Event Selection

Choosing a Coffee Trade Show

Several coffee events are on the global calendar to potentially attend each year. In addition to international, regional, and national coffee-focused trade events, there are food and hospitality industry shows, consumer coffee festivals, coffee pavilions at agriculture trade events, restaurant shows, and more. Careful event selection is necessary to make good use of limited marketing resources and time.

Tokyo Big Sight SCAJ

Tokyo Big Sight, venue for the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan exposition

International or regional coffee industry trade-focused events are generally best for exporters seeking to reach large audiences of specialty buyers. These large annual shows draw thousands and possibly tens of thousands of business people engaged in the trade of coffee, related products, and services.

International or regional coffee industry trade-focused events are generally best for exporters seeking to reach large audiences of specialty buyers. These large annual shows draw thousands and possibly tens of thousands of business people engaged in the trade of coffee, related products, and services.

Major coffee industry shows include:

National Coffee Trade Shows

Smaller regional or national coffee-focused trade shows draw potential buyers from the surrounding region or country. Hosts of these events may be private for-profit show companies or national coffee associations. Although typically drawing smaller audiences, these may be good options for coffee exporters targeting a geographic region (or country) for new business.

Smaller, regionally-focused events include:

Food and Hospitality Events with Coffee

Large food and hospitality events, some with hundreds of thousands of visitors, may have entire conference halls or pavilions dedicated to coffee industry suppliers. In some countries, these significant events may host annual gatherings and competitions of national coffee associations.
Although most attendees at food and hospitality shows will have little interest or application for green coffee, the high traffic volume means that even a tiny percentage of coffee professionals may make participation as an exhibitor worthwhile.
Examples of these food and hospitality shows include:

  • HOST Milan (Italy)
  • Thaifex (Thailand)

Consumer Coffee Festivals

Coffee festivals and consumer food shows best promote roasted coffee to wholesale or retail buyers. Consumer festivals are generally not recommended for green coffee exporters, as attendees of these shows are not ideal customers for green coffee imports; however, exhibitors appearing or professionals participating at these events may be. Festivals also provide an opportunity to gather intelligence about a market and its trends.

Istanbul Coffee Festival crowd

Crowd of coffee enthusiasts at the Istanbul Coffee Festival

These include:

Exporter Association Trade Shows

Trade associations in coffee-exporting nations also organize national events to attract foreign buyers. Some foreign buyers may attend these shows but are not a primary audience. More likely, foreign attendees are equipment and service providers exhibiting to sell to coffee producers/exporters (processing or roasting equipment, packaging suppliers, inputs, etc.). Therefore, the primary purpose of attending an export association trade event should be to meet with suppliers and participate in national competitions, educational workshops, and lectures.

Export association trade shows include:

Consider the Attendees

When considering participation in a trade show, learn as much as possible about who will be there to attend and exhibit. Visit show websites to review a list of current or past exhibitors. There is safety in numbers. The show may be highly relevant to your business if several competitors are listed as exhibitors.

Large and established trade show events may also offer detailed attendee demographics in a prospectus for potential exhibitors. Data may include the number of participants, nationalities, company category, and job function. Sometimes, these also include fundamental interests and spending budgets obtained in registration surveys that can be helpful to better understand the motives and buying potential of a show’s audience.
Beyond the materials offered by show promoters, ask existing customers what trade shows they attend and the reasons why. Very often, the shows your customers attend are the ones you should attend, too.

Part 4: Exhibit or Attend