IBA, a significant trade fair for baking and confectionery professionals of all levels, is scheduled for May 18‒22 in Düsseldorf, Germany. According to organizers, 95% of the available space has already been booked and more than 700 exhibitors from 43 countries have registered. Exhibitor registration is open; sign-up for visitors will start in December 2024. Ahead of the event, show organizers are offering previews of the agenda:

Food Trends Area, and the World Championship of bread sommeliers

Two new features will be unveiled at the 2025 event. In the Food Trends Area, exhibitors will present their food trends at various stands and contact points, from raw materials and snack innovations to machines for production. Visitors will discover the latest developments in food culture and suitable products, ingredients, and concepts. The new highlight is rounded off by the IBA Stage; here, attendees can listen to presentations on food trends in the mornings; in the afternoons, experts will give talks on all other focus topics. Networking areas and a coffee bar are available for socializing.

Also, the World Championship of Bread Sommeliers will now be held at IBA for the first time, a from the Akademie Deutsches Bäckerhandwerk Weinheim (German National Bakers Academy in Weinheim) and its advanced training program for bread sommeliers. National courses are offered there, and an international course for Certified Bread Sommeliers was presented there for the first time in the fall of 2023. Participants from countries including the U.S., Norway, Brazil, Ireland, Aruba (Caribbean), and New Zealand completed the course in September 2024. A total of 267 bread sommeliers from 14 countries have already been trained in Weinheim. The graduates can compete in the preliminary round, with the grand finale awaiting them all at the World Championship of bread sommeliers at IBA 2025.

Innovations, bakery tours, baking pretzels

At the IBA Academy, visitors can take part in seminars and learn how to make a traditional German pretzel. There will be a certificate at the end; tickets will be available at the beginning of 2025 on the show website. 

The IBA Forum is all about artisan bakery: lectures, award ceremonies, and competitions will take place here. It is also show time in the action areas: national and international start-ups will present their pitches and innovative products in the Start Up Area. The Digitalization Area will show the bakery of the future: here visitors can touch digitalization and test new possibilities. 

In cooperation with the Zentralfachschule der Deutschen Süßwarenwirtschaft e.V. (College of the German Confectionery Industry) the Confectionery Tec Area will showcase new technical solutions that make it possible to enhance products for sale, e.g. toppings for baked goods. In addition, guided bakery tours will be offered, this time in Düsseldorf. Registration is online.

Networking on the IBA platform

Ahead of the trade fair, participants can register via the iba platform, network, and discover the first content. What's new: the show website and the IBA Universe have been merged into one site, with the aim of bringing industry participants together before, during, and after the trade fair. According to organizers, the new platform serves as an extension of the face-to-face event and enables dialogue with the baking industry 365 days a year, giving registered users personalized content and facilitating both the preparation for the trade fair visit and the evaluation afterward.

Industry stories

Tales from the industry and for the industry can be found in the cross-media campaign Baking New Ways, which shares personal stories intended to inspire. Exhibitors, visitors, bakers, confectioners, and other people from a wide range of sectors and countries will talk about their path in the baking industry and how they turned their passion into a career. 

Site plan and exhibition program

Covering over 98,000 square meters (more than 105,000 square feet), IBA will aim to showcase the global diversity of the industry. The product range is spread over seven halls, with a different size and layout than the previous iteration Munich. This means that the product portfolio will be as varied as usual: production technology in Halls 9-13, packaging technology in Hall 9, artisan bakery in Halls 13 and 14, and raw materials and ingredients in Hall 15. 

Visitor tickets will be available from December 2024 on the IBA website. 

Related: IBA 2025 to tackle ‘Baking New Ways’