WORLD TEA EXPO MOVES TO ATLANTA FOR 2007--Over 30,000 net square feet of exhibit space to welcome tea merchants and buyers from around the world— 

Las Vegas, NV, November 16, 2006—The World Tea Expo, the nation’s premier marketplace for the tea industry, is moving to Atlanta for 2007. The event will take place June 9, 10, & 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center. 

The tea industry in the U.S. continues to skyrocket: U.S. wholesale tea sales grew from $1.84 billion in 1990 to $6.16 billion in 2005, and are expected to reach $10 billion by 2010. Keeping pace with the growth of the industry, the 2006 World Tea Expo last March in Las Vegas grew in attendance by nearly 60% and was named by TradeshowWeek as one of the “Fastest 50” growing trade shows in the US and Canada.  

At the 2007 Expo, 300 world-class companies from around the globe will exhibit, and will be joined by an expected 5,000 buyers.  A complete range of tea and tea-related products can be found at the event, including tea wholesalers and packers; bulk, bagged, and ready-to-drink tea; tea bagging equipment and packaging suppliers; as well as gourmet foods, giftware, tea jewelry, chocolate, and other confectionary items. 

World Tea Expo president and founder George Jage has noted, “Not only is participation growing exponentially, but we are seeing a huge increase in quality buyers such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Nestle Beverage, Amazon.com, Hyatt Hotels, and LettuceEntertain You Restaurant Group.” 

The World Tea Expo has formed a new partnership with Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte Ltd (CEMS), an international trade show organization. Through this partnership, a significant increase in participants from China is expected. They will join the ranks of thelarge number of international exhibitors from Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Nepal and other important growing regions. 

“The increase in participation is growing at a rapid pace with more than 80% of the booth space already sold at the end of October,” says Kim Frost Jage, World Tea Expo VP of Sales & Marketing. “Having more vendors, more new products, and more new ideas to profit from significantly increases the value to our new and returning buyers.” 

With 50 seminars and workshops, the conference program is the largest in the world on the business of tea. It continues to evolve with defined tracks for tea knowledge, sales and marketing, foodservice solutions, tea and health, and business development. In addition to workshops, special events are held throughout the day, ranging from the Tea Ceremonies from different cultures to Cooking with Tea demonstrations by leading regional chefs. 

The World Tea Expo is an action-packed must-attend event for anyone in the business of tea. 

More information on the World Tea Expo, including the floor plan, an interactive directory of exhibitors, and a full listing of events and seminars, can be found on the website, www.worldteaexpo.com. 

Media Contact: Jennifer Anderson or Stephanie Teuwen,Teuwen One Image: 212-244-0622 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it