World Tea Conference + Expo 2020

Statistics tell us that 84% of new businesses fail within two years. Tea Business Boot Camp is presented by a team of industry professionals with decades of experience of diverse experience to help you become one of the 16% who succeed. Are you hoping to join the tea industry or just starting out? This intense day of tea specific business courses offers you the inside scoop. Whether you are testing your dream or revitalizing a struggling start-up, Bootcamp offers tools for a better understanding of this industry and the nuts and bolts of practical logistics to create a solid foundation for your very own style of tea company. If you are just starting and haven't had any Basic Tea 101 courses we strongly suggest World Tea Academy Core .01 & .02 and whatever else that you can fit in before the Conference.

Session Schedule

Babette Donaldson - Emcee

10:30 - 11:00am: Introduction & Welcome Drinks & Snacks

11:00 - Noon: Is This Really What You Want to Do? - What is driving your decision to start a tea business? Is it something that can be molded into a solid business plan or would you be happier keeping your passion for tea as a hobby? Before you draft your business plan, choose an inventory, design your logo and branding or create a marketing calendar, you need to consider your WHY. So, we will begin Tea Business Bootcamp by looking at the real tea industry. We have the questions you should consider as you travel beyond the first flush of your creative process.
Babette Donaldson

Noon - 1:00pm: Building Your Business Plan - Nervous about not knowing where to start your tea business? You can transform your Big Idea into a profitable tea business by building a confidence-building, rock solid business plan. Go from panic to prosperity and profitability - one step at a time - it all starts with your business plan.
Jennifer Peterson

1:00 - 2:00pm: Lunch

2:00 - 3:00pm: 20 Essentials for Marketing Your Tea Business - The heart of your business success lies in its marketing. Attracting customers requires marketing. Without marketing, your business may offer the best products or services in your industry, but none of your potential customers would know about it. Marketing aims at finding out what consumers want, then planning a strategy for and developing a product experience that will compel consumers to buy it. In this session, you will learn the essential components of a strong marketing strategy, from evaluating opportunities in the changing market environment to engaging customers, with actionable tips for the tea industry.
Maria Uspenski

3:00 - 4:00pm: Brick & Mortar vs. Website: Location vs. Visibility - You have an online store and are contemplating the next step of a brick and mortar shop. There are key decisions, such location and lease, that will absolutely make or break your business success. Additionally, there are several other hidden land mines the wise small business owner needs to consider and plan for. You will no doubt make mistakes but, let us help you avoid the big ones. If you are going to do this, you need to be "all in."
Michelle Pierce Hamilton

4:00 - 4:30pm: Snack

4:30 - 5:30pm Breaking Even Instead of Breaking Bad - One of the most asked questions is what do I charge? Bill will share practical tools and techniques to help you decide where you need to set your prices.
Bill Waddington

5:30 - 6:30pm: Mastering the Art of WOW
"Wow!"
"Oh-My-Goodness!"
"Incredible!"
When is the last time your customers have used these words to describe your company? Your products? Your service? If the answer is never or not very often, then this presentation is sure to get you and your team fired up and on the right track! Customers are no longer "woo'ed" by the idea of simply buying goods and services, but instead are more interested in companies that are going above and beyond to tell a story, create added value or connect with them in genuine and tailored fashion. Both startups and existing large corporations are now given the challenge of getting their brand values across to consumers quickly and effectively at the mercy of crippling reviews and extremely high customer expectations. To do this, a business or entrepreneur is now tasked with the responsibility of distinguishing a vibrant atmosphere, honest relationship building and products and services that are undeniably unique throughout the marketplace. In this presentation, author, Tea Master and award-winning entrepreneur Daniel Lewis will help expose the secrets of a generation that just wants to feel that they are valued
Daniel Lewis

OPTIONAL NO HOST DINNER after the session is over.
 
Included with Tea Guru Pass

Origins Tasting Tour is an experience of the senses from around the world. Join the tour to learn about the beautiful tea estates and the delicious teas that they produce. Sip your way across the globe and learn why every country has a different take on tea.

Included with: Tea Guru Pass

Business Boot Camp Advanced has a more detailed series of tea specific business courses and mentoring sessions. A varied group of successful professionals from the tea world give a series of in depth lectures on the many aspects of taking your company to the next level. This second level course also offers participants the opportunity sit-down with our veteran tea industry professionals to discuss issues specific to their own businesses in an afternoon of group of mentoring sessions. Boot Camp Advanced helps you navigate the complexities of the business world with tools to strengthen and guide your existing tea business to the next level or to develop your start-up business strategy for a successful future.




Session Schedule
Kevin Gascoyne - Emcee
8:00am to 8:30am -- Light Breakfast with Introduction & Welcome

8:30am - 9:30am --- The Future of Tea (What You Need to Know)


Where is the Tea Industry going these days?  What are the latest tea product trends? How much do I need to adapt my offering to follow these new products? A veteran taster and tea business owner takes a look at the important features of our industry’s landscape and the elements that really matter to a growing tea business.  Kevin Gascoyne



9:30am - 10:30am – Choosing the Right Words to Sell Your Teas



Branding doesn’t stop at your choice of logo and tag line. How you describe your individual teas can make the difference between a customer who is eager to try your tea, and someone who may just pass it by. We'll talk about what you need to say and how to make what you say stand out.  Bring samples of your descriptions for sharing and discussion. – Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace
10:30am - 10:45 -- Quick Break

10:45am - 11:45am -- Regulatory & Legal Concerns



In this session, Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, will walk you through the rules of running your business. You will get an understanding of the importance of the issues that affect you and your company, no matter its size. Outcomes: Outline of government regulations – How regulations affect your business – How to navigate your way through understanding the rules.  Shabnam Weber

11:45am - 12:45pm – Opening a Teashop and Building a Brand – Opening a Teashop VS Building a Brand - Opening a Teashop can be hard but if you want to take it to the next level, then you have to think about building a brand, which is not always the same thing.  Andres Jurado and Cecilia Corral will share their experience, strategies and some tips and hints for building your own brand. Cecilia Corral Osorio & Andres Jurado Rivera Torris

12:45pm - 1:45pm -- Lunch Break

1:45pm - 2:45pm --- The Profitable Perks of Personality-How to infuse your personality into your business to jumpstart success. “The Secret to Succeeding in Business is In the first to letters of Business… Bu!”  A mantra that Tea Master and personal Brand expert Daniel Lewis has used over the last 9 years to build an a multi award winning tea business. What happens when you remove “the Steve Jobs” from “the Apple’s” of the world… You end up bringing them back. Removing personality from your business can often result in the downfall of any company. So, how does one incorporate personality into their business? Step 1… Join the session and leave the rest up to Daniel! --- Daniel Lewis

2:45pm - 3:15pm ----Quick Wrap-up/Summary of the speakers by Kevin Gascoyne

3:15pm - 3:30pm --- Last Break

3:30pm - 5:00pm --- Group Breakout sessions (There will be 10 tables with a mentor at each table to answer questions) Feel free to move about the room and meet the different mentors.
The mentors are as follows please find their bios listed throughout the conference schedule:
Suzette Hammond, Kevin Gascoyne, Daniel Lewis, Cecilia Corral Osorio, Andres Jurado Rivera Torris, 
Jennifer Petersen, Babette Donaldson, Maria Uspenski, Michelle Pierce Hamilton, Bill Waddington


Included with Tea Guru Pass

Are you new to World Tea? Are you looking for answers about where to go and what to do during World Tea Conference + Expo? Let’s meet, and help you develop a plan of action for World Tea to best suit your needs.

Included with: Tea Guru Pass & Full Conference Pass & Exhibit Hall Pass

World Tea Academy’s program was developed by an unprecedented group of tea industry experts and luminaries. The authors of our classes and our strategic technical advisors are what make World Tea Academy’s courses and certifications a top-notch educational program for the industry. Come meet the experts that have helped make our curriculum first-rate.

In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the varied ways that botanicals can be blended with with or without camellia sinensis to create delicious, flavorful, and medicinally valuable infusions. Discussion will include 20 safe and available plants and will cover both the medicinal properties and the flavor profiles of each, as well as exploring different blending and tasting parameters. This hands-on workshop will all each participant to blend their own personal tea and take home a small sample of it.

In today’s social media world creating interesting and attractive content is just as important as a delicious product. The bar is high and continues to increase. Your images and copy will live next to those created by professional photographers, copywriters and marketing gurus. While you can outsource this work it comes at a high cost and the requirement for content is never ending.  In addition, there is authenticity that comes from organically producing content in house- and authenticity is what consumers are looking for.
Creating content that successfully communicates your brand, looks great and can be produced quickly and inexpensively isn’t hard. It is achievable by paying attention to some simple principles photographers and designers rely on. Principles that do not require custom studios and expensive equipment.  Often all you need is in your pocket, it is amazing what can be made these days with a cell phone and a laptop.
Join Tony Tellin and Guy Brooksbank to learn how to create a unique and brand consistent visual style through the effective use of color, composition and consistency.  Part content development and strategy from the eyes of a tea business owner and part photography 101 from a professional behind the lens- this class aims to teach you the basics of creating beautiful photos and videos to differentiate your brand and take your IG to the next level.

Arguably one of the biggest health benefits of tea might be the one that we're not talking about: Mental health. Tea calms the choppy mind, grounds the body and reconnects us to our senses. It does this on both a physical and chemical level – that which we can understand through science – as well as through an emotional and philosophical level. In this interactive session, we’ll explore the science of how mindfulness practice reduces stress response in the body, and how using tea for this can help support us in a very unique way. We’ll also spend time connecting to the very deep value of intentional stillness that tea offers, through guided meditation exercises with tea drinking. Our goal is to create a very adaptable, easy to follow daily practice.

Complete your tea education by learning about and tasting the characteristics of five great Chinese teas. You'll taste several examples of each tea to learn which flavor notes are most desirable.

You can do this! Whether you’re a retail or online business, having a wholesale tea program is the secret ingredient to success and profitability in the new economy. This class is geared for both those who are just starting a wholesale program or those wanting to expand the number of their existing wholesale accounts. You’ll learn how to identify good prospects for wholesale partnerships, and methods for cultivating loyal, long-term relationships with restaurants, spas, coffee roasters and B&Bs. We’ll provide tips for managing your efforts effectively, so you can enjoy a reliable and low-maintenance source of additional income.

This class describes the processes and techniques of producing Japanese green tea, especially Matcha and Sencha. Tea distribution channels and the elements that determine the price of tea will also be described.

"Herbal tea ingredients present unparalleled creative blending opportunities. With almost overwhelming diversity and complexity, we can create endless variations and combinations of flavors. These amazing herbs and spices however, area also highly variable. Like wine grapes –or tea—there are sometimes large differences in the same herb from year to year, from region to region and even farm to farm. Plus, many are still wild-harvested, and others grown on thousands of small farms.

Brand storytelling isn't a new concept, but with the explosive growth of social media and content marketing, the opportunities to tell authentic stories as part of direct and indirect brand marketing initiatives have become a strategic priority and the only sustainable method of iconic branding. The seminar continues where, "Not My Grandma’s Cup of Tea: the one secret every tea seller needs to know to sell successfully to the Millennials," ends. This seminar will deliver a 60 jam-packed minutes of the 12 secrets iconic branding that were proven to work in both the retail and wholesale tea business.

Tonkin will take us thru the current market dynamics around Ready to Drink Teas in the US and beyond... Where is the growth potential and what things are changing in the market will be explored... We will talk about the emerging peripheral brands and new products in the space, and why consumers are moving away from old favorites to some newer market entrants.

Join us for a match making session where attendees are paired with key businesses that can help your company blossom.

Included with: Tea Guru Pass & Full Conference Pass & Exhibit Hall Pass

Both tea and wine industries are poised to dominate the ongoing trend towards “natural” and “organic.”  A critical question then becomes: what factors drive the choices of tea and wine? In this talk we will present the results of consumer survey analyses that point to answers specifically important to the tea industry.

Herbal remedies are an important component in alternative medicine today, which is one of the fastest growing markets in our culture. Consuming teas and tisanes play into this significant movement of supplements to maintain or improve health. In this popular and growing tea market we must stay on top of the publics' demand for natural, healthy alternatives. There is a transition where Western Medicine is now accepting and including many natural healthy alternatives of herbal supplements. The key is what herbs are trending and how to best integrate them into your tea and tisane blends. Linda Barberic is a Tea Designer with Soma Tea, Inc, who specializes in healing teas and tisanes. In her session she will walk you through the latest trends and the hottest herbs, sharing how to balance and incorporate them into your teas and tisanes for health benefits.
We will end the session tasting some of these roots and herbs as well as take away samples for you all to take home and experiment with.

Soma Tea World Tea Conference and Expo 2020

How will the next generation of consumers change the landscape of marketing products.  What do they value? What will speak to them?

Participants will focus their tasting skills as they look for common flavor notes and influencers found in two of the world’s most fascinating beverages. The tea industry can learn much from the fast-growing world of bourbon where origin, provenance, small batch, single barrel, and hand-crafted are just a few of the descriptors being used to drive the premium beverage market.

Tea Innovation is on fire! From kombucha to boozy teas to tea sodas to CBD, tea as an ingredient is coming to the fore in a way it never has before. Is this good or bad for the tea industry? Let's explore!

Gather together for games, prizes, snacks, and drinks! Here you’ll find friends, colleagues, new faces and industry veterans, and kick off an exciting World Tea Conference + Expo 2020.

Included with: Tea Guru Pass & Full Conference Pass & Exhibit Hall Pass

Unwind with a delicious meal shared with new friends! Are you attending World Tea on your own but looking to experience a dinner out in Denver? We can’t wait to meet you!

Add On – Extra Charge

After your dinner plans continue the conversation at the Twilight Tea. This is the perfect time to unwind from the day and enjoy a sweet treat and nightcap on us!

Included with: Tea Guru Pass & Full Conference Pass & Exhibit Hall Pass

Taste is at the heart of what connects consumers to tea. Branding, advertising and premium packaging can entice, but taste is what brings people back for more. We taste with our nose as much as we do with our tongue, and these senses are strongly linked in our brains with memories and emotions. A smell or flavour can evoke strong reactions and feelings. So tea is more than just a healthy drink, it is an experience that can lift your mood, calm you down, or put a smile on your face. Tea is unique amongst beverages in its vast variety of origins, types and flavours. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert taster to know when a tea makes you feel good.

Sebastian Michaelis Keynote Speaker June 2020 World Tea Conference + Expo

CBD – you’ve heard of it, but do you know how it fits into your business? A panel of experts will clear the haziness around the product line and show you how to take advantage of it. By the end of the session, you will know the regulatory guidelines and how to incorporate CBD into your product line-up and profit from it.

Data and technology can make or break a business. The course will provide an overview of essential market research and data analysis skills for tea professionals. It will also teach new ways of looking at the tea world through data.

Alchemy examines the psychological, emotional, and social factors that impact purchase decisions. Behavioral economics uncovers the seemingly insignificant levers in perception and behavior that yield remarkable results. Real, tea-world applications of how nuance, messaging, and creating right perception can make real differences. It isn't about the amount of money you throw at the problem, its about finding the simplest, most effective lever for altering perception and behavior.

Companies of all sizes are seeking to develop comprehensive sustainability strategies. For brands sourcing ingredients from tea and herb producer communities, taking action to understand, address, and support meaningful change at origin can be a cornerstone of their sustainability program. This moderated panel of industry leaders will outline choices made to source tea, herbs, and spices ethically and sustainably, examples of meaningful impact, sustainability communication strategies, consumer insights, and tactics for employee/consumer engagement.

Importing from source is an appealing concept. Yet, in reality, navigating the world of customs regulations can be daunting and overwhelming. As an attorney and tea importer, Jeni Dodd will unravel the mysteries of clearing customs and offer tips for a successful customs experience.

This presentation is aimed at anyone working in the world of tea who would like to travel to countries origin, to learn, to build their understanding and experience of different teas, or to buy tea, but isn't sure where to start and how to organise their trip. We will discuss the different options of travelling with an experienced tea buyer, with a group, or by travelling alone, and it aims to cover all the topics that must be considered before and while travelling - such things as where to go, when to go, visas and passports, making contact with tea gardens before planning the trip, what to take, what not to take, where to stay, how to keep safe and healthy, how to achieve everything you want to achieve. This hour long session aims to provide a check list for anyone thinking of travelling to any of the world's tea growing regions.

In this interactive session you'll learn how to use your business resources and partners instead of marketing dollars to grow your tea business. We will share real world successes and failures from our own experience of over 15 years in the tea industry.

Learn how DAVIDsTEA is using AI, mobile technologies and personalization to bring an industry that is over 3,000 years old to today’s modern consumer. 

Consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of the waste they create in their day-to-day lives. People are also more concerned about waste, pollution, and corporate environmental responsibility. The specialty coffee and tea industry, from cafés to packagers and producers, are highly visible in contributing to the problem due to consumers wasting single-use cups, to-go containers, and other plastics. Social media is also driving awareness beyond how-to handbooks.
Fresh Cup Magazine’s associate editor, Janae Easlon, will walk attendees through simple, easy-to-understand ways to think zero-waste, not only in everyday practices but also long-term. They will learn that zero-waste isn’t scary, and not only good for the planet but better for the future of the industry too.

Trash Talk - How to Create a Zero Waste Space

Mr. Walters will draw upon 23 years of experience pioneering 100-point wine-style reviews in the specialty coffee industry to explore the opportunities, challenges, and caveats of developing similar 100-point reviews in the tea industry.

Expected to sell out to a room of tea industry influencers from around the globe, the World Tea Awards program includes dinner and ceremony, to celebrate some of the brightest leaders from the tea community. During the event, winners will be named in several key categories.

Add On – Must Register

Filmmaker Christy Hui takes you behind-the-scenes of her upcoming documentary
9 Dragons Tea, filmed in the historic tea region of Wuyi Shan, China. This film reveals the untold story of how Oolong and Black Teas were created by local tea-masters after centuries of exquisite tea-making fit for emperors, and the captivating saga of tea's epic journey into Europe, America and the rest of the world. Author and tea historian Bruce Richardson appears in the film. He will share how Wuyi teas were dumped into Boston Harbor in 1773, as this momentus event launched America's War of Independence from British rule. Join Hui and Richardson as they share clips from the documentary and discuss the impact of Wuyi teas on world culture, economics, and politics.

There will be plenty of time for Q&A and mingling with the speakers during this fun and informative get-together.

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

In this immersive and intimate tasting event, professional tea taster Kevin Gascoyne shares a carefully selected sequence of teas from around the world. A tasting experience to impress your palate like never before. The event will feature some of the rarest and most exclusive batches of teas that money can buy – a one time opportunity not to be missed! *Tickets must be purchased in advance for this event* *Due to the fully immersive nature of this session, latecomers will be turned away*

This Special Event sold out last year, so get your tickets sooner than later.

“Sharyn Johnston will host and guide you through this exciting skill building hands on Tea Blending Class specially created by Australian Tea Masters. Sharyn will provide some of the secrets and tips to successful tea blending, along with the professional techniques required for developing both traditional blends and signature formulations. You will learn about blending the various types and grades of tea with ingredients like herbs, dried fruits, flowers, and spices , how to create chai and what makes a successful wellness blends. You will have the opportunity to appreciate flavoured teas and using natural flavours. A great opportunity for anyone to begin creating their own blends and private label teas. Get hands on and enjoy! This is a class not to be missed!”

Sharyn Johnston Skill Building - Master Course in Tea Blending

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to mix, stir, blend and be creative. You will meet Lisa McDonald have created some amazing dishes with tea as an ingredient and a fantastic Mixologists, Phil Attee who turn a plain cocktail into a new creation with the magic of tea. This session will be filled with fun and excitement and a chance to rub elbows with the pioneers of using tea as an ingredient. Come ready to experiment and learn How To.

If storytelling is an art, then story through comparative tasting is art that engages our whole being. Storytelling is an absolutely essential skill for tasting room owners, staff trainers, bloggers, and anyone serving and selling tea. But how does one become better at tea story and knowledge sharing? By learning how to taste! In this challenging Train the Trainer session, dive into TWO major competencies at the same time: Learning how to professionally cup and taste tea, and how to use those skills to create and lead your own narrative comparative tastings. Normally offered in one-on-one mentoring or in private groups, this is a rare chance to take this Train the Trainer in an interactive larger group setting with one of World Tea’s most experienced cupping and training professionals.

These days CBD can be found in everything from gummy bears to hand lotion. It is now becoming especially popular in the tea industry. In this presentation, you will learn to navigate the benefits and legalities of this trending product and gain a solid understanding of which steps in the process of launching a CBD tea could present the biggest hurdles and which are most critical for your business needs.

In this interactive session you'll learn how to identify trends and capitalize on the ones that are right for your business, using a data-driven approach. Part art, part science, we will share real world successes and failures from our own experience of over 15 years in the tea industry.

Come join the team from The Tea Spot and learn about CBD tea, from R&D and manufacturing to marketing the product. They will first take you through the life cycle of CBD tea, discussing formulation to maximize CBD bioavailability, various taste considerations, and sourcing. Then you’ll move onto an overview of how to get your CBD tea into the hands of the consumer, available sales and distribution channels, and marketing considerations. The session leads into a side-by-side tasting of the different types of CBD teas discussed. You will come away with a thorough understanding of, as well as the difference between: decarboxylated botanical hemp, broad spectrum CBD distillate, and CBD isolate.

Learn the true business value and secrets of developing tea industry relationships beyond the normal business channels. All gleaned from nearly 50 years combined experience talking, walking, buying, sharing and sipping tea around the world.

People who focus on health often drink tea because they see it as healthy. But in what way is it healthy? The latest research suggests that compounds in tea act on blood vessels, and may contribute to better oxygenation of muscles during exercise. Better oxygenation (and fuel delivery) in turn leads to better muscle function. In this presentation I’ll guide you through the science of muscle function and show you why tea may play an important role in helping muscle work at their best.

Stories of sustainability from the producers at origin. 80% of China's tea is grown by small farms (ie smallholders) yet, China has done more than any other country in terms of sustainably lifting more people out of poverty while also protecting the environment. Learn more about how these great strides are extended across a nation of small tea farms.

Today’s tea professionals are honoring tea tradition while driving innovations. Join social entrepreneur Kevin Christiansen on an in depth look at our industry’s most exciting new methods of preparing and serving tea in commercial and prosumer settings.  Participants will study innovations that have worked, failed, and do a deep dive into the science, art, and challenge of TEA ON TAP. Kevin was blown away by inert gas’ potential to WOW an audience a decade ago in the theatrical industry and has brought his passion and knowledge into the tea industry. Nitrogen, CO2, liquid, solid, gas, k-cup, Steampunk, carbonated, and nitrogenated; Kevin has studied or experimented with it all.  This session is sure to make you bubble over with excitement.