iba 2012, which has just concluded in Munich, has given 70,000 bakers, confectioners, caterers and decision makers from the food retail sector a glimpse of the future information that will be valuable during the 1,087 days until the next World Market for Baking. For six days trade visitors have been finding out about developments and up-and-coming trends in the market. iba has also set a new benchmark: 1,255 exhibitors from 58 countries have provided a comprehensive market overview, which has been given top ratings by visitors from the industry. About 94.5 per cent of visitors agreed that iba's range of products is one of a kind and rated it "excellent" to "good". Visitors have travelled from a total of 177 different countries to attend iba in Munich.
"Our expectations have been exceeded by far", says Peter Becker, president, German Bakers' Confederation (Zentralverband des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks). "On the one hand, we have had more foreign visitors at iba. On the other hand, I am particularly pleased that so many German bakers have attended the most significant trade show in their industry. Everyone has seized the opportunity, which only arises once every three years, to gain a comprehensive overview of the market. Nowhere else will you find such a wide choice of different companies." This level of satisfaction with the trade show is reflected in the surveys carried out amongst visitors. When asked to rate the "comprehensive nature and breadth of products on offer", 91.4 per cent of visitors gave a rating of "excellent" to "good". iba makes an important contribution towards helping the bakery trade so that it can continue to delight customers in the future with its quality and individuality", Becker is delighted to say.
For the six-day duration of the trade show, bakers, confectioners, caterers and decision makers from the retail food sector have been experiencing all that the baking industry has to offer. "iba is essential for setting trends like no other within the industry", says Dieter Dohr, CEO, GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH. "iba offered solutions for the individual challenges of each and every visitor, be this the efficient use of energy, hygiene, and packaging or coffee, all of which are issues that will become increasingly important in the future. This has been demonstrated emphatically by the increase in the range of products being presented at the trade show."
The reaction amongst exhibitors has also been favourable. Notwithstanding that there were fewer visitors at this year's six-day event than at the previous seven- day event, the high level of satisfaction amongst companies has nevertheless shown that "all of the important decision makers were there", says Becker. 80% of companies have given top marks of "excellent" to "good" when asked to rate the quality of visitors. The atmosphere in Munich, say 94.2 per cent of respondents, plays a significant part in their concluding successful business deals. What is emphasised again and again in this context by exhibitors is the increase in participants' willingness to invest, compared with previous years. "Right from day one there was a great atmosphere at iba, and many deals were concluded. The key to this level of success is certainly likely to be the manner in which companies presented themselves at this culmination of three years of business," summarises Becker. "It never ceases to fascinate me or other visitors to the show how companies give their utmost, not just in setting up their stand but also when presenting their equipment live."
Visitors to the trade show were also able to witness the bakers' and confectioners' trades in perfection at a number of national and international competitions: the iba-cup for bakers, the German Championships of Master Bakers, and the iba-cup for confectioners. The iba cup for confectioners is hosted by the German Confectioners' Association (Deutscher Konditorenbund), which uses events such as these and a gateau gala at its stand in order to raise interest and awareness with trade specialists of the future.
The show was kicked off this year by the première of the iba-summit's Global Baking Dialogue, which took place a day before the actual opening of the show. The German Bakers' Confederation (Zentralverband des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks), which hosted the event, was very pleased with how it went. The iba-summit saw renowned speakers, including John Dalli, commissioner, EU, Klaus Töpfer and Hans-Werner Sinn, discuss specialist topics such as food safety and trends in the baking industry.
The next iba will take place at the Munich Exhibition Centre in September 2015.
