MICE2020: The world is coming

Australia has a coffee scene unlike any other, with 95 per cent of its cafés independently owned. Wandering through Melbourne, the country’s unofficial coffee capital, visitors will find laneways filled with baristas serving coffee from holes-in-the-wall covered in graffiti. It’s these unique characteristics that will be on display when the coffee world gathers for the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) from 4 to 7 May, 2020. For the first time since 2013, during MICE, Melbourne will host the World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup (WBrC), making Australia the only country outside the United States to host these competitions more than once. “Next year will be the biggest MICE to date,” MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom says. “The event will see the world’s most accomplished, inventive, and technical baristas compete under strict time constraints in front of elite judges and a packed audience.” However, there is more to MICE than the World Coffee Championships. Winterbottom says the expo remains a platform to conduct business and connect with the coffee community. “MICE is continuously evolving. We’ve already seen a significant uptake in international companies wanting to exhibit at MICE2020 and have extended exhibition space to meet this demand,” she says. “Every market is represented at MICE, and what better place to start forming those essential relationships with future partners and customers?” One company which has secured its place in the expo is Japanese brewing manufacturer Hario, title sponsor of the WBrC, which will launch Hario Australia during the show. “We respect all coffee lovers and baristas who want to share good coffee together. Australia will experience the newest trends in coffee brewing equipment and Hario-style hospitality,” Hario President John Jong says. “Melbourne has established itself as a sacred place for Australian coffee, constantly creating and grafting new coffee trends based on traditional coffee culture from Europe.” Another company set to make its MICE debut is Swiss Coffee manufacturer Eversys. Commercial Director Kamal Bengougam says Australia’s premier coffee event is the perfect place to showcase its automatics range. “We are pushing the boundaries of automation into traditional territory and believe that Australia could be early adopters of this new dawn,” Bengougam says. “Australia is becoming an important market for us and we think that having a presence at MICE highlights our interest to invest in promoting our products and philosophies in the region.” Cosimo Libardo, CEO of Carimali, says the event will provide the Italian coffee machine manufacturer with an opportunity to strengthen its foothold in the Australian market. “We are launching new products and technologies focused on sustainability, modularity, and workflow improvement, that will definitely appeal to roasters and coffee shops,” Libardo says. “Australia is extremely competitive in every sense. The average drink quality is high, with consumers always looking for the ultimate experience.” From its beginning in 2012, MICE has remained Australia’s largest and only coffee-dedicated trade show, connecting buyers and sellers, and bringing industry members together. Winterbottom looks forward to the global coffee industry experiencing this first-hand. “MICE attracts a quality audience and provides us with opportunity to connect the Australian and international coffee communities,” she says. “There’s less than a year to go, and we can’t wait.” For more information and to book exhibitor space, contact MICE organisers at +61 3 9690 8766 or event.organiser@primecreative.com.au