The coffee symposium had almost 300 visitors and attending delegates were treated to a wealth of information regarding their industries. The topics were diverse, as were the speakers who represented over 16 countries. Everyone from the producing countries to the consuming countries had a voice and delegates were invited to choose among a variety of topics that were of interest to them. An added bonus was the ease with which delegates could move between the Coffee Symposium and Tea Symposium. Each morning, the two contingencies were joined to hear that day’s Keynote Speaker impart his expertise on the crowd. In a show of camaraderie, the two industries sat elbow to elbow, listening to discussions that could benefit members of both industries.

The Tea Symposium was as much of a success as its coffee counterpart. It was attended by over 80 tea professionals, including those in tea retail, production and trading. Companies that sent representatives ranged from small tea blenders to international tea distributors. Delegates convened in Amsterdam from all over the world, proving that there is indeed a desire for a global meeting place for industry members. From the first day of the conference, the tea symposium room at the RAT was filled with members of the tea industry, eager to join in on the discussion with a panel of key tea professionals. Among topics broached (and sometimes heatedly so) were leaf quality and its relevance to cost and the good of the industry, global tea trends including RID and the growing or declining popularity of tea in different locations, the pros and cons of pesticide use and how to reduce production costs while increasing productivity at the same time. With all the exciting topics and the knowledgeable speakers, the three days of the Tea and Coffee Symposium provided enough information to satiate any participant until the 2002 conference in Kuala Lumpur.