Equipped for the next three years, iba 2012, which has just concluded in Munich, has given 70,000 bakers, confectioners, caterers and decision makers from the food retail sector a glimpse of the future.

For six days trade visitors have been finding out about developments and up-and-coming trends in the market. iba has also set a new benchmark: 1,255 exhibitors from 58 countries have provided a comprehensive market overview, which has been given top ratings by visitors from the industry. 94.5% of visitors agreed that iba's range of products is one of a kind and rated it "excellent" to "good". Visitors have travelled from a total of 177 different countries to attend iba in Munich.

"Our expectations have been exceeded by far", says Peter Becker, President of the German Bakers' Confederation (Zentralverband des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks). "On the one hand, we have had more foreign visitors at iba. On the other hand, I am particularly pleased that so many German bakers have attended the most significant trade show in their industry. Everyone has seized the opportunity, which only arises once every three years, to gain a comprehensive overview of the market. Nowhere else will you find such a wide choice of different companies."

This level of satisfaction with the trade show is reflected in the surveys carried out amongst visitors. When asked to rate the "comprehensive nature and breadth of products on offer", 91.4% of visitors gave a rating of "excellent" to "good".

Visitors to the trade show were also able to witness the bakers' and confectioners' trades in perfection at a number of national and international competitions: the iba-cup for bakers, the German Championships of Master Bakers, and the iba-cup for confectioners. The iba cup for confectioners is hosted by the German Confectioners' Association (Deutscher Konditorenbund), which uses events such as these and a gateau gala at its stand in order to raise interest and awareness with trade specialists of the future.

The show was kicked off this year by the première of the iba-summit's Global Baking Dialogue, which took place a day before the actual opening of the show. The German Bakers' Confederation (Zentralverband des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks), which hosted the event, was very pleased with how it went.

The iba-summit saw renowned speakers, including the EU-Commissioner John Dalli, Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer and Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Sinn, discuss specialist topics such as food safety and trends in the baking industry.

The next iba will take place at the Munich Exhibition Centre in September 2015.