Even after the pandemic struck, the world seemed to be running on coffee, which is why the trade survived COVID-19. According to CNN Trusted Source How the coffee trade survived Covid-19 One of the world’s most popular beverages has overcome remarkable hurdles to carry on during the pandemic. What does it take to make a cup of coffee in 2020? www.bbc.com , over 125 million people depend on the coffee trade, and even though the pandemic posed strict restrictions, they went the extra mile to ensure you get coffee at your doorstep. This is why it’s so exciting that the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) will be launching a WOC ( World of Coffee) trade show from 12th to 14th January 2022. This trade show will be taking place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, at the fairly new Dubai Exhibition Centre, and it’ll be the first of hopefully many World of Coffee shows that the SCA takes to the middle east.
The SCA has historically held 2 yearly flagship trade shows: the World of Coffee and the Specialty Coffee expo that’s North American Based. During the Dubai show in 2022, the Dubai World Expo 2020 (the name was carried over from the COVID-19 period) will also be going on, which will then be followed by 2 top events; the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo and the 2022 World of Coffee event which will occur in April (Boston) and June (Warsaw, Poland) respectively.
Even though the Dubai event will bear the World of Coffee name, it will be operated by the Dubai World Trade Centre’s events agency, SCA UAE Chapter, as well as DXB Live, that’s a local partner. The SCA personnel will not be involved in the on-site management of the event, but the association will provide promotional support and branding via a licensing arrangement.
Traditionally, all WOC events are held in European cities annually. However, reports state that the WOC Dubai chapter will be happening in the city every year and will eventually coincide with the GulfHost hospitality trade show that takes place annually.
Most competitors at the time wanted to put off their participation in the event until the next year, when it would be held in a different location, prompting the SCA to issue a deferment policy. This led to a series of formations of Adhoc and town hall committees as the association still tried to proceed with the event in Dubai, despite the heavy public pressure from renowned groups such as the former Barista Guild of America, private companies such as Blue Bottle Coffee and their own Canadian chapter. Eventually, the SCA had no option but to relocate the championships from Dubai and refine the criteria it uses for site selection to ensure future locations promote inclusivity. It also signed a contract allowing future WOC events in the UAE.
According to The National News Trusted Source UAE consumes more coffee than anywhere else in Gulf UAE residents drink the equivalent of 3.5kg of coffee each a year – nearly twice as much as people in any other GCC country. www.thenationalnews.com , UAE residents consume more coffee than anywhere else in the gulf. This is why it’s not surprising that the WOC will still host annual events in the country. Vicente Partida, the SCA Community Experience Officer, highlighted that even though this move won’t sit well with some people, it’s mainly aimed to support the specialty coffee professionals in the MENA (Middle East / North Africa) region.
