Day 2 started with a run in with some great tea folks - Nicole Schwartz of The Devotea USA, Jason Walker of Walker Tea Review, and Naomi Rosen of Joy's Teaspoon. Then a cup of Green Earl Grey from Teas Etc and it was off to the classes!
First up was 20 Marketing Angles You Might Be Missing, presented by Babette Donaldson, which inspired a page of brainstorming that I look forward to sharing in a future post.
Next, (after picking up a cup of amazing Chocolate Puerh from Teas Etc) it was off to David & Goliath presented by Peter Martino of Capital Teas.
I'm just going to say it: Peter now ties with Bill Waddington as my favorite tea educator. The generous, practical insights give much food for thought. Key takeaways: educate everyone (staff, customers, yourself) to build your audience and this industry. And know your products. His challenge was for retailers to personally write a one line description for each of your products. If you can't do it, you either have too many products or you don't know them well enough.
Finally, Gail Gastelu, of The Tea House Times, presented Tea Room Survival, which had a room full of new and aspiring tea room owners filling pages of notes with her very practical, actionable survival skills and tools, such as having a very thick skin and being willing to scrub a toilet. And as with many other speakers this week, she advised you must believe in and focus on your own vision. Don't get caught up in or distracted by what someone else is doing.
Then off to the trade show floor where I had a few more run ins and sightings;
And while I'll just have to make you wait to hear who I visited with today, remember that there are still many exciting events today - the US League of Tea Growers, Teas Etc's Garden Party, The Bloggers Roundtable and of course the World Tea Awards.
Stay tuned!
Comments
Post a Comment