The 2023 edition of the biggest international trade fair for the bakery industry iba in Munic closed with great success. Over 54.000 visitors from 150 countries and 1073 exhibitors from 46 countries displayed the latest trends from all over the world.
The smell of fresh baked goods, full aisles, interesting conversations, a reunion with existing customers, knowledge exchange, innovations, exciting competitions, new contacts, the best atmosphere and world-class craftsmanship – that was iba 2023. This means that the leading trade fair offers plenty of content for the entire baking industry – from trainees to master bakers. Michael Wippler, President of the German Bakers’ Confederation, says: “In addition to competitions with excellent talent and a successful introduction of the National Award of Honour, the topic of young talent was particularly close to our hearts this year. We had trainees on site at the BackStage young talent days, met vocational school classes and talked to bakers about our “Back dir Deine Zukunft” campaign. We want to whet young people’s appetites for artisan bakery, and iba was the best place for that. For me, this fair was also a personal highlight – because it is my last iba in my function as President of the German Bakers’ Confederation. The fair was a complete success and that makes me all the more happy. A special thanks to all exhibitors and organisers of the trade fair.”
The leading trade fair: ahead of the times
Which topics move the market and how do I find the right partners and solutions? What are the world innovations? These and other questions were answered from 22 – 26 October in the exhibition halls. “iba sets the standards nationally and internationally for the baking industry and is a trendsetter and source of inspiration. We successfully proved that again in 2023: nowhere else are such product depth and such diverse innovation visible. This is also reflected in the phenomenal decision-maker rate at the fair. Thank you so much to all who helped to organise this trade fair. Above all, a special thank you goes to Mr. Wippler for all the years of trusting and very goal-oriented cooperation,” said Dieter Dohr, Chair of the Management Board of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH.
Artisan bakery in focus
The focus of the fair was on the topics of recruiting young talent, artisan bakery, as well as the numerous competitions and digitalisation. One highlight was “The iba.UIBC.Cup of Bakers 2023”. Here, visitors feverishly followed the action right up to the last minute in front of the glass baking rooms. This ranged from loud applause for the participating teams in their final efforts to hand in their work and transitioned into an eager silence to watch the jury taste the products live. The gold medal was then won by Lin Yeqiang and Feng Yingjie from China on 24 October 2023. Yeon Sunheum and Han Doyoung from South Korea secured the confectioners’ title on 26 October 2023.
Next iba will be held in Düsseldorf from 18 to 22 May 2025.
Source and picture: iba
