Coffee events: the appointments not to be missed in 2019

To keep up to date on new techniques, to be at the cutting edge in creating  “seductive” menus and get to know the industry trends: these are just some of the smart strategies for all bartenders who want to stay up-to-date and, why not, maintain that competitive edge in the market.
Where can you learn the latest “tricks of the trade” and have training opportunities? In this article we will be telling you about the most important coffee events and fairs in 2019, in Italy and around the world!

Sigep – Rimini, 19^th to 23^rd January 

The SIGEP fair or  International Exhibition of Ice-cream, Pastry making, Traditional Bread-making, is celebrating its 40^th edition in 2019.

This show is exclusively dedicated to professionals and reveals the trends and innovations of the production chains exhibited.

The statistics are incredible: last year, the show welcomed more than 200,000 visitors who saw all 1.39 million square feet of the fair, where more than 1200 companies had stands.

One of the biggest and most interesting pavilions is undoubtedly that dedicated to the entire coffee supply chain.

Indeed here you can discover the history of the coffee plantations in the producing countries, see all of the manufacturing  phases, and participate in the tastings and demonstrations dedicated to the different coffee extraction methods .

“Challenges” and competitions at Sigep

Not just a place of discoveries and exhibitions, Sigep is also the “ring” where the greatest experts in the field challenge each other with shots of coffee.

In fact during the Fair, the finals of the WCE (World Coffee Events) International circuit competitions are held, promoted by the International Specialty Coffee association.

In Rimini you will find dozens of bartenders selected from all over Italy competing for the title of Champion of the Italian Baristas Championships (CIBC), Italian Latte Art Championships  (CILA), Italian Coffee in Good Spirits Championships (CICS), Italian Brewers Cup Championships, Italian Roasting Championships, Italian Cup Tasting Championships and Ibrik Championships.

Biofach – Nuremberg 13^th to 16^th February 

A wide variety of organic foods on show, strict admission criteria for entry to the Fair and a  recognized and coherent certification of organic recognition: this makes BIOFACH the leading world fair of organic foods, even when talking about coffee.

This fair has some incredible statistics: last year it recorded more than 50 thousand visitors and 2,950 exhibitors coming from all over the world.

If you are wondering why you have to go to Nuremberg for a fair totally centered on organic foods, we have the answer for you,  and the data handy: in order to continue to be competitive and to stand out from your competitors, you need to know, before everyone else, which the direction the market is going to take. In fact, in the last few years, consumption of organic foodstuffs has grown at a dizzying rate to reach a level of 90 million Euros of turnover globally, according to the data of the London business consultancy Ecovia Intelligence quoted by Biofach.

These world phenomena obviously also have repercussions on specific markets and on consumer demands, also in Italy, where in fact, sales of organic foods recorded a total turnover in 2017 of  5 million euros .

Gulfood – Dubai 17^th to 21^st of February

Do you have the time and budget to dedicate to your training and research? Then you must not miss Gulfood in Dubai, the biggest fair in the world dedicated to food & beverages.

Only last year, more than 98,000 visitors rushed from 198 countries to visit the 5,000 stands present. 

The increase in coffee and tea quality and the growth of the number of specialist shops has led to an increase in the value of these products and there are predictions of a 2,9% increase over the next 5 years.

But why go all the way to Dubai in order to get a better understanding of this market?

You should know that the Middle East and Africa are set to represent 11% of the global value and retail sales by 2022, with an increase of 5% over the same period.

These areas of the world are actually expanding ahead of their time compared to the global average thanks to their strong culture of drinking beverages at home.

Getting a better understanding of the trends in the Middle East and Africa, driving countries for this specific market, will allow you to assess what your list of priorities should be, when the time comes to renew your menus or choose new suppliers. 

Internoga – Hamburg 15^th to 19^th of March 

You are already experts in the field of coffee shop management, but you want to start some new projects which branch out into the worlds of restaurants, bakeries and pastry shops?

Then you must not miss Internoga, the leading fair in the “eating out” market: 93,000 visitors chose this fair last year to get information on the latest trends and get a sneak preview of the most up-to-date fashions brought by the 1300 exhibitors.

If you do not want to miss the opportunity to broaden your knowledge of on the topic of coffee shops, then you should visit pavilion 4: it is entirely dedicated to drinks and the technology used to  manufacture the raw materials.

Obviously, special attention is paid to the world of hot drinks, where coffee is the protagonist.

Maybe you are thinking that the German market is a little too far from your style?

Don’t worry, thanks to Bellavita you’ll feel right at home.

This project is dedicated to promoting Italian foods and beverages abroad, through a series of 10 professional fairs around the world, including Hamburg of course.

Only last year, 1,000 Italian companies participated in the Bellavita events worldwide. 

Pir Expo – Moscow 7^th to 10^th October

The main theme of this year’s Pir Expo in Moscow will be games, to help you discover how to increase your “level of knowledge” thanks to all 256 events, 290 speakers, 742 companies present as exhibitors and almost 42,000 visitors.

This fair stands out from the others that we have told you about in that within it there are other  small parallel fairs and one of these is and one of these is specifically dedicated to coffee.

Last year, Pir Coffee recorded 9,400 attendances, with 140 exhibitors including equipment producers, the best roasters and bean importers from all over the world. 

The challenges are one of the biggest parts of the exhibition, because the competitions for professionals are an excellent indicator of the development of the coffee culture, also useful for getting to know the latest trends and for the professional growth of every participant.

The winner of the Russian Barista Championships 2019 will represent Russia in the World Barista Championships 2019 in Boston, and also in the Latte-Art Battle, and the Final of the national championships between the coffee shop teams «Russian Coffee Cup».

Host – Milano 18^th to 22^nd of October

We started this selection from Italy, and now we come back here for our last recommendation.

From Rimini we move to Milan for Host, the world fair dedicated to the catering and hospitality  industry  with 1,824 companies participating, representing 55 countries.

An event for training and information: besides the really professional meetings, there are also a huge number of other appointments like workshops, training meetings, round tables and cooking-shows.

Also here, particular attention is dedicated to coffee.

Selected roasters, importers, producers, and operators coming from five continents and the best companies at international level use Host Milano as a meeting point for the whole business revolving around coffee. 

Have we whet your appetite? Have you booked your flights and hotels?

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