ICCO pushes back World Cocoa Conference to 2024

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Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center. Pic: Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center

The World Cocoa Conference has been postponed for the third time after organisers International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) cited uncertainties of holding a global gathering in Bali with the potential of more travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A key event in the cocoa conference calendar, the event was originally scheduled for 23 to 26 May at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia, but was pushed back to May 2022. The ICCO has now said it will be moved forward to the next two-year cycle, with Brussels a likely location in 2024.

Last held in Berlin in 2018, the World Cocoa Conference brought together 1,200 attendees from 600 countries, representing major players from across the value chain, including government agencies, chocolate manufacturers, trading companies, cocoa processors and service providers.

A statement on last year’s postponement from the ICCO said: “The International Cocoa Organization is currently monitoring reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) daily. We must put the health and safety of our attendees and staff above all else.”

There has been no further details on the latest rescheduling, but the ICCO has confirmed that its second edition of the International Symposium on Cocoa Research in the French southern city of Montpellier in December 2022 will go ahead, after its postponement last year.