World Tea Expo exhibitor and attendee numbers up
This year's World Tea Expo, held June 1-3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, has seen solid growth in numbers of exhibitors and attendees. According to organizers, the largest trade event of its kind attracted more than 4,600 trade visitors and 220 exhibitors. In comparison to last year, that represents a roughly 10% increase in both categories. When the show started a decade ago, it attracted 1,000 attendees and 65 exhibitors. This year's event sought to pair special events with the business functions, including a tea auction, a series on tea-infused cocktails and a cooking-with-tea demonstration. The US tea sales totaled $8bn in 2011 and are expected to reach $15 by 2015, with an estimated 30 percent of the market coming from the specialty and premium categories.