World Coffee Leaders Forum 2013 announces full program

  The World Coffee Leaders Forum (WCLF) 2013 has announced its official program for the event taking place from 20 – 22 November at Coex Convention Center in Seoul, South Korea. WCLF invites industry leaders and innovators to share and discuss the important issues, trends, and vision of Asia and the world coffee industry. The event was established to find sustainable development methods in a growing economy. Online registration is open and can be completed at the official World Coffee Leaders Forum website: http://www.wclforum.org until 5 November. Click <Registration> and then <Online registration> to access the online registration form. Sixteen industry experts will present during the seven plenary sessions under the theme “Global Coffee Industry Issues and Potential of the Asian Market.” Topics of this year’s event include: Asian Coffee Market Insight, Global Coffee Market Insight & Specialty Coffee, Changes in Coffee Market, Coffee Leaf Rust, Coffee Price & Marketing Strategy, Relationship, and Sustainability & Fair Trade. Each day’s plenary sessions will be concluded with a panel discussion made up of the day’s speakers. The first day will commence on the morning of November 20 with a keynote speech from International Coffee Association (ICO)’s distinguished Executive Director, Robério Oliveira Silva. Silva will share his insights on the industry’s global issues and trends in the keynote speech. Following this opening speech, a closer look at markets and trends will take place. Many familiar faces of the coffee industry will be presenting, including David Veal, Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe, who will discuss specialty coffee and trends of the European market, and Hidetaka Hayashi, President of Hayashi Coffee Institute, who will provide insights into the Japanese consumer market. The presentations will closely examine changes to the market and consumer consumption patterns worldwide. Day two will begin with a serious topic that has the entire industry’s attention: Coffee Leaf Rust. A discussion of the problem and solutions will be examined by those with firsthand experience dealing with the issue. Afterwards, a look into marketing strategy will take place under the guidance of industry veterans Christopher L. Gilbert, Professor in the Department of Economics and Management at University of Trento and Geoff Watts, Vice President of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. The afternoon session will also delve deeper into social issues and sustainability practices through the sessions titled “Relationship” and “Sustainability & Fair Trade”. Many socially conscious organisation representatives will be present, such as UTZ Certified and FLO-Cert, to share their knowledge of certifications, fair trade, and social responsibility. The public will also have an opportunity to experience firsthand the unique stories and tastes of coffee through various interactive sessions taking place on 22 November. These will include a Technical Session, World Coffee Adventure Session, World Youth Leadership Forum, and Business Session. Participants will learn the art of a perfect cup through the careful instruction of Reigning Barista Champion Pete Licata and Intelligenstia’s Bailey Manson during Technical Sessions 1 and 2. Participants will also explore the unique and exotic varieties of coffee throughout the world from World Coffee Adventure Session. Five countries (Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, India, and Burundi) will present on the special qualities and tastes of their country’s coffees. WCLF will also focus on developing future global coffee leaders through the World Coffee Youth Leadership Forum. Another specially planned event, a Coffee Business Tour, will take place on Saturday, 23 November. The Coffee Business Tour allows participants to experience firsthand the Korean Coffee Industry by visiting a roasting plant, roastery cafe, and franchise coffee shop. The Korean coffee industry is booming and this program provides a unique opportunity to experience coffee’s development within this Asian country. Looking to the future, the World Coffee Leaders Forum provides a place for leaders of the world coffee industry to meet, share and discuss the newest ideas, trends, and methods of the industry along with the growing roles and responsibilities of Asia. There are a variety of programs and opportunities to satisfy any coffee connoisseurs’ taste. In addition, the World Coffee Leaders Forum is a concurrent event with the 12th Seoul Int’l Café Show 2013, Asia’s premier coffee exhibition. This year’s exhibition (open 21 – 24 November) will be the largest scale in history with 500 exhibitors displayed in 30,000 square metre, and an estimated 100,000 visitors from around the world. WCLF has an official alliance with Coffee Kids and will donate 1 per cent of all registration proceeds to the organization. WCLF recognises and shares Coffee Kid’s goal of enriching the lives of workers and creating a more sustainable coffee industry.