industry - from baristas keen to demonstrate their finely honed skills on a world platform, through to owners, operators and managers of café bars looking forward to networking, doing business and sharing experiences with their international colleagues.   So, whilst South Africa will be basking in the glory of the World Cup, the UK will be enjoying its own moment in the sun as the world’s café bar industry descends to celebrate the best the industry has to offer for three days in June.”

Visitors can view full programme for the Caffè Business Theatre and book places for the SCAE Conference and the SCAE Workshops online at www.caffeculture.com. 

The conference is charged at £195 + VAT per day (with discounts available for bookings of more than one day) and the workshops are priced between £35 - £180 per session.