World Tea Media

What World Tea Media does

World Tea Media is a private B2B media and events company dedicated to the global tea industry, operating since 2002 (acquired by Questex LLC in 2020). Its flagship product, World Tea Expo, is an annual trade show and conference held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and marketed as North America's largest tea expo. The 2023 edition drew approximately 11,000 participants and 2024 achieved record attendance, with over 200 exhibitors historically featured and a curated cash-and-carry purchasing model on the show floor. World Tea Expo is co-located with Questex's Bar & Restaurant Expo, providing cross-badged access to roughly 200,000 on-premise operators across cafes, tea shops, bars, restaurants, airline lounges, and cruise lines.

The company's product surface extends beyond the annual event into a multi-brand media and education portfolio. Sub-brands include World Tea News (industry media publishing), World Tea Academy (education hub, expanded through a January 2024 partnership with Australian Tea Masters), and a competition stack comprising the Global Tea Championship, the inaugural Beverage Challenge (2024), and the Tea Tycoons Competition. Distribution is executed through direct B2B sales for exhibit space and sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Featured tiers), paid attendee registration, year-round digital advertising on WTE and World Tea News properties, and a 23,000+ subscriber newsletter funnel. The underlying technology stack has no disclosed proprietary platform; the business runs on event operations, content publishing, and standardized sales tooling.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time exhibit space licenses, advertising (sponsorships and digital), and attendee registration fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with sales handled through a contact form. Target segments span tea and coffee shops, hospitality venues and restaurants, retailers, hotels, health and wellness outlets, universities, and new business owners, with a vertical segmentation approach led by retailers, tea/coffee shops, and hospitality operators. Leadership is led by Brandy Rand (Vice President and Market Leader), with Elliot Howell (Sales Director), Ellainy Karaboitis (Business Development Manager, Non-Alcoholic Beverage), and Michelle Osborne (Marketing Director) reporting through the Questex hospitality organization.

Name

World Tea Media

Legal name

Questex LLC

Website

https://worldteaexpo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

World Tea Media operates the World Tea Expo, a 20+ year B2B tea industry trade show co-located with Questex's Bar & Restaurant Expo, serving tea retailers, hospitality operators, and suppliers through annual events, education, and media products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Exhibit Space Sales: Revenue generated from exhibitors renting booth space at the annual World Tea Expo event. Exhibitors include tea manufacturers, suppliers, equipment providers, and service companies.
2. Event Sponsorships: Tiered sponsorship packages (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Featured, Media Partners) providing brand visibility, booth access, and marketing exposure at the annual expo.
3. Digital Advertising: Year-round digital advertisement offerings connecting qualified buyers with products and services through the World Tea Expo and World Tea News platforms.
4. Attendee Registration: B2B professional attendees pay registration fees to access the expo hall, conference sessions, and networking opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

World Tea Media operates World Tea Expo, the largest annual B2B tea trade show in North America, co-located with the Bar & Restaurant Expo. The company sells exhibit floor space, tiered event sponsorships, attendee registrations, and year-round digital advertising across its portfolio of brands. Supporting offerings include World Tea News (industry media), World Tea Academy (education/certification), and industry competitions such as the Global Tea Championship.

Product overview

World Tea Media (Questex) operates World Tea Expo as a platform-plus-events model, consisting of the core World Tea Expo annual trade show, the co-located Bar & Restaurant Expo, and three supporting sub-brands: World Tea News (industry media), World Tea Academy (education), and the Global Tea Championship (awards/competitions). Additional offerings include sponsorship packages, exhibit space, and digital advertising services. The expo enables B2B attendees to discover products, connect with suppliers, and make purchases directly from the show floor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Tea Expo An annual B2B trade show and conference that unites the global tea industry, providing opportunities for learning, innovation, networking, and cash-and-carry purchasing from exhibitors on the show floor. Targeted at tea retailers, tea and coffee shop operators, hospitality venues, and tea industry suppliers.
• Event Exhibit Space Booth and floor space sold to exhibitors (tea manufacturers, suppliers, equipment providers, service companies) to showcase products to registered attendees at World Tea Expo.
• Event Sponsorships Tiered sponsorship packages (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Featured, Media Partners) providing brand visibility, booth access, and marketing exposure at the annual expo.
• Digital Advertising Year-round digital advertisement offerings connecting qualified buyers with products and services through the World Tea Expo and World Tea News platforms.
• World Tea News An industry news platform covering tea trends, exhibitor spotlights, and press releases for tea industry professionals and buyers.
• World Tea Academy An online education platform providing tea industry knowledge, professional development resources, and certifications for tea businesses and enthusiasts.
• Global Tea Championship An annual competition recognizing excellence in tea products, with category winners and awards for industry achievement; winners announced at World Tea Expo.
• Beverage Challenge A competition focused on innovative beverage creations featuring tea and botanicals.
• Tea Tycoons Competition A business competition recognizing outstanding achievements in the tea industry, presented in honor of Devan Shah.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13,000+ event attendees
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Australian Tea MasterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2024Questex partnered with Australian Tea Masters to expand the World Tea Academy Education Hub, enhancing educational offerings for tea industry professionals. This partnership provides expanded tea education content and certifications for the global tea community.
• Shizuoka Financial GroupflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor of World Tea Expo providing financial sponsorship and likely Japanese market connections for the event.
• DethlefsencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor of World Tea Expo providing sponsorship investment for brand visibility at the event.
• Alkbous Tea USAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor of World Tea Expo providing sponsorship support for brand exposure.
• FORLLIFEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of World Tea Expo.
• Royal NYminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of World Tea Expo.
• AHTeaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of World Tea Expo.
• Wollenhaupt TeaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of World Tea Expo.
• Brook37minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of World Tea Expo.
• Perfect Daily GrindminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coffee industry coverage and audience reach to World Tea Expo.
• Roast MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner covering roasting industry news with audience overlap with tea industry.
• Gourmet BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner covering gourmet food and beverage business news.
• Bar & Restaurant ExpoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Tea Expo is co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo under the Questex hospitality portfolio. The 2027 BRE show floor uses a pavilion model with WTE retaining a dedicated section within the food and beverage pavilion, serving 200k+ on-premise operators.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed Exhibitions (RX): RX is a global B2B exhibitions business running food and hospitality events worldwide, competing for the same exhibitor and sponsor dollars and offering adjacent event formats that divert B2B attendee attention from single-category shows like WTE.
• Informa Markets: Informa Markets operates one of the world's largest B2B event portfolios including Fancy Food Show, Natural Products Expo, and many food/beverage exhibitions — overlapping with Questex/World Tea Media in exhibitor and attendee recruitment, sponsorship packaging, and event media monetization.
• Emerald (B2B Events & Media): Emerald operates a large portfolio of B2B trade shows and media properties across lifestyle, food, and hospitality categories, comparable in business model (events + media + education monetization) and customer-overlap with Questex's hospitality portfolio including WTE.

Regional players

• Tea Association of the USA: The Tea Association of the USA is the industry's principal trade body representing U.S. tea producers and importers, hosting complementary educational events and serving many of the same tea industry professionals WTE targets — a regional peer that could expand into competing event programming.

Direct peers

• Beverage Trade Network: Beverage Trade Network runs B2B beverage industry events (including coffee and tea competitions and expos) directly targeting similar exhibitor and attendee personas as World Tea Expo, with overlapping sponsorship and competition revenue streams.
• Specialty Food Association (Fancy Food Shows): The Specialty Food Association runs the Fancy Food Shows, the largest B2B specialty food trade event in North America, with a similar exhibitor-pays-plus-attendee-registration revenue model serving independent retailers, foodservice operators, and emerging brands — directly comparable in mission and event economics to WTE.
• Coffee Fest: Coffee Fest operates B2B trade shows and education events for the specialty coffee industry, mirroring World Tea Expo's role as the annual B2B gathering and trade gateway for its category — directly comparable specialty beverage event format, attendee base, and revenue model.
• Natural Products Expo (Informa): Natural Products Expo West/East are flagship B2B trade shows for natural, organic, and wellness products. Tea is a major exhibiting category at these events, and they directly compete with WTE for tea-brand exhibitor dollars and tea-buyer attendee attention.

Emerging players

• Fresh Cup Magazine: Fresh Cup is a long-running specialty beverage trade publication that combines editorial coverage with event programming, directly competing with World Tea News and Questex's hospitality media portfolio for tea-coffee industry audience attention and advertiser spend.

Others

• Questex LLC (parent): Questex is the parent company of World Tea Media and operates Bar & Restaurant Expo, Vibe Conference, and other hospitality events and media brands. While technically the parent, Questex's other brands illustrate the internal strategic and resource allocation dynamics shaping WTE's future.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/worldteaexpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/1796519
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldteaexpo
• Xx.com/worldteamedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Tea Media