GO! GO! GO! Coffeefest (www.coffeefest.com) is by far the best most retail oriented trade show to go to especially for those that are thinking about or are a few months away from opening a donut or coffee house
If nothing else, you will meet a lot of great suppliers from roasters to smoothie suppliers. It’s worth the investment in time. There are a lot of great seminars to attend taught by the industry best. Most are shop owners, suppliers and consultants. Not just a generic business workshop. Most workshops are included in your registration though some require payment. However, most are very affordable. You will need to register early as the class slots fill up very fast. The other big one is the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) annual trade show. This is geared more towards the roaster and/or wholesaler but there is a lot of good information to be had here too with lots of workshops to attend as well. http://www.scaa.org