WASHINGTON — The American Bakers Association and the Independent Bakers Association announced they will co-locate their spring meetings at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. The meetings will run consecutively April 14-18, 2012.

“Given the overlapping memberships and competing demands on everyone’s time, holding the two groups meetings together in the same location makes a lot of sense,” said Robb MacKie, president and chief executive officer of the A.B.A. “A.B.A. is responding to its independent baker members’ and allied partners’ requests to be more efficient in scheduling meetings, and this was the next logical step.”

The I.B.A. will hold its business meeting and cocktail reception on Saturday, April 14, and A.B.A. members are invited to participate in the sessions. Meanwhile, I.B.A. members who are not A.B.A. members or who are A.B.A. members but have not yet attended an A.B.A. meeting will be afforded special discounted registration fees to the A.B.A.’s annual convention.

“The I.B.A. is pleased to meet prior to the A.B.A. annual convention in Scottsdale,” said Nick Pyle, president of the I.B.A. “We will continue to focus our program on opportunities and challenges specific to independent, family-owned bakeries and allow our members to take advantage of A.B.A.’s high level speakers and business networking sessions.”

Mr. MacKie and Mr. Pyle said the two organizations’ decision to work together “strengthens the industry’s effectiveness in the policy and business arenas.”

“Given limited resources, particularly time, our groups are working together to explore ways to serve the industry more efficiently,” they said.