Local Trade Show Sets Standard for Business Education

Seattle, Wash. – October 22, 2007 – Business expertise and a wide breadth of coffee knowledge will be served up to entrepreneurs – novice and veteran alike — at Coffee Fest on November 9 -11, 2007, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. The show, marking its 16th year in Seattle, prides itself on educating, informing and inspiring businesspeople to make their coffee shop or roastery the best it can be.

Coffee Fest boasts an educational program that progresses from the finer details of retail operations to big picture business development. From serving up the best gelato to the “10 Commandments to Build Skyrocketing Profits,” attendees have their pick of classes, presentations and forums from which to glean all they need to know to help get their business off the ground or to maximize their present business operation.

“Each year we refine our program — based on feedback from attendees — in order to provide participants with useful information, techniques and tactics that they can take home and translate to building a robust business,” states David Heilbrunn, Coffee Fest show manager. “Our ultimate goal is to help people grow their coffee business.”

Coffee Fest organizers have parlayed their 16 years of rubbing elbows with those involved in all facets of coffee world to create a holistic learning experience. No element of the retail business is left alone in the show’s training session program. Budding shop owners may veer toward “Opening a New Café?,” or “Espresso Drive-Thrus – The Final Frontier.” Seasoned retailers looking to refine their operations may choose “Putting the Serve in Customer Service,”  “The Ambience of your Café – Getting Crowds to your Door,” or “Built to Lead – 20 Leadership Secrets to Compete and Beat your Corporate Competitors.” Still others might have their eye on the edible portion of café workings with “Gelato Training Workshop,” or “Increase your Average Ticket through Coffee and Dessert Pairings.” Barista trainings, coffee equipment, and coffee primers round out a selection of more than 110 training sessions.

For a full list of training sessions and special attractions, and to register for Coffee Fest, please go to www.coffeefest.com or call 425.238.5058, ext 123 or 128. Most training sessions are free to attendees and exhibitors.

About Coffee Fest
Coffee Fest has been bringing coffee industry people together since 1992 when the show first got its start as a consumer festival in Seattle. Since 1998, Coffee Fest has gathered coffee retailers, roasters, distributors and manufacturers together for thrice annual trade shows to help attendees build and refine their business, learn about the latest products and stay tuned into the latest happenings within the coffee industry. Coffee Fest will celebrate its 50th show in Washington, D.C. in February 2008, and will host its first show off the mainland in Hawaii in June. In November of 2008, Coffee Fest goes international with a debut show in Hong Kong. For more information about all the shows, go to www.coffeefest.com.