Hey, I'm thinking of going, but I know little about it. Do you have to be in the industry or a member of SCAA to get in, or can anyone pay an entry fee to go? From what I see on the website, it is $385 for the full thing. That might be a limiting factor for me. I'm talking with someone in my local area who roasts and has a cafe about various options and breaking into coffee, but it's all tentative. He recommended I try to make it to the show. I think I would be volunteering and just hanging out. I don't know if I can register for any classes. Any advice for a newbie? Thanks guys! HB is a great resource.

Justin

PS I'll post a picture when and if I know I'm going.

jgriff wrote:Hey, I'm thinking of going, but I know little about it. Do you have to be in the industry or a member of SCAA to get in, or can anyone pay an entry fee to go? From what I see on the website, it is $385 for the full thing. That might be a limiting factor for me. I'm talking with someone in my local area who roasts and has a cafe about various options and breaking into coffee, but it's all tentative. He recommended I try to make it to the show. I think I would be volunteering and just hanging out. I don't know if I can register for any classes. Any advice for a newbie? Thanks guys! HB is a great resource.

Justin

$45 gets you admission to the opening night presentations and very cool reception at the Aquarium, plus one-day's access to the show floor.

I'll be my usual schizophrenic self: 2/3 industry networking, 1/3 amateur networking, plus hosting three of the panel discussions.

jgriff wrote:I think I would be volunteering and just hanging out.

I really enjoyed the consumer-oriented track in 2004 and 2005, but those where cut (Talk to the Hand is my griping on the subject). You may find something of interest in the cupping sessions, otherwise it's trolling the showroom floor and hanging out with online buddies. All and all a great time. Seattle was really the best - I went on several cafe crawls. As I understand it, Long Beach offers no similarly attractive options downtown.

I've been asked offline about organizing a consumer event... although I organized EspressoFest in Charlotte and had a blast, I won't have the time or resources this time around. I will happily crash anyone else's party.

If I don't have any unforseen schedule changes I'm registered to attend. My first time! As a newbie I too would appreciate any recommendations on what to be on the look out for. Fortunately for me I live within a 40 minutes drive to Long Beach.

gscace wrote:I'm goin to da conference.

In case someone wants to spot you, I borrowed one of poutinespresso's photos from last year:


Greg being normal by Greg standards.

edwa wrote:As a newbie I too would appreciate any recommendations on what to be on the look out for.

Nice photo... Funny how I've read your login as "edna" for the last year, obviously in error.

As for things to do, How to conquer the SCAA showroom floor? has suggestions from last year's conference, excerpted below:

HB wrote:OK, sounds like others do as I have, i.e., follow the good espresso. What about the hardware? There's a certain "gee whiz" appreciation for the industrial roasters and conveyor equipment that pack the halls, but I've never stopped to ask questions. Lemme see... last year I stopped by EspressoPart.com's booth several times to say hello to Devon, Brian, Dave, and TerryZ. They'll be back. I also swung by the famous Versalab booth a few times. Richard from Astra was happy to talk feeds and speeds all day, and didn't balk at taking the covers off his machine unlike most booths. Curiosity drove me to stop by the booths of some of the vendors of equipment I reviewed to see if they ever heard of Home-Barista.com ("Are you Mark?" was a common response).

Thinking back on it, I would have gotten more out of the experience with some planning. For example, organizing my agenda items by theme:

• Espresso hunt - as mentioned above. To make it more interesting, I'll discreetly take notes.
• Barista training - there probably aren't many schools on the showroom floor, but I'd like to learn more about those who offer courses.
• Equipment - I noticed many of the "big box" company representatives were more salespeople than baristas. Elektra was the exception, hiring Luigi to serve latte art for a few hours a day. I'll focus on the one group espresso machines and home-friendly grinders. If the booth isn't setup for hands on, take a picture and move on.

I will ask Michelle if there is an advance program of the vendors that will be on the showroom floor.

More suggestions are welcome in either thread.

HB wrote:More suggestions are welcome in either thread.

Especially for first time visitors, never forget this is not a consumer show. Consumers were once banned from the shows, and it could happen again.

Think of yourself as a guest, which is what you are. Some of the sales people are approachable (even friendly) to consumers. But, please step aside whenever a prospect approaches. The vendors have paid a lot of money to rent and staff these booths (not to mention shipping), and they are there to sell, sell, sell.

Also, as Dan implied, do not be shocked if some of the sales people are less knowledgeable than you are, especially about their home models (some know tons more, of course). Again, don't challenge or insult them. Remember, you are a guest.

Consumer manufacturers, like Bodum, will be there with wonderful toys. But, even though their booth will resemble a shop, they are not taking orders for anything less than bulk volumes to resellers.

Among the friendlier booth dwellers, in addition to Astra and Espresso Parts, be sure to drop by Espresso Parts Source (Angelo Minicozzi and Michael Teahan) and Supreme Bean Coffee (Jeff, Phil, Steve and Jody live espresso). Same goes for Zoka, Gimme (if they're making the trip) and other "third wavey" roasters. But, again, they are there mainly for wholesale sales. So make way for their customers.

edwa wrote:Fortunately for me I live within a 40 minutes drive to Long Beach.

So do I .... at 3am


Other times ... 1 to 2½ hours

HB wrote:Nice photo... Funny how I've read your login as "edna" for the last year, obviously in error.

Edna?

Ooooh, you're killin me!

Hey CafeIke, I grew up in Woodland Hell! From pre-school thru college - hottest temps in the Valley.

Rocket Coffee Roasters will be there from Thursday 5/3 thru Monday 5/7.

edwa wrote:Hey CafeIke, I grew up in Woodland Hell! From pre-school thru college - hottest temps in the Valley.

Surprisingly, we're 10° to 15°F cooler than the official Woodland Hills temperatures reported. I found this house on a hot July day and the breeze coming from the ocean sold me.