MICE26 hailed as huge success – here’s why – BeanScene

The 2026 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) has concluded on a high after three days of industry connection, business, and education for the Australian coffee community.

The 13th edition of the expo took place from 26 to 28 March at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and saw a total of 14,159 unique visitors pass through the doors.

“We’re extremely happy with the results: bumper crowds, quality leads and genuine business was conducted on the show floor in the most positive environment we’ve had to date. The vibes were extremely high,” says MICE’s Sarah Baker.

“Crowd numbers were fantastic. We’re really pleased that 35.1 per cent of our attendees were café owners and operators, and 29.7 per cent were roasters, indicating that the right audience of decision makers was present.” 

MICE was a sensory wonderland of 157 exhibitors displaying the latest in coffee machine and roasting equipment, coffee tools and ancillary equipment, packaging, POS software, dairy and dairy alternatives, bakery items, matcha, and of course, lots of coffee.

One of the most popular attractions at the show was the Roasters Playground, sponsored by La Marzocco and Riverina Fresh. More than 36 roasters across the country took half-day residencies to showcase and celebrate their coffee selections.

The Café Education Stage, sponsored by Grounded Packaging, powered by BeanScene magazine was also a crowd favourite, with 23 session topics and 78 panellists converging across the three days to discuss the topics, trends and subjects that matter to café owners.

“The program was designed to be an engaging platform to educate, inspire and motivate café owners with insights that can help grow their business and see it thrive and not just survive in today’s current climate,” says Sarah, who served as moderator of the Cafe Education Series.

“We covered everything from profitability and management to matcha madness, the cold beverage revolution, automation, sustainability and so much more. I loved seeing the crowd taking every seat possible – for some it was the floor – just to hear from some of the industry’s best business operators.”

MICE at Night made its debut from 4pm to 7.30pm on Friday 27 March to help accommodate more café operators to the show after work. DJs kept the party going as attendees explored the later exhibition timeslot.

Over in the Trip to Origin section of the show, producers, importers and green bean experts from coffee-growing regions around the world held cupping sessions and delivered educational sessions that explored origin, processing and the realities behind production. The country’s represented included Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Uganda, Kenya, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.

Axil Coffee Roasters won the on-site Australia’s Favourite Coffee competition, capping an incredible 12 months for the Melbourne-born roaster which has also included Jack Simpson being named World Barista Champion.

The expanded Coffee Industry Heroes Awards and Product Innovation Awards also drew a strong crowd, which saw some of Australia’s leading industry lights recognised for their contribution to the community.

MICE organisers have also confirmed dates for the 2027 show, taking place from 4 to 6 March. For all exhibitor enquiries, please contact Mike Wilson at mike.wilson@primecreative.com.au or call 0466 609 732.

“We’re excited about the future of MICE. Most importantly, we’re happy that this year’s show has really helped to unite, motivate and celebrate our industry. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our exhibitors and the wider coffee community grow from such an important annual event,” Sarah says.

“That’s the power of MICE. Magic happens when we all come together.”