EVENTS MICE2022
Australia, start your engines IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE THE LAST MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE EXPO. NOW, IT’S COMING BACK BIGGER THAN EVER, AS THE HOST OF THE 2022 WORLD COFFEE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE’S BEST EXCUSE FOR A FAMILY GATHERING.
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he who’s-who of the global coffee industry will gather in Melbourne this September to watch the world’s best baristas sweat it out for the title of World Champion. For many, it will mark their first international trip to the Southern Hemisphere since COVID-19 made the world stand still, but Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) organisers strongly believe the wait will be worth it. “The buzz is absolutely electric,” says Simon Coburn, MICE General Manager. “Coffee is already such an important subculture in Australia, especially in Melbourne, and when you add the international interest, it only gets more intense.” On 7 February, the Australian Federal Government announced that the country’s international borders would reopen to fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of business and tourist travellers from 21 February. In 2018-19, tourism generated more than AUD$60 billion (about US$42 billion) for the Australian economy, with more than 660,000 jobs dependent on the industry. Coburn says the welcome news is a game changer for the Australian economy and corporate travel, with the country a step closer to the international hotspot it once was. “This is exactly the confidence we need heading into MICE and the World Coffee Championships,” Coburn says. “Now is the time to book flights, hotels and convince your boss that Melbourne is where you need to be in September 2022. I think we’ve all had enough
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G C R | M A R C H/ APR I L 2022
St Ali Coffee Roasters is a Platinum Sponsor of MICE.
virtual meetings to last a lifetime. It’s time to see colleagues, clients, potential new customers, and do business once again – in person.” Between 11,000 and 15,000 attendees are expected to gather for the coffee-dedicated tradeshow in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 27 to 30 September. World Coffee Events will host the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup in conjunction with MICE2022. “Australia is the first country outside the United States to host the world finals twice,” says Coburn. “The last time was in 2013, in what was only the expo’s second year. Having the privilege to host the championships for a second time reflects the strength of our coffee industry, and the international scale of the expo, which has grown from just a national celebration of our coffee market, to a global one.” In addition to some high-stakes shot-pulling, MICE2022 will feature more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest in roasting, manufacturing, green beans, cup packaging, dairy and dairy alternatives, ancillary suppliers and much more. There’s something for everyone, explains Coburn. “We’re going to see all the big manufacturers from Europe and the US, a huge number of growers from South America and Africa, and an absolutely booming segment of representation from the Asian market,” he says. “Businesses like MICE Platinum Sponsor St Ali have expanded into the international market with a sister venue in Jakarta and a new location in Bali due to open in September. Cafetto also has a
