The International Café & Beverage Show (ICBS) 2024, the leading showcase of artisan food, beverage and café products, will be returning to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 23 to 25 May 2024.
Thanks to a wonderfully brewed show last year, the 2024 edition has been expanded by its organisers, Montgomery Asia, who have booked larger halls providing an extra 60% space for exhibitors. Interest has been running high and the organisers are encouraging potential exhibitors to sign up soon or risk missing out. For the first time ICBS is endorsed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). This means MATRADE registered companies will be eligible to apply for the Market Development Grant (MDG) as an exhibitor at ICBS.
ICBS 2023 welcomed 250 brands from seven countries. Anticipating significant growth, the ICBS 2024 organisers are projecting a substantial increase to over 450 brands presented by 160 exhibitors. The show’s international appeal is also growing with a Pavilion already confirmed for multiple Singaporean businesses. Organisers expect that there will also be dedicated Thai, and Taiwanese Pavilions, with strong interest from businesses in many other countries as well. Individual café/coffee industry suppliers from South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand have already signed up.
This year’s three-day show is expected to attract over 12,000 visitors, which will comprise of trade visitors for the first two days, plus trade and general visitors on the final day of the show which is open to the public.
The exhibition, which is focused on specialty coffee, drinks, F&B products, café lifestyle, café furniture, design and technology will also host the annual semi-finals and finals of the Malaysia National Coffee Championship (MNCC), which is organised by the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA). Visitors to the show will be able to see aspiring Malaysian baristas compete in the Malaysia Barista Championship, Malaysia Brewers Cup and Latte Art Championship.
The winning Baristas will go on to compete at the 2024 World of Coffee Championships. The Malaysian Latte Art champion crowned at ICBS in 2023 achieved a highly impressive 4th place showing at the recent World Coffee Championship in Taipei – reflecting Malaysia’s growing status and skill in global café and coffee culture.
Sponsors of MNCC include Starbucks, Dutch Lady Professional, Boncafé, Anfim Milano by Boncafé, Torani by Boncafé, Milklab by Boncafé, Victoria Arduino by Dankoff Coffee Specialist, Cafetto by Dankoff Coffee Specialist, Marco Beverage Systems by Dankoff Coffee Specialist, Mazzer by Classic Fine Foods, Brita by Forest Cloud Beverage Company, Timemore, DC Academy, Monin by Dankoff Coffee Specialist and FLOW Dripper by Hario x Tri-Up Coffee.
Returning to ICBS 2024 is the ‘Roasters Pavilion’. This Pavilion is designed to provide many smaller coffee roasters with a cost-effective option to showcase their unique coffee flavours to as many people as possible during the show. Due to the popularity of the Roasters Pavilion in 2023 it has been expanded by 50% for the 2024 show, but organisers have highlighted that the interest has already been so great that it is unlikely to be able to meet demand from all the roasters wishing to participate.
In addition, ICBS is adding to its educational and knowledge sharing content this year. The organisers have teamed up with the Barista Guild Asia to deliver skills-based barista training and conference content. Exhibitors will be pleased to note that the ICBS Café Talk Zone will be returning in 2024 with an expanded programme which they can participate in and benefit from.
Christopher McCuin, Managing Director of Montgomery Asia, the show organiser, shared, “We were delighted with the response to ICBS 2023. The year-on-year growth of this show speaks volumes about the tremendous potential of this exhibition and the fast growth of the café and F&B industries here in Malaysia. Exhibitor feedback was very positive, which has led to a great deal of interest and bookings for the 2024 show already. We are excited to see how ICBS 2024 develops.”
Kelvin Ngow Wai Hng, President of the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA), said, “ICBS provides the perfect platform to help Malaysia’s coffee and café industry grow and as the national trade association championing specialty coffee, we are happy to be participating as a strategic partner yet again. We are looking forward to hosting the finals of the Malaysia National Coffee Championship (MNCC), which is a platform designed for young baristas to showcase their talent, skill, and creativity. We are looking forward to a growth in participation and even more exciting competition this year.”
Other key supporting partners for ICBS 2024 include the ASEAN Coffee Federation, Barista Guild Asia, Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries, Barista Association of Thailand, Hotel & Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Coffee Board, Lao Coffee Association, Myanmar Coffee Association, Singapore Coffee Association, Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia, Thai Coffee Association and Vietnam Coffee Cocoa Association.
McCuin concluded, “I would like to thank the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) for their support for ICBS 2024. Their support was vital to the organisation of this event, and we are looking forward to welcoming them, the Malaysian café and coffee industry and coffee enthusiasts to the show.”
The show is being held in Halls 1 & 2 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with trade and industry visitors the focus of the first two days (23rd and 24th May – 10.00am to 6.00pm). The third and final day (Saturday, 25th May – 10.00am to 5.00pm) will be open to both industry visitors and the public who can enjoy some fantastic coffee aromas, products and enjoy the finals of Malaysian National Coffee Championships.
