LAS VEGAS — After more than a century of the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), the show maintains positive growth. Yet, there is always more for exhibitors to learn. During the IBIE Exhibitors Summit, held Jan. 22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a panel of veteran exhibitors shared their tips, tricks and best practices for smooth planning and a seamless experience for IBIE 2025, set to take place Sept. 14-17.
Panelists included Tricia McNamara, marketing manager for AB Mauri North America; Sergio Caballero, regional sales manager for Food Tools; and Jeff Yankellow, director of bakery and foodservice sales for King Arthur Baking Co. The panel was moderated by Jorge Zarate, chief supply chain officer and chief sustainability officer for Grupo Bimbo and chair of the IBIE 2025 Planning Committee.
The group shared a wealth of advice, ranging from planning tips to being on the show floor and more.
Dress for success
For attendees and exhibitors, IBIE means long days on your feet, and while the convention center is climate-controlled, meeting spaces in conference halls are notorious for being chilly, even in the Las Vegas desert. While attire is a key element for branding in the booth, it’s also important to remain comfortable.
When it comes to tradeshow booth wear, the common concern is function over fashion. However, shoes can be an easy way to keep the team comfortable while on their feet all week and incorporate a bit of branding to tie it all together.
“Footwear is important, and athletic shoes are more commonplace these days,” McNamara suggested. “Last show, we did custom shoes for the team.”
As the planning and team building get underway, exhibitors should keep footwear in mind for simple ways to create brand recognition and also keep booth staff comfortably on their toes.
Prior to the doors opening — whether it’s set up day or any day the expo hall is open — many exhibitors will be working on updates or fixes to the booth as well as team meetings and planning. In that case, wardrobe changes are welcome.
“I like to start the day in a T-shirt and shorts, in case I get dirty with anything related to setup,” Yankellow said. “Then I switch to my ‘show clothes,’ which is usually a collared shirt, slacks and comfortable shoes.”
While attire can often be seen as an afterthought or a marketing function, it’s important to remember that an exhibitor’s job — whether interacting with customers, planning the schedule or designing the booth — is multi-faceted, and attire should be seen as part of the gear to support every aspect.
Roll with the punches
When planning for any major event, it’s likely something will go wrong.
“Mistakes are bound to happen,” Zarate said. “But it’s all part of the learning process, and they can help you improve your strategy each show.”
Yankellow emphasized that mindset, noting that the King Arthur Baking team is always intentional in learning from mishaps.
“Oftentimes, our challenges have stemmed from the uniqueness of our company,” Yankellow said. “But we’ve learned each time more about what we don’t know and evolve each expo.”
That said, mistakes are not the only learning opportunity for a show of this magnitude. McNamara emphasized the power of attendee feedback. While IBIE conducts surveys for the show overall, it’s important for exhibitors to gauge attendee experience for their in-booth interactions.
“After every show, we conduct a detailed survey, asking what we did well and what we can improve for the next time,” she said. “What’s most important, though, is applying what you learned to your planning for the next show. Don’t just file it away. A key way to improve is to learn from your past.”
Plan — and communicate — ahead
While the unavoidable mishaps serve as lessons for the next go-round, others can be fixed — or avoided altogether — with proper planning and communication upfront.
Putting a booth together for the Western Hemisphere’s largest bakery tradeshow is a huge team effort, and it requires collaboration among marketing, engineering and sales, just to name a few. And when the show happens every three years, the “just do what we did last time” strategy can come with pitfalls, especially when changes like rebranding or employee turnover have taken place.
Collaboration can also happen among exhibitors. For example, King Arthur Baking hosts several baking demonstrations in its booth which requires sourcing baking equipment in its booth space. That comes with its own measure of pre-planning beyond the scope of booth layout and design.
“We are so fortunate to have equipment companies loan us equipment for our booth,” Yankellow said. “A big part of that is having enough electrical outlets, and that may come with extra costs. For these types of things, you want to get it right the first time because a change order on the floor can be a rushed or unplanned expense.”
Yankellow also pointed out that, while his team had someone from King Arthur’s facility management help with the planning in 2022, the booth still required support from Freeman, IBIE’s official general services contractor.
“Our Freeman contact was amazing,” Yankellow said. “He told us everything we needed and didn’t need and straightened everything out for us.”
Participating in the exhibitor panel during the summit was Yankellow’s way of paying it forward to new exhibitors or those who are new to their roles for IBIE exhibitor companies.
Exhibitors who missed the event still have access to resources that can streamline planning and onsite show experience. IBIE is offering several webinars in the months leading up to the show, as well as an FAQ page and secure dashboard for each exhibitor.
