MICE 2019 Moves to February from April
MICE – Melbourne International Coffee Expo – is moving its 2019 dates to 7-9 February from 4-6 April to give the Australian Barista Championship and Australian Brewers Cup winners enough time to travel to Boston, Massachusetts to compete in the 2019 World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup (WBrC).
World Coffee Championships are typically held mid-year to enable all participating countries to hold their National Coffee Championships in the early part of the year and provide enough time for their Champions to prepare for the world stage.
WCE plays a vital role in continuing to turn the spotlight on both baristas and the coffee industry on a global level and MICE understands the importance of these competitions. As such, MICE partners with the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) to host the Australian Coffee Championships each year as a feature within the trade expo.
MICE is traditionally held in late March or early April. The dates for MICE in 2019 had been announced prior to the announcement of the WBC and WBrC dates. However, with WCE holding those two competitions at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston, Massachusetts just a few days after MICE, it is virtually impossible for the winners of the Australian Barista Championship and Australian Brewers Cup to have enough time to travel to Boston to compete.
“The relationship between MICE and ASCA is a long-standing and important one. The Australian Coffee Championships provide an exciting feature for MICE and another reason for the coffee community to come together. MICE is committed to both ASCA and WCE and to ensuring that we can support ASCA in the operation and successful delivery of the competitions. We have worked hard in the background with ASCA to look at all available options for this unusual situation and have agreed that we will make the unprecedented decision to move the dates of MICE from April to February,” the organisation said in a statement.
“The Australian Specialty Coffee Association recognises the significance of MICE as Australia’s premier specialty coffee expo. ASCA has been partnering with MICE since its inception in 2012, when the event was created to give Australia its own dedicated meeting place for coffee professionals,” says ASCA president Brent Williams. “With our mission being to advance specialty coffee in Australia, it makes perfect sense that we would achieve this goal in partnership with a flagship event like MICE. The Australian Coffee Championships are a fan favourite at MICE and provide our competitors and sponsors with the opportunity to experience a world-class competition in our own backyard.”
Ona Coffee Founder Sasa Sestic says the change of date is important from a competition perspective and industry leaders looking to attend the 2019 WBC. “The preparation time for an Australian competitor heading to the WBC in Boston straight after MICE was going to be very tight in terms of organising logistics, roasting, expenses and resources. It wouldn’t give the Australian representative the best chance to represent the country on the world stage so I’m in huge support of having MICE in February,” says Sestic.
The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) is the largest dedicated coffee show in the Southern Hemisphere. MICE2018 welcomed more than 120 exhibitors, featuring the latest in espresso equipment, coffee brewing devices, exotic and expensive coffee beans, roasting equipment, and more. In 2019, MICE will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
For more information visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com.
