The American Society of Baking will be holding its annual event, BakingTech, at the Hilton Chicago from Sunday, February 26 to Tuesday, February 28. Referring to it as the “Best Week in Baking”, the ASB’s event will welcome almost 1,300 industry professionals.

The theme for this year is “Diversity: It’s all in the mix!” ASB Chairman Mario Somoza shares why the 2017 theme is about diversity:

It will feature presentations about creativity, endurance, skills, training, and talent retention to coordinate with technical sessions concerning enzymes, grains, flavors, food safety, equipment design, and more.

ASB’s annual conference is the baking industry's leading technology conference and exposition. 30 innovative technical presentations will be offered, as well as 200 equipment and ingredient suppliers to meet with, professional workshops and luncheons, and a Leadership Discussion where you can hear from experts in the industry.

On Monday, February 27, the keynote speaker will be Nathan Myhrvold,  founder of The Cooking Lab, lead author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, Modernist Cuisine at Home, The Photography of Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Bread: The Art and Science.

On Tuesday, February 28, the keynote speaker will be Sanjay Khosla, a Senior Fellow at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a Senior Adviser at Boston Consulting Group. He is also a former President of Developing Markets at Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International).

Khosla will be followed that day by Cedric King, who will give closing keynote address. King is a former U.S. Army Master Sergeant who has a truly inspiring story of courage and recovery. He ran the Boston Marathon just 21 months after losing both legs to an improvised explosive device during his second tour in Afghanistan.

Breakout sessions beginning on Feb. 27 will cover training, ingredients, and technology topics. The ­following day, these sessions will examine food and personnel safety, regulatory, social media, and energy transfer. Among subjects to be discussed are work visas, clean-label challenges, sprouted grains, traceability, and the Internet of Things.

For a complete list of events, please visit ASB’s website. Registration and housing are now open. Online and advance registration is available until Feb. 17; after that, fees increase by $100, including those for onsite signup in Chicago. MarketPlace-only, single-day, and spouse registrations can be requested. The hotel offers a reduced room rate to attendees for reservations booked before Jan. 27.