• IBA 2023 sets international standards for the bakery and pastry industry, being a trendsetter but also a source of inspiration for professionals in the field.
An accumulation of interaction, inspiration and innovation, IBA 2023 has demonstrated in this edition that it is the most important profile fair and that nowhere else is such a wealth of products and technologies visible. This is also reflected in the impressive number of participants: 1.073 exhibitors from 46 countries presented their diversity of equipment, products and innovations over five days in 10 halls to 57.000 visitors from 150 countries, who browsed the stands to discover the latest trends from around the world.
The inviting smell of fresh baked goods, full aisles, interesting conversations, meeting with existing customers, making new contacts with potential business partners, live demonstrations, exciting competitions and a vibrant atmosphere – this was IBA 2023. What topics are moving profile market and how do specialists in the field find the right solutions? What are the global trends? These and other questions were answered between October 22 and 26 at the exhibition held in Munich, Germany.
News, inspiration and excitement
At this year's edition, IBA offered visitors two great novelties, namely iba.DIGITALIZATION AREA supported by AHA 360⁰ and Shop-IQ, where we were able to get an overview of the digitization of the profile industry and iba.START UP AREA supported by Puratos, where start-up companies could present their revolutionary ideas in the field.
The new space iba.START UP from hall A4 was a real magnet for visitors who could vote for their favorite both on the digital platform iba. UNIVERSE, as well as within the stand. It was a difficult choice: 24 young companies exhibited their innovations in this modern space, and WECARRY won the prize iba.START UP AWARD, offered for the first time at the IBA fair. We cannot fail to mention the Dutch company Zero Carb which presented its revolutionary gluten and carbohydrate free bread, which you could previously read about on Arta Albă.
Impressive competitions and surprising innovations
The fair focused on digitization, artisan baking, discovering young talents, as well as numerous competitions. A highlight was the competition iba.UIBC.Cup of Bakers 2023. Here, visitors could feverishly watch the virtuosity of the competitors from the beginning to the last minute. The gold medal was awarded on 24 October 2023 to Lin Yeqiang and Feng Yingjie of China, and on 26 October 2023 Yeon Sunheum and Han Doyoung of South Korea were the laureates iba.UIBC.CUP of Confectioners 2023.
A bakery robot, a 24/24 bakery vending machine, a dealership BrotHaus which showed how personal consultation and self-service can be combined without the need for sales staff and a point of sale of the future with automatic purchase recognition and cashless payment. These were just some of the digital solutions on display at this year's world fair.
Digital solutions
Exhibitors at IBA presented visitors with the full spectrum of digitization – from concrete practical examples that can already be implemented in today's bakeries to options for the future. From vision to realization, the exhibitor's goal was to present affordable business digitization solutions.
Major companies producing accessories, utensils and ingredients for the pastry, confectionery, gelato and chocolate sector also presented their new products, enhancing their stands with spectacular desserts.
Romania was also represented at IBA 2023 by the companies Eurocas, Expertarom, Pan Adami, Matina and Exonia, and at the Rheon stand I had the honor of exchanging a few words with Mr. Aurel Popescu, the president BREAKING.
Other points of attraction for visitors, in addition to the impressive stands of the companies present at the fair, were iba. ACADEMY, the days of young talents iba BackStage, the exhibition iba. CONFECTIONERY TEC AREA, as well as iba.TOURS and iba.OKTOBERFESTZELT.
Numerous focus points
We must not forget that, in addition to competitions and live demonstrations, IBA also means dialogues between specialists in the field. Three stages, a host of experts and over 4.000 minutes of brainstorming: in iba.FORUM, iba. SPEAKERS AREA and iba.START UP AREA, everything centered around topics such as: artisanal baking, food trends, digitalization and, above all, sustainability. Visitors could listen to presentations by experts, but also had the opportunity to engage in conversations on the respective topics.
Among the stands that really stood out due to their special design, we mention that of the company TT Italy, a real visual royalty as if from the future.
The Tronik oven was the star of the stand Wine cutter, impressing visitors with its elegant lines and robust structure.
Company stand Sigma, the leading Italian company in the field of machinery and equipment for bakery, confectionery and pizzeria, also presented the latest technological innovations for the industry. Sigma differentiates itself due to its ability to meet the particular needs of each customer, and its new line of pizzas is generating strong interest worldwide.
Technology at the highest standard
Pioneer of rheological engineering, Rheon, the company headquartered in Japan, and the most important manufacturer of automated machinery for the bakery and pastry industry offered visitors, specialists and enthusiasts, a real technological show, having scheduled demonstrations of the virtuosity of its equipment throughout the fair period.
Escher offered visitors a remarkable stand not only from an aesthetic point of view but also thanks to the cutting-edge technology of the equipment presented.
There was no shortage of packaging solutions for bakery products either, with an impressive number of companies from various countries present at IBA 2023 that presented their cutting-edge packaging and sealing technologies.
The atmosphere was great, every day filled with new highlights, demos and innovations. The enthusiasm was clearly visible both at the booths of the exhibiting companies and at the award ceremonies. After the forced hiatus due to the pandemic, IBA is back in full force, once again proving its importance to bakery markets around the world.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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