DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY — While iba 2025, set to take place May 18-22 in Dusseldorf, Germany, is about six months away, 95% of the event space for the world’s leading trade fair for the baking and confectionery industries has been booked. More than 700 exhibitors from 43 countries have already registered, meaning the upcoming event will showcase the global diversity of the industry.

Attendees of iba 2025 will get to explore two brand new additions: Food Trends Area and the World Championship of Bread Sommeliers.

The Food Trends Area will feature exhibitor presentations on current food trends ranging from raw materials to snack innovations and machines for production. Showgoers will discover the latest developments in food culture and ingredient concepts through networking, educational presentations and expert-guided focus sessions.

In addition to iba’s Cup of Bakers and Cup of Confectioners, the World Championship of Bread Sommeliers will debut at iba 2025. In collaboration with the German National Bakers Academy in Weinheim, the new program allows graduates of the academy to participate in the preliminary round of the competition, with the grand finale set to take place at iba 2025.

Attendees can also take part in seminars, lectures, award ceremonies and competitions of various categories. The Start Up Area will feature national and international startups presenting pitches and innovative products, and the Digitalization Area will show eventgoers the future possibilities of the baking industry with new technical solutions.

The new iba platform, which integrates iba.Universe with the trade fair’s website, serves as an extension of the face-to-face event and offers members of the baking industry access to networking opportunities, industry news, trade fair updates and more throughout the year.

Exhibitor registration is now open, with ticket sales for visitors opening in December. For more information and to register, visit the iba website.