In 2021, the national and international baking industry will be dominated by iba. The world’s leading trade fair for the baking and confectionery industry is set to take place from Sunday, 24th to Thursday, 28th October in Munich and is a well-established meeting place for the world’s baking and confectionery industry. In addition to conceptual changes, 2021 will see an emphasis on new and visionary impulses, including a change in duration and a new hall layout. The size and significance of the fair will, however, remain unchanged. Application forms are now being sent out to exhibitors.

Topics that move the industry also move trade fair organizers. Accordingly, the raw materials sector with its trend-setting facets and solutions in terms of green issues, such as smart and sustainable packaging technologies, is right at the top of the agenda at iba 2021, but the food service market as well as traditional, artisan baking are just as topical and therefore in focus. Once again, all aspects of baking will be represented, for example in the form of the tried and tested national and international competitions. To enable efficient and optimized participation in the trade fair with the diversity of its approximately 1,300 exhibitors, the duration of the event has been adapted according to the wishes expressed by the industry. iba also worked on the hall concept in order to structure it clearly in terms of areas of interest.

A five-day platform for the baking and confectionery industry
For the first time, the next iba in 2021 is set to last five days instead of six, from 24^th to 28^th October. The change is the result of a survey, carried out among national and international exhibitors and visitor interest representatives, aimed at seeing iba develop further in line with the requirements and wishes of the market, but without changing its foundations: the extensive overall range of products.

Redistribution within the twelve halls

The new hall layout is to a large extent also based on feedback received from the industry. The need arose due to market developments over the past few years, which are reflected at iba as the leading trade fair for the sector: there have been mergers and new constellations among market participants, which have an impact on the placement of exhibitors. In cooperation with the German Bakers’ Confederation, a concept has been developed that meets the needs of all those involved, underlines the characteristics of iba and benefits the new timeframe. At the same time, this is accompanied by improved orientation for visitors, exhibitors and journalists as well as a more tailored approach to target groups. The new segmentation ensures that the halls for raw materials and ingredients, production technology as well as for solutions for artisan bakers are more concentrated. Within this clustering, the range of products on offer will remain wide-ranging and the basic structure of the individual halls will remain the same. True to the motto: upholding the tried and tested, setting new trends, the trade fair concept as a whole will gain a new quality and attractiveness.

“Our aim is to develop iba in line with the needs of the market so that it remains the perfect platform for worldwide exchange, the stage for product premieres, and the trade fair where numerous innovations can be seen. The most important tool that always accompanies us in our work, and is our recipe for success, is a combination of enthusiasm for the industry and specialist expertise in the various topics, but also an understanding of the needs of the target group. All this in combination with the direct feedback from our worldwide network, always forms part of our considerations,” says Cathleen Kabashi, iba exhibition director.

The constant
Despite the changes to the distribution within the halls, iba remains the leading trade fair for the baking and confectionery industry and is known and appreciated as such both nationally and internationally. In 2021, its unique dimension will once again be demonstrated thanks to the variety and comprehensiveness of the product range, peppered with numerous innovations and live demonstrations, which can be seen, as before, in the twelve exhibition halls. Besides the high quality of exhibitors and visitors, all participants can also look forward to a supporting programme of the highest standard in 2021. As such, in addition to the international competitions, the iba.SPEAKERS CORNER, with top-class speakers from the international baking industry, and also the iba.FORUM run by the German Bakers’ Confederation, will continue to be an integral part of the trade fair, and artisan bakers will once again find attractive talks with practical relevance. “The get-together of the large family of bakers provides plenty of scope for direct communication with experts. A must for every baker with a desire to think outside the box and discover exciting innovations. I am really looking forward to the fair,” says Michael Wippler, President of the German Bakers’ Confederation.

Starting shot for iba 2021
We are now sending out the application forms to exhibitors to allow them to secure their place at the worlds’ #1 meeting place for experts in a unique dimension and at the highest professional level.