Booth displays are getting larger and more complex. What kind of pressure do exhibitors have to up their game?
Trina Bediako: Bakers come to this event looking for innovative business solutions. It’s critical that each exhibitor showcases the reasons why bakers should visit their booth. Whatever size, whatever complexity: Just bring it!
Ken Newsome: There’s pressure to up your game every year, regardless of whether it’s a show year, regardless of how big your booth is. You have to always stay in front of the competition if you want to remain a leader.
Dennis Gunnell: Your booth has to be engaging enough to grab attendees’ interest, and you can do that with any size of booth. With our attendees getting younger, we have to tap into what appeals to them. Seeing AI and all these technologies they’re fluent in gives them a sense of comfort and the ability to really experience what’s going on.
In terms of technological advances for supplier offerings, what do you think will be some of the overarching themes at the show? Any predictions on what will be the big draw?
Akeem Babatunde: AI and automation are at the top. Attracting people to manufacturing in general is not the easiest thing to do, and bakeries have their own unique subset of challenges within that.
Mark Hotze: Many times, people think automation means eliminating jobs, but really, that’s not true. Automation is an attempt to address the workforce gap issue.
Gunnell: During COVID, if one thing really took a hit, it was sustainability. Everyone wanted everything packaged; they wanted things safe. Now, that pendulum is swinging back the other way, and we’re looking for ways to reduce plastics and use biodegradable materials.
What new show features will tap into more experiential programming?
Kim Nisbet: IBIE will have several show floor features with experiential programming, including the Artisan Villag e and Wholesale/Retail Bakers Centers. We’ve noticed that celebrity chefs resonate strongly with most IBIE attendees. The key is bringing in a celebrity or influencer who is a baking industry expert as opposed to a more generic, famous figure.
Jorge Zarate: One thing that started under Dennis’ leadership was the Rockin’ Pint Night, powered by AB Mauri. This is a great place for people to interact, network and see an excellent show from celebrity baker Duff Goldman and his cover band.
IBIEducate programming drew a record number of speaker applications this year. What does that say about the Baking Expo’s evolution?
Allen Wright: Education has changed dramatically in just a couple of show cycles. The multitude of applications that came in are a testament to its world-class standing, but also to the work of the organization, the refinement of the process and the overall program.
Newsome: At IBIE, education isn’t just vendor-by-vendor in the booths. IBIEducate is the most comprehensive industry education program in the world. It’s tailored to the industry and the roles within it and has topic-specific tracks, which bring added value that convinces people to travel halfway across the country — maybe halfway across the world — to gain a substantial education within just a few days.
Rick Hoskins: In our business, training is so important. People can learn about something they never knew was possible by listening to other perspectives and hearing what others have done to solve a problem.
Zarate: We will also have more Spanish sessions than ever before because Mexico and Latin America are growing markets, and we want to give even better service to the Spanish speakers in attendance.
When today’s bakers have so much access to information ahead of the show, what’s the key to having impactful conversations at IBIE?
Bediako: Bakers need to think ahead and arrive with an open mind. They should be ready to enjoy the experience but also be prepared with ideas for future plans. Think beyond 2025 and ask questions like, ‘How is our business evolving? What does our budget look like?’ Come in prepared with those thoughts already sketched out.
Zarate: There are four main reasons why people go to these kinds of shows: To learn, to experience, to connect and to do business. Bakers can do homework in advance to research suppliers, but it’s nothing like having one-on-one, hands-on interactions on the show floor. Many exhibitors have their engineering, maintenance and operations people there too, not just sales folks. So really, this is the perfect time to connect with those experts and dig into your specific questions.
Babatunde: I agree. This is the perfect time for deeper and more meaningful discussions. Suppliers can appropriately align the solutions when they understand their customers’ challenges as deeply as possible.
Wright: The industry is evolving, but there’s still nothing that can replace human interaction. I’ve been in the industry a long time and attended several Baking Expos — call me ‘seasoned,’ if you will — and I’m certain that people in every generation genuinely value being together, face-to-face, and that’s really encouraging to me.
This story has been adapted from the February | Q1 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
