IBIE 2025 Sees Record-Setting Show Floor and Debuts New ProgrammingIBIE 2025 Sees Record-Setting Show Floor and Debuts New Programming
The triennial event in Las Vegas boasted a sold-out show floor that spanned more than 450,000 square feet as well as its largest education program ever.
How do you kick off a baking trade show? By slicing through an eight-foot-long loaf of bread, of course.
That’s how the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), touted as the Western Hemisphere’s largest and most comprehensive baking event, welcomed its return to the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 13–17. The show, which is held every three years, brought together thousands of baking professionals, suppliers, and artisans.
Produced by SmithBucklin, IBIE is owned by the American Bakers Association (ABA) and Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA), with support from the Retail Bakers of America (RBA).
Although overall registration was down compared to 2022, the number of baking companies represented rose at this year’s IBIE.
The sold-out show floor spanned a record 451,100 square feet—the largest in IBIE’s 105-year history— reflecting a 9% increase over the previous edition in 2022.
Record-Setting Show Floor and Expanded Education
The 2025 event boasted more than 1,000 exhibiting companies, including 484 new exhibitors, from around the world, who showcased the latest advancements in technology, ingredients, equipment, and packaging solutions. The sold-out show floor spanned a record 451,100 square feet—the largest in IBIE’s 105-year history— reflecting a 9% increase over the previous edition in 2022.
This year’s show also had its largest education program ever, with more than 250 IBIEducate sessions and demos. Programming covered topics ranging from AI and automation to formulation innovation and scaling SMBs.
Plus, Chef Talks, presented by trade fair Mexipan, made its debut this year as part of IBIEducate’s international programming. Spotlighting Latin American culinary expertise with presentations in Spanish, the sessions explored flavor trends, entrepreneurship, and market insights.
“By partnering with Mexipan, we not only reached relevant audiences through cross-promotion but tapped into a new network of top-tier presenters, making the event even more accessible and relevant for Spanish-speaking audiences and international travelers alike,” said Samantha Moore, IBIE director of tradeshow operations and assistant secretary and senior director of events and programming at ABA.
Organizers also catered to show-goer preferences by offering more bite-size, less formal educational opportunities this year. These adjustments included expanding the 20-minute QuickBITES series and adding a third education stage directly on the show floor to meet attendees where they were.
In the RBA Retail Bakers Center, attendees could catch live demos, competitions, and chats with leading retail bakers, pastry chefs, and cake artists including Buddy Valastro, Duff Goldman, Paulina Abascal, and Iginio Massari, along with social media influencers Greg Mason and Benjamin the Baker.
This year’s roster of competitions included returning favorites like the “Oscars of Bread” and the 20th edition of the Pillsbury Creative Cake Decorating Competition. Debuting at IBIE 2025, and held for the first time in North America, the Panettone World Cup-Americas Selection showcased top pastry chefs in a festive contest celebrating the art and heritage of panettone baking. Winners advanced to the global finals in Milan.
Gone were the cannabis and sanitation pavilions featured in 2022. In their place, two new specialty pavilions launched, one focused on snack food, the other on pet food—two sectors experiencing rapid growth across the industry, according to Moore.
“Together, these pavilions enhanced the IBIE experience by delivering focused insights and innovations tailored to key areas of growth in the grain-based foods industry. It also provided a direct look at adjacent markets where many baking companies are expanding their operations,” she said.
Samantha Moore, IBIE director of tradeshow operations and assistant secretary and senior director of events and programming at ABA
The Americas Selection of the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie brought together international baking teams to compete in three categories: Bakery, Viennoiserie, and Artistic Bread Showpiece.
Registration Declines, International Attendance Remains Steady
Overall registration was down 4% compared to 2022, “reflecting the economic and travel headwinds facing global events,” Moore said. Baker attendance (the show’s primary buyer category) decreased by approximately 8% compared to 2022. Yet, the number of baking companies represented rose by 5% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with some companies sending leaner teams to manage costs, she added.
“As with most shows, we’re seeing later registration patterns, and this trend is more pronounced when the show cycle occurs every three years. There was a higher on-site registration pace when compared to IBIE 2022, demonstrating the show’s role as a can’t-miss destination for the industry,” Moore said. This year’s event did see increased participation from Gen Z (up 8%) and millennials (up 43%).
Despite the sluggish registration numbers, international participation “remained robust,” with 96 countries represented (vs. 105 in 2022), including 27 official delegations, Moore said. Approximately 28% of buyers originated from outside the U.S., with attendance from the Americas leading the way, particularly Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, and Peru.
“While global trade and travel dynamics—from tariffs and visa complexities to evolving U.S. enforcement policies—created barriers for some markets, the overall international share of attendance remained consistent with previous years,” Moore said. “IBIE’s efforts to attract, support, and provide value for Mexico and LATAM attendees paid off, and we also saw a resurgence from APAC, which faced heavy barriers to travel during the previous show cycle, IBIE 2022.”
IBIE also provided real-time translation services for nearly all education sessions and demos, expanding accessibility for global attendees.
Food Network personality and celebrity chef Duff Goldman took to the demo stage to showcase his award-winning cake baking skills, including incorporating new egg replacement technology from AB Mauri North America, makers of Fleischmann’s Yeast.
Attendees could join Buddy Valastro from Carlo's Bakery for a cake decorating experience at IBIE's Celebrity Stage.
Awards and Networking Opportunities
On Sept. 15, the sixth edition of the BEST in Baking industry awards took place in the West Hall lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center. IBIE, in collaboration with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery magazine, recognized more than 65 industry suppliers and bakeries that have achieved notable milestones in sustainability, sustainable packaging innovation, sanitation, workforce development, plant efficiency, and automation and robotics.
Plus, the Rockin’ Pint concert, powered by exhibitor AB Mauri and featuring Wang Chung and Duff Goldman’s band Foie Grock, served as a networking event, bringing show-goers together for a high-energy ‘80s-themed show.
Looking Ahead
The next IBIE will take place Sept. 10-13, 2028, in Las Vegas.
Six teams of elite professional cake decorators competed during the Pillsbury Creative Cake Decorating Competition.
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