The 24th iba has drawn to a close with a new world champion confectioner, Haoran Lyu (China), 76,800 trade visitors, and trade fair contracts worth 2.1 billion euros. Trade visitors were particularly interested in testing new products and the presentation of innovations in production technology, raw materials, and shopfitting.
58 hours of ambience, exchange, and contacts: iba has set standards for the next three years and showed the trends in the industry, with everyone’s focus being on the main topic – digitalization. Digital products were professionally exhibited at nearly every trade fair stand. Both exhibitors and trade visitors saw digital solutions and processes, new business models and product safety as the key developments for their sector. This was the result of a survey of the 1,373 exhibitors and 76,800 trade visitors. The bakers and confectioners surveyed particularly appreciated the 360-degree view of the future that only iba offers. As such, 94 per cent of surveyed backers and confectioners considered their personal trade fair goal of collecting “information about new products” to be entirely achieved.