Coffee Fest is proud to have been selected for the second year in a row as one of Tradeshow Week’s “50 Fastest Growing Shows” in North America. Winners are chosen based on percentage of growth in exhibit space as well as growth of total net square footage. From 2002 through 2004, Coffee Fest Las Vegas grew nearly 70 percent in these areas.

Following up on this, Coffee Fest is excited to announce an amazing schedule of events for its 2005 Seattle show, to be held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center October 28 through 30:

Coffee Fest’s popular three-day specialty coffee business seminar presenters, Kent Holloway, David J. Morris, Tommy Thwaites and Greg Hartlein will host the Coffee Fest/ International Academy of Specialty Coffee (IASC) Hands-On Barista Training, sponsored by Nuova Simonelli. Classes cost $269 per person. Sessions will occur from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as from 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. IASC Barista Certification testing will also occur at Coffee Fest Seattle. Interested baristi may visit www.coffeefest.com for more information. Cost for the testing is $69.

Coffee Fest is hosting, in conjunction with Stirling Gourmet Flavors, the second “Stirling Signature Beverage Open”, a free-form competition designed to shine a spotlight on quality and creativity in beverage making. Open to professionals as well as amateurs, this competition will occur from 12:30 until 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 12:30 until 2:30 on Sunday. Two cash prizes of $500 each will be awarded—one for best-tasting beverage and one for most creative beverage.

The ever-popular Millrock Latte Art Competition presented by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal will feature some of the country’s finest latte artists going head-to-head. Preliminary rounds will occur from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the top ten competitors from the previous two days’ competitions will face off. The winner will walk away with $1,000, 2nd place with $500 and 3rd place with $250.

Six hands-on latte art classes will occur at Coffee Fest’s Millrock Latte Art Competition venue: 12:30 until 2:30 on Friday and Saturday and 3 until 5 on Sunday. including two each on Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday. Admission for each class is $99; classes are limited to six students each.

The first 1,500 attendees to walk through the exhibition doors will receive a custom reusable burlap gift bag chock-full of great items, including one pound of fresh-roasted coffee from Fidalgo Bay Coffee Roasters, a TimeMug coffee tumbler, a package of Smooth 'N Melty Mints with Nonpareils from Guittard Chocolate Company, a scented pen from Java Jot, a one-year subscription to Barista Magazine, and a vegan cookie and brownie from Epic Foods Inc.

And last, but certainly not least, Coffee Fest invites attendees and exhibitors to “Get Down Tonight” at a special reception featuring KC and the Sunshine Band! All 24 members of the band will rock the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center on Saturday, October 29, 2005. The reception will kick off at 6 p.m. with food and beverages, followed by amazing music by The Afrodisiacs warming up the crowd for KC and the Sunshine Band. This special evening has been made possible by these generous sponsors: Da Vinci Gourmet, Oregon Chai, Jet Tea, Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Java Jacket, International Paper, Design & Layout Services, Ambex Coffee Roasters, Specialty Coffee Association of America and Forza Coffee Roasters.

All of the above is in addition to Coffee Fest’s usual spectacular line-up of more than 65 educational sessions and focused exhibition featuring more than 265 booths. Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. More information can be obtained at www.coffeefest.com or by calling 425.283.5058.