MUNICH, GERMANY — The International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), the largest trade event for the grain-based foods industry in the western hemisphere, will once again partner with iba, the trade fair for the bakery and confectionery industry based in Munich. IBIE will provide three original education sessions on-demand as part of iba’s inaugural virtual event, iba.CONNECTING EXPERTS, which occurs March 15-17.

Registration is free and online exhibiting opportunities are currently available.

The virtual event was developed in response to the baking industry’s immediate need for knowledge exchange, networking and commerce, resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“iba’s CONNECTING EXPERTS event offers exactly what our industry is craving right now— opportunities to connect, share insights and discover inspiring innovations,” said Dennis Gunnel, chairman of IBIE 2022. “IBIE is proud to be working with iba to bring our global community together and to provide an exciting new way for us all to grow and conduct business during these challenging times.”

IBIE’s sessions will focus on trends bakers need right now, sanitation, and automation — three critical topics for professionals navigating the rapidly evolving grain-based foods industry.

Baking manufacturing trends —  Examining the US market: To understand how the US commercial baking industry can thrive in 2021 and beyond, it is imperative to examine how consumers, bakers, and suppliers have responded to the impacts of COVID-19. Robb MacKie, president and chief executive officer of the American Bakers Association, and Kerwin Brown, president and CEO of BEMA, will look at key trends in the US market that affected the course of business in 2020 and what it means for the commercial baking industry in the year ahead.

Sanitation — Stop cleaning: This learning event will provide awareness-level education to food industry engineering, operations and food safety professionals on partnering with their cross functional teams and external resources to minimize the impact of sanitation to businesses. The sanitation optimization process will lead to cost savings and increased capacity while driving down food safety risk.

Automation— Robotic solutions for efficiency and labor: Using robotics in food production facilities is not a new concept. However, the justification has changed with the increased need to reduce labor on production lines, increase social distancing and decrease the number of product touches from production through packaging and shipping. Additionally, the global workforce shortage in manufacturing has led manufacturing operations to consider new solutions to these issues. Robotics is the modern solution. This session will look at the various applications for food manufacturing facilities.

In addition to in-depth talks and lectures, IBIE will host a booth in the virtual exhibit hall. Aside from education the three-day event will provide ample opportunities for international networking through an interactive video and chat system, as well as supplier presentations highlighting exhibitor solutions in cleanliness and hygiene, production technology and equipment, packaging technology, raw materials and ingredients and other associated categories.

iba Munich, iba’s next live event, is scheduled for Oct. 24-28, 2021, at Fairground Munich. IBIE will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 17-21, 2022.