Allegra Events, organizer of the well-known coffee festivals in cities around the world, will gather attendees virtually this year.
BY KATRINA YENTCH
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Allegra Events
We’ve certainly seen our share of webinars this year, but don’t stop tuning in just yet! Allegra Events, host of the well-known Coffee Masters competition, is bringing a lineup of industry all-stars to the webcams October 30-November 1 for the Global Coffee Festival. While the crew usually crams a packed year of consumer-industry oriented coffee events in London, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, New York, and beyond, they’ve decided to conduct a gathering of coffee lovers from across the world together on one platform for free. This year they’ve chosen the theme of “Refocusing, Rebuilding, and Reigniting the Global Coffee and Hospitality Community.” With that in mind, the Global Coffee Festival has filled the weekend with engaging conversations, city café recommendations, and a plant-based barista competition.
Prior to the festival, content creators in the coffee world are also invited to submit their fringe event to promote their work throughout the weekend on October 31 and November 1. The work simply has to be categorized within the Program Channels, aligned with the festival’s mission, and be “engaging, entertaining, and educational.” You can fill out an application here, and successful submissions will be notified two weeks before the event. Applications are due October 15.
Here are a few of the many highlights we’re looking forward to at the Global Coffee Festival:
City guides—Coffee influencers and experts will share their favorite places to sip, chat, and hang in their cities. Cities featured include Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London, Melbourne, Milan, New York, Paris, Seoul, Sydney, Cape Town, and Toronto.
Coffee leader interviews—Catch in-depth Q&As with notable industry figures like Tim Wendelboe, La Marzocco International CEO Guido Bernardinelli, Laura Harper Hinton of Caravan Coffee Roasters, Bluestone Lane’s Nick Stone, and more.
Home coffee & food workshops—From “Coffee and Cocktails with an Italian Twist” to “Ready Steady Brunch,” the Global Coffee Festival is going to show viewers how to make restaurant-worthy provisions all weekend.
Coffee competitions—Both Coffee Masters and a new plant-based barista competition are taking place. The plant-based competition was filmed in a London studio with social distance guidelines just this past weekend, and will be broadcast as a video recording of the event.
To catch a glimpse of the full lineup, check out the schedule here. To be a part of the festival, you must register in advance. Official times for the panels are TBA, but you can get updates on their Instagram—where you may also see your event listed soon.
