Workshop Call for Proposals: All 2025 Trade Shows
About SCA Workshops
SCA Workshops offer an opportunity for participants to spend 2.5-3.5 hours learning about a topic and applying those learnings to hands-on, problem-solving scenarios. Workshops focus on a variety of subject areas across the entire coffee value chain, and they complement SCA’s certificate-based education programs by providing a “deep dive” into a single topic or skill. The most successful workshops of recent years have been directed to one of the following audiences: baristas, retail business owners and managers, roasters, and green coffee buyers and sellers.
Read on to find out what we’re looking for in a proposal, recommendations for increasing the likelihood that your proposal is accepted, what we provide, and what will be expected of you as an instructor if your proposal is accepted. Any questions? Drop us a line at workshops@sca.coffee.
Timeline
- Call for proposals for the Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston will close Friday, November 1, 2024. Submissions for World of Coffee Geneva will be accepted until Friday, January 31, 2025.
- Once you submit your proposal, you should receive an email from Airtable with a copy of the information you've shared with us here. This email will be sent from workshops@sca.coffee on behalf of Airtable Automations <noreply+automations@airtableemail.com data-preserve-html-node="true">, and we strongly recommend that you ensure you can receive emails from both these addresses (i.e., they aren't blocked by any filters).
- Decision notifications will be sent out via email to the designated primary contact by Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
- Supporting documents for accepted workshop proposals are due by Friday, January 10, 2025 (see more information in the “Accepted Workshop Proposals” section below).
Other Important Information
- Each proposal is individually read and rated by the SCA workshops team. Ratings are based on such factors as (but not limited to) speaker credentials, subject relevance, originality, and learning objectives. Workshops focused on building skills necessary for coffee retail business and coffee beverage preparation are consistently the most popular and will be given priority by the review team.
- Workshops and lectures are different. Workshops are longer (workshops = three hours, lectures = one hour) and must include hands-on activities that enable learners to apply what they hear from the instructor. Workshops are also ticketed, whereas lectures are free to attend, and workshop instructors receive an honorarium of $300.
- Marketing and promotion of commercial products or services is strictly prohibited. The intent of the program is to provide quality workshops focused on educational content, free from commercial influence or bias. Also, all presentations and materials must adhere to the SCA house rules, particularly that materials should not violate anyone else’s intellectual property rights or include any language that expressly or implicitly identifies individuals, companies, or other organizations as objects of criticism (defamation). We also strongly recommend that presenters and panelists follow the style guide outlined for speakers and presentations, especially if you are speaking about coffee price or people.
- Selection Process: Each proposal is individually read and rated by the SCA workshops team. Ratings are based on such factors as (but not limited to) speaker credentials, subject relevance, originality, and learning objectives.
What is Provided?
Here’s a list of what the SCA will provide you as a workshop instructor. Please review this list and consider what type of room best suits the needs of your workshop – you will be asked to select from among them when you complete the proposal form. Did we miss something you’re curious about? Email us at workshops@sca.coffee
- Workshop Space: We have planned for a few different workshop areas at Expo, so your workshop will be scheduled in the room that best fits! Room types include:
- Barista (Espresso): 6 espresso machine stations and espresso grinders
- Brewing/Sensory/Cupping: Room equipped with hot water towers and bulk coffee grinders
- Tabletop: No equipment required.
- Equipment/Supplies: Equipment and supplies will be provided for your workshop. We will equip each workshop with the expected supplies (e.g. coffee, tampers, scales, kettles, etc.). Your supply list (more on that below) helps us identify any additional supplies needed.
- Espresso Workshop:
- 6 Espresso Machines
- 6 Espresso Grinders
- Scales
- Espresso and cappuccino cups
- Misc smallwares and accessories (steam pitchers, bar towels, knockboxes etc)
- Cupping Workshop:
- (2) Hot Water Towers
- (2) Grinders
- Cupping Bowls and Spoons
- Carafes
- Trays
- Shot Glasses
- Scales
- Misc Supplies
- 4-6 Cupping Tables
- Brewing/Sensory Workshop
- (2) Hot Water Towers
- (2) Batch Brewers or (1) Double Brewer
- (2) Grinders
- Sample size cups
- Manual brew devices
- Cupping Bowls and Spoons
- Kettles
- Scales
- Misc Supplies
- 4-6 Cupping Tables
- Espresso Workshop:
- Registration/Promotion: We handle all registration for workshops alongside trade show registration. We will also be promoting workshops as a feature of the show. We hope that you will promote that you will be instructing, too!
- Honorarium: Each lead workshop instructor is offered a complementary three-day badge to the event at which the workshop will be delivered.
- Station Instructors: We’ll recruit volunteers who will be vetted for experience to support you during your workshop, setting-up activities, leading smaller groups of learners, pulling espresso shots, or brewing coffee. Your colleagues and industry peers are ideal for this role, and helping you in this way will entitle them to a discount on their event registration.
- Other Workshop Support: SCA staff are here to help you deliver the best workshop experience possible in the lead up to the trade show.
Deadlines & Decisions
- Proposals for Specialty Coffee Expo Houston and World of Coffee Geneva received by Monday, September 30, 2024 will be evaluated for "early decision," with decisions anticipated to send by the end of October.
- Proposals for Specialty Coffee Expo Houston will remain open until Friday, November 1, 2024 with final acceptances anticipated to send by late November 2024.
- Proposals for World of Coffee Geneva will remain open until Friday, January 31, 2025 with final acceptances anticipated to send by early March 2025.
- Proposals for World of Coffee Dubai and World of Coffee Jakarta will close on Friday, November 1, 2024 and shared with the relevant event partner. Please note that decision notifications for World of Coffee Dubai and World of Coffee Jakarta will be made by event organizers according to their timelines and will arrive directly from the organizers.
Accepted Workshop Proposals
If your workshop is accepted, we’ll ask for a few more pieces of information from you:
- Due ASAP upon workshop acceptance
- Instructor Information: A profile picture, short bio, and a signed speaker agreement.
- Due 12 weeks before the event
- Lesson Plan: A detailed outline of your workshop, including timings and station instructor roles. Download examples here.
- Supply List: We will have the basics covered (as detailed above, in the “What is Provided” section) but let us know if you need specific equipment or supplies to run your workshop. Examples include specific coffee requirements, TDS equipment, a copy of the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. Note, not all requests can be met.
- Station Instructors Needed: Workshops can have up to 36 attendees, so we provide support to Workshop Instructors with Station Instructors. These are volunteers who are vetted for experience in your workshop area or general teaching/training. Generally we recruit anywhere from 1-4 station instructors per workshop. Keep this in mind as you develop your proposal and let us know how many folks you would like to have on hand to help you execute your workshop and workshop activities.
- Due 8 weeks before the event
- Slide Show / Presentation: No workshop is complete without a presentation to go along with your teaching! We will provide an opening and closing slide for your workshop, but you’ll create the rest. Due when your rehearsal takes place
- Printed Materials / Handouts: Most attendees like to have some sort of worksheet or supporting document. These materials can be a summary of your workshop, worksheets, resources that people can refer back to for key learning items, tools, or links to resources they can reference later.
Previous Workshops
Barista / Espresso
- Beverage Development: Elevation and Innovation Through Signature Beverages
- Steaming Plant-Based Milks
- Exploring Espresso Profiles
- Effective Communication for Trainers
Brewing
- The Science Behind the Flavor Wheel
- Advanced Brewing Techniques
- Resolving Water Quality Issues
Sensory
- Deconstructing the SCA Cupping Form
- The Science of Coffee Freshness
- Exploring Acids in Coffee
Business
- Becoming a Certified B Corporation
- Introduction to Coffee Price Risk Management
- Running a Coffee Business: Designing Your Success
Roasting
- Roasting Styles Exploration
- Heat Transfer and the Roasting Machine
- Roast Profiling & Theory
Green
- Marketing Green Coffee for Producers
- Fundamentals of Green Coffee Buying
Example Proposal: SUSTAINABILITY
Connecting the Data Dots: Introducing State of the Smallholder Coffee Farmer Platform and Report
This session will present State of the Smallholder Coffee Farmer Platform, an open access data resource for coffee farmers and other actors along the coffee value chain, and accompanying report. Designed to facilitate enhanced decision making, this initiative seeks to remove barriers to equitable information sharing— including those structures preventing producers from accessing their own data. Currently a pilot focused on Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, initial results stem from extensive review, analysis and synthesis of data about smallholders in these countries. The work complements other initiatives. However, instead of emphasizing upstream sustainability efforts and goals, this research centers on realities downstream to draw a more holistic and inclusive picture of coffee smallholders and their livelihoods. The platform and the report are also available in Spanish.
Learning Objectives:
- Attendees will gain an understanding of the existing social, economic, and environmental data on coffee smallholders in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, and the opportunities and limitations of the data.
- Attendees will be introduced to the State of the Smallholder Coffee Farmer Platform and Report, and learn about how they were developed, through ‘data trawling’ and interviews with multiple actors along the coffee value chain.
- Attendees will have the opportunity to test and provide feedback about the platform.
Example Proposal: SCIENCE
Electrochemistry as a method to measure qualities and quantities in coffee extraction
Coffee extracts contain thousands of different compounds, many of which contribute to the quality of the flavor profile. Minor fluctuations in the ratios of these compounds gives rise to major differences in perceived flavor. However, to date the industry is only able to measure the average total solvated mass (%TDS), or use cost prohibitive and slow chromatography methods. Electrochemistry offers one route to measuring coffee components in real time, and provides insights into both the quantity of compounds as well as their identity. Together, our approach provides unparalleled insight into what is solvated in the cup, while also being very cheap to build and operate. This talk will cover the fundamentals of electrochemistry, a demonstration of its utility, and a real-time demonstration.
Learning Objectives:
- The audience will learn the fundamentals of electrochemistry.
- The audience will learn the challenges of quantifying coffee extraction.
- The audience will see a real-time example of electrochemical measurements of coffee.
Example Proposal: BUSINESS
Global Coffee Supply and Demand
The coffee industry has experienced an incredibly volatile NY ”C” market following the Brazil frosts in July 2021, and it is important for exporters and producers to understand changing market conditions so that appropriate trading decisions can be made. This presentation will provide participants with an overview of global supply and demand. We will take an in-depth look at fundamentals, macro factors, fund positioning and technicals—all factors that strongly influence coffee market prices. We will dissect origin production figures, global demand, differential trends, macro-economic factors, fund positioning, arbitrage, spreads and certified stocks. The market information we present will hopefully provide producers and exporters with the resources and information to manage risk and execute successful trades.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain an understanding of the myriad of factors that influence the NY “C” market: fundamentals, macro, positioning and technicals.
- Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of production trends of the world’s largest producing origins and see how global supply and demand creates surplus/deficit situations that influence the market.
- Participants will gain valuable market information that will help them make appropriate trading decisions in the upcoming year.