Caffe Culture Announces Full Seminar Programme   The organisers of Caffè Culture 2006 have recently unveiled a programme of seminars, tastings demonstrations and debates offering practical advice and inspiration to professionals in the catering and hospitality sectors. Running across three themed theatres, the presentations will allow visitors to engage in discussions about the future of the UK café market with industry leaders and prominent entrepreneurs. SEMINAR PROGRAMME FOR CAFFE CULTURE: WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY CAFFE BUSINESS THEATRE 11.30 STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD - COMPETING ON THE HIGH STREET ANTONIO MOTISI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FRATELLI Previously Operations and Development Director at Caffè Nero and now Managing Director of Fratelli, Antonio will be giving advice and inspiration on how to stay ahead of the game and succeed on the high street as an independent. 12.30 THE AFTERTHOUGHT BAR - HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR NON-CORE RANGE GARY MCGANN, GENERAL MANAGER, ESPRESSO WAREHOUSE AND DAVID CRAIG, BRAND MANAGER, ESPRESSO WAREHOUSE Struggling to raise your average spend? Have lots of product lines in your café that are moving slowly? Envy how the high street chains get away with charging so much and would love a slice of the action? Then this seminar is for you. Espresso Warehouse, a leading supplier of 'everything but the coffee' to European café bars, will share their knowledge and insight into what makes or breaks your non core offering. 13.30 ROUND TABLE DEBATE - CAFÉ CULTURE THE FUTURE? MARCO ARRIGO, ILLY; PAUL ETTINGER, CAFFÈ NERO; ANTONIO MOTISI, FRATELLI; JEFFREY YOUNG, ALLEGRA STRATEGIES; LUCIANO FRANCHI, CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882; CARLO VENTISEI, TINDERBOX HOSTED BY MARK LEWIS, EDITOR OF CATERER AND HOTELKEEPER Join a debate with our panel of experts about the future of the UK coffee industry: can the UK sustain the speed of growth of coffee bars on the high street; is competition good or bad for the industry and how can independents survive on the high street? Look out for a preview of this Debate in Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine on Thursday 18th May 2006. 14.30 AMBIENCE AND DESIGN - SETTING THE SCENE LEWIS ALLEN, HEAD OF RETAIL INTERIORS / SENIOR ASSOCIATE, HOK Lewis is a designer with one of the UK's most renowned architect firms, HOK, which has extensive experience in the retail and leisure industries. He is able to integrate the requirements of the customer with design innovations, resulting in extraordinary advanced spaces. HOK's clients include Coffee Republic, Tchibo, Bertorelli's and Ben & Jerry's. 15.30 MARKETING MATTERS - HOW TO ATTRACT AND KEEP CUSTOMERS WARD BARBEE, EDITOR, FRESH CUP MAGAZINE How does your small business survive and thrive when a large chain with name recognition, and seemingly limitless resources opens nearby? On this very unequal playing field, direct competition is most likely the quickest route to failure. Success therefore depends on offering a more attractive or unique alternative AND communicating how you're different to your target customers. Ward, reveals how smart marketing and effective branding can make all the difference to whether you peacefully co-exist with your larger, richer neighbour, or sink. 16.30 STAND AND DELIVER: INCREASING THE PROFITABILITY OF YOUR BUSINESS NICK RAMPLEY-STURGEON, ENTREPENEUR & AUTHOR In the hum-drum high street you need to be different not just to survive, but to stand out and prosper. Nick Rampley-Sturgeon, small business author and an entrepreneur who understands the retail coffee game, shares ideas, tips and practical techniques you can "Stand and Deliver!" Join Nick to learn how you can implement these new practices to benefit your clients and profit yourself. WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY CAFFE TALK  11.00	 ENSURING FAIRTRADE ALSO MEANS GOOD COFFEE - TASTE THE DIFFERENCE JEREMY TORZ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, UNION COFFEE ROASTERS With consumer demand for Fairtrade-certified coffee increasing day by day, it's not surprising café owners are looking to make the switch to capitalise on this trend. Yet it's ultimately the taste, not the Fairtrade stamp of approval, which will create lasting sales for an independent. How can the operator cut through the claims to guarantee that? In this special seminar, roastmaster and Director of Union Coffee Roasters, Jeremy Torz, will introduce the concept of Fairtrade and explain - definitively - what it means to you. Jeremy will highlight the Union Coffee Roasters' unique approach to sourcing - and how it extends the key Fairtrade principles - concluding with a comparative tasting of the qualities an owner should look for in the coffees they choose to serve. 12.00 GETTING STARTED - HELP AND ADVICE FOR NEW BUSINESSES JAMES HORSFIELD, COFFEE CONSULTANT / BARISTA TRAINER MYOGENIC COFFEE CONSULTANCY Myogenic Coffee Consultancy is an independent company that trains staff to make the perfect coffee, ensuring Baristas are confident and proud of the drinks they create. Competent Baristas result in an increase in profits and a reputation for serving great coffee. Listen to James's advice on, initial concept & branding, location, operations, layout, stock management, barista training, recruitment, product sourcing and much more. 13.00 TEATIME TREATS - THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVING GOOD TEA IN A COFFEE SHOP CAROLINE HUMPHRYES, BRAND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, NEWBY TEAS While excellent coffee is a priority, tea is often an afterthought. With tea becoming an ever more popular choice for customers, a poor cup of tea can really let an establishment down. Caroline Humphryes explains how the nominal cost of serving better quality tea can open up new revenue streams and gives practical guidance on how to exploit this neglected area of the café menu. There has never been a better time to re-think your attitude to tea! This seminar includes a tasting of Newby Teas. 14.00 RECOGNITION OF BARISTA SKILLS JIM DEVLIN, DIRECTOR OF THE BEVERAGE SERVICES ASSOCIATION AND DARRIN SINCLAIR FROM THE CITY & GUILDS TEAM  The Beverage Service industry has come a long way in the last few years and the quality of the coffee and equipment has improved during this period. The quality of the final beverage will only be of a high standard, if the person who is making and serving it is well trained and motivated. The quality of training in the industry ranges from very good to giving the individual only just enough to get by. With a high level of staff turnover training becomes a very expensive and time consuming problem. That is why the BSA is working with the help of City & Guilds to set up a nationally recognised qualification for the Barista, so come and find out more. 15.00 INCREASING FOOTFALL FOR ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES PAUL ETTINGER, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, CAFFÈ NERO The challenge for any established business is to drive footfall and like for like sales. Paul Ettinger will use this seminar to highlight the tools necessary to do this, encompassing both improved operating practices as well as the classic marketing mix of product, price, premium and promotion.  This seminar will encompass many of the tools which Caffè Nero have utilised to create the most profitable branded coffee bar in the UK. THURSDAY 25TH MAY CAFFE BUSINESS 11.30 STAND AND DELIVER: INCREASING THE PROFITABILITY OF YOUR BUSINESS NICK RAMPLEY-STURGEON, ENTREPENEUR & AUTHOR In the hum-drum high street you need to be different not just to survive, but to stand out and prosper. Nick Rampley-Sturgeon, small business author and an entrepreneur who understands the retail coffee game, shares ideas, tips and practical techniques you can "Stand and Deliver!" Join Nick to learn how you can implement these new practices to benefit your clients and profit yourself. 12.30 INTRODUCING CAFES INTO RETAIL OUTLETS WAYNE HORO, HEAD OF FOOD & HOSPITALITY DESIGN, MARKS & SPENCER The café market has exploded over the last 10 years with the Latte and Cappuccino firmly integrated into our lifestyle. Marks & Spencer now has over 200 Café Revives and is the third largest coffee chain in the UK based on turnover. As the market has matured so has the diversity of hospitality offers within M&S to meet the changing needs and expectations of its customers. Wayne will be discussing how this trend has impacted on the retail environment, what role in-store cafés provide and assess how they sit alongside the high street chains? 13.30  DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY FOOD & COFFEE AT A SPEED THAT MEANS PROFIT JAMES HORSFIELD, COFFEE CONSULTANT / BARISTA TRAINER MYOGENIC COFFEE CONSULTANCY High quality food and the perfect cup of coffee are essential ingredients to a successful coffee bar, however, speed has a huge part to play in increasing your bottom line. James Horsfield runs through some hints and tips for delivering coffee and quality food at a speed that means profit - including operational design; customer flow management; menu design; choosing the right ingredients and service standards. 14.30 CAFFÈ CULTURE - REPORTING ON THE TRENDS AND VIEWS OF THE INDUSTRY JEFFREY YOUNG, ALLEGRA STRATEGIES Find out the results of the extensive research conducted by Allegra Strategies with over 100 independent café owners/ managers in Greater London. The research aimed to provide an in-depth look at the changing requirements of business owners within this ever growing sector.   15.30 INCREASING YOUR SHARE OF THE GROWING CUSTOMER SPEND ON FAIRTRADE CERTIFIED PRODUCTS RICHARD ANSTEAD, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, FAIRTRADE With sales of Fairtrade certified products growing on average 50% year on year, Fairtrade is now firmly in the mainstream. Understanding what the Fairtrade mark guarantees, and which of the 1500+ products are suitable for your business, will ensure you maximize your share of the sector. THURSDAY 25TH MAY CAFFE TALK 11.00 ROUND TABLE DEBATE - THE SECRETS OF LAUNCHING AND MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL COFFEE BAR MARCO ARRIGO, ILLY; ANTONIO MOTISI, FRATELLI; LUCIANO FRANCHI, CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882; CARLO VENTISEI, TINDERBOX HOSTED BY MARK LEWIS, EDITOR OF CATERER AND HOTELKEEPER Your opportunity to pose questions to our panel of experts, to reveal their secrets of starting up and running a successful coffee bar. 12.00 BEAN AROUND THE WORLD DAVID WILLIAMSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MATTHEW ALGIE David Williamson's passion for coffee has taken him around the world in search of the greatest Macchiato - probably the hardest drink to perfect and a sure fire test of a Barista's milk skills and espresso extraction. In this seminar he will take you on a first hand tour of coffee, food and design trends in cafés around the world. He will look at the emerging markets of Latin America, Eastern Europe, India and China, as well as the latest trends in the more established markets in Australia, New Zealand and the US. 13.00 YOU'RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR TEAM - GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE START ALISON ROBINSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ARTIZIAN A young dynamic company, Artizian has a team of enthusiastic professionals dedicated to providing a quality food experience - everyday. Alison will share with you how she has built a culture and ethos of passion, enthusiasm and pride in her team for everything they do. She has even appointed a 'Minster of Fun' who sets monthly challenges to all their teams and Head Office! The results have been fantastic for Artizian and you too can glean this information to help your business. 14.00 INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE MAINSTREAM COFFEE BUSINESS JONATHAN HORRELL, KRAFT FOODS CORPORATE AFFAIRS MANAGER, UK & IRELAND AND BRENDAN MAY OF THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE Kraft Foods has been working to introduce certified coffee into its mainstream coffee business since 2004, in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit organisation and world leader in sustainable agricultural certification. Since then Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee has been blended into Kraft mainstream brands, Kenco and Maxwell House, as well as used for the launch of a 100% certified product under the Kenco Sustainable Development brand. Find out what the Kraft Foods and the Kenco Coffee Company's sustainable products can bring to your business. CAFFÈ THEATRE WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY & THURSDAY 25TH MAY 10.30 CUPPING WITH CUP OF EXCELLENCE Cup of Excellence will introduce visitors to coffee direct from source, whether you are an experienced "cupper" or keen to sample beans from around the world for the first time. This session is a must-visit. 12.00 ESPRESSO FUNDAMENTALS - COFFEE COMMUNITY Ben Townsend of Coffee Community will be your guide in the search for the perfect espresso, a great session for baristas looking to improve their basic skills. 13.30 CAFÉ FOOD - SILVANA FRANCO Top chef and star of The Best, Silvana Franco will look at how to create great food quickly and at an attractive profit within the confines of a typical café kitchen. 15.00 PERFECT MILK - COFFEE COMMUNITY Having presented the perfect espresso, Ben Townsend turns his attention to the perfect milk in the creation of a range of exquisitely finished Caffè Lattes. 16.00 SPECIALTY DRINKS - COFFEE COMMUNITY The final session of the day looks at advanced barista skills and the creation of signature drinks. Caffè Culture 24th & 25th May, Olympia, London     top