iba 2025: Global platform for the future of baking

Over five days, 985 exhibitors from 46 countries showcased their wide range of products – in a scale and on a level found only at the world’s leading trade fair. This attracted 49,115 visitors from 149 countries to Düsseldorf, eager to discover the latest innovations from across the globe. When decision-makers meet top quality, results follow: Exhibitors and visitors alike were highly satisfied with their discussions – insightful, goal-driven, and collaborative.

Personal conversations, concrete business leads, live demonstrations, hands-on product testing, thrilling competitions, evening events worth celebrating and always the scent of freshly baked bread in the air: that was iba 2025! Over five days and across 100,000 square meters, the trade fair brought the global baking industry together. iba showcased the full spectrum of the
sector – from artisan baking, digitalisation, automation solutions and production technology, all the way to energy-efficient ovens, cooling systems, packaging, food trends, and raw materials. What trends are driving the industry? What solutions are needed for the challenges of tomorrow? Visitors arrived with a host of questions and projects in mind. And the exhibitors delivered. They offered plenty of practical solutions and inspired the visitors to shape the future of their businesses.

Roland Ermer, President of the German Bakers’ Confederation commented: “iba 2025 was a gathering of the baking sector that I will remember for a long time. Over the past five days, I’ve experienced with great enthusiasm just how passionate the baking trade can be – both nationally and internationally. The competitions showcased outstanding craftsmanship, we had inspiring discussions with fellow professionals and took home a great deal of knowledge and inspiration. Once again, it became clear: exchange and dialogue are the driving forces of our baking industry. I’m already looking forward to iba 2027 in Munich.”

Quality, inspiration, diversity

A “wide range of potential customers from around the world,” “many interesting conversations,” “new contacts,” a “very important event,” and a “vibrant atmosphere with qualified leads” – that’s how iba exhibitors described their experience. The sense of togetherness, team spirit, and the positive atmosphere in the halls were clearly noticeable. Even among the exhibitors themselves, numerous productive business relationships were formed.

“Regardless of time and place, iba has impressively demonstrated that it stands for quality and international relevance and brings together the right protagonists from around the world in one place. What stood out this year was: More than every second visitor was a decision-maker – in fact 62.6 percent of trade visitors – with a well-founded interest and decision-making powers. The Düsseldorf location also delivered fresh momentum: It opened up new target groups from neighbouring regions and countries, both nationally and internationally,” said Dieter Dohr, CEO and President of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH.

Top-tier supporting programme on a world-class level

The iba.FORUM and iba.STAGE, featuring around 50 presentations and 70 speakers, served as the hub for knowledge exchange and attracted great interest. Industry experts brought to the stage exactly what is driving the sector today: from the renaissance of sourdough, chocolate alternatives, and enzymes as game changers in the baking industry, to the automation of traditional production processes and the use of artificial intelligence in bakeries.

The world-class competitions proved to be major visitor magnets. Numerous award ceremonies and three world championships – the iba UIBC Cup of Bakers, the iba UIBC Cup of Confectioners and the World Championship of Bread Sommeliers – as well as the German Master Baker Championship kept the audience captivated throughout the event. In the show bakeries, top-level craftsmanship was on full display as participants competed and baked live in front of the audience. The German Championship of Master Bakers was won by Sebastian Brücklmaier and Yannik Dittmar.

Three world championship titles brought home gold: The iba UIBC Cup of Bakers was won by the team from France, represented by Corentin Molina and Yannis Thouy with their stunning masterpiece. At the iba UIBC Cup of Confectioners, In Seok Kim und Kyung Joo Jang from Korea claimed the gold medal in the confectionery competition. And Michael Kress from Germany was crowned the first-ever World Champion of Bread-Sommeliers.

Touch, experience, exchange

The focus topics – artisan bakery, digitalisation and food trends – were brought to life through the iba.FOOD TRENDS AREA, iba.DIGITALISATION AREA, iba.CONFECTIONERY TEC AREA and iba.START UP AREA. The newly launched iba.FOOD TRENDS AREA in particular was a hit with visitors. The award ceremony for the start-ups also drew a lot of attention: the prize went to Fonte Ingredientes, a British-Brazilian company recognised for its innovative approach to keeping food fresh for longer by using liquid mold inhibitors. Susann Seidemann was delighted: “We’re proud to have presented the iba.START UP AWARD for the second time this year. Every participating company brought forward creative and valuable products that are helping to shape the future of our industry. We will continue to support young founders in the years to come. I look forward to seeing the global baking industry come together again at iba 2027.”

The next iba will take place from 24 to 28 October 2027 in Munich and will then return to its three-year cycle.

Exhibitor Statements 2025

Martin Thomsen, CCO – AGRAIN, Denmark

“We have been very happy to be at the trade fair this year. We met a huge range of different potential customers from all over the world, had many interesting conversations and generated a lot of new leads. It's been a fantastic experience being part of iba 2025!”

William Bundy – President of Global Manufacturing for American Pan, USA

“The atmosphere at iba was vibrant with qualified leads. We engaged in meaningful conversations with decision-makers and prospective customers who showed genuine interest in our products. iba is always bustling with activity for bakeries, offering a wealth of exhibits to explore. It's a productive time, and while attendees leave pleasantly tired, they also depart with a renewed enthusiasm for industry advancements. The highlight for me was the enriching education sessions that continuously enhanced the overall experience of the show.

iba is crucial for us as it provides not only a platform to showcase our innovations but also a valuable opportunity to listen to our customers. It allows us to connect with industry leaders, forge strategic partnerships that drive our growth, and demonstrate our comprehensive capabilities in offering solutions that support the lifecycle of their pans and meet their evolving needs.”

Marco Dalcin, Business Manager – Bartom S.r.l., Italy

“It was a very interesting event for us. We had quite a lot of customers and potential customers visiting our booth. It was an important exhibition for our brand, as we had updates and innovations to present this year. We had some product highlights: we presented new machineries and our new company logos.

Moreover, we had the right visitors. Compared to previous editions, we noticed a shift in the type of visitors - very professional people with concrete needs and projects. Overall, I would say the exhibition was extremely successful for us!”

Stefan Strehle, Chief Executive Spokesperson of the Board, BÄKO-Zentrale eG, Germany

iba 2025 was a successful trade fair and a fantastic opportunity to showcase our new concepts and products to a broad audience of industry professionals. We were pleased to welcome many interested trade fair visitors from bakery businesses across the various regions of the BÄKO organisation at our stand. The hall layout, with its clear thematic focus, allowed bakery professionals to connect with the right partners quickly and efficiently. In addition, iba 2025 clearly positioned itself as a platform for a future-oriented artisan bakery trade. Alongside the strong presence of many manufacturers across multiple halls, the innovations presented at the BÄKO stand underlined this forward-looking approach – offering cutting-edge solutions in the areas of raw materials, machinery and equipment, paper and packaging, as well as analogue and digital services that can sustainably support every bakery business in their day-to-day operations.

Dr Sabine Krätzschmar, CEO – IREKS GmbH Germany

“iba, as the global trade fair for the baking industry, remains a key event for us. We are particularly pleased to see that our motto, “It’s YOUR choice,” was so well received by our customers. At a time of major challenges, but also great opportunities, it is essential for every business to find its own unique path into the future. At our iba stand and the trend island, we provided creative inspiration and highlighted new possibilities. Our impression is that the broad range of topics resonated well with visitors and there was something of value for everyone. We draw a positive conclusion and look forward to shaping the future together with the baking industry.”