Specialty Coffee Association Cancels 2020 Expo And Re:co; Events Will Be Held In New Orleans In 2021

The Specialty Coffee Association has decided to cancel the 2020 Re:co Symposium and Specialty Coffee Expo, which was scheduled to take place in Portland in April, it announced Tuesday.

Next year, New Orleans will host the Re:co Symposium (April 21-22) and the Expo (April 23-25).

"Many of you have gotten in touch with us, wondering why it has taken so long to announce the cancellation of these two events. As you may know, the Specialty Coffee Expo is the largest specialty coffee event in North America, and in order to make it happen, we engage in contracts with the venue and with over two dozen other partners, including hotels and other local businesses," said Yannis Apostolopoulos, the association's CEO, in the announcement. "When it became clear that it would not be possible to find new dates for later in the year in Portland, our negotiations with these partners focused on ending these contracts without putting the SCA, a nonprofit association, in danger of legal retribution from these businesses, who are also experiencing similar difficulties amid this crisis."

Those who had registered as attendees or exhibitors should receive an email with additional information, the association stated in the announcement.