Munich / DE. (eb) The preliminary official final report from the GHM pen reached the editorial team shortly after the completion of our own report. Excerpts from it are attached to this article as well as several photos of a nice event. In the German original 48 photos are included, here only a handful. Our report from Iba 2023 in Munich first appeared in German and dated 2023-10-27. This is the translation, which appeared with a one-day delay. The final report of the GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen can be found on the GHM website.
Photo: usp 2023
The figures that precede each post-show report are not yet known. But it should be clear that Iba 2023, Europe’s leading trade fair for bakery, confectionery and snacks, has reached its audience. The mix of visitors from near and far was at least as international as in 2018, and from a German perspective the mood was «strikingly good.» This is quickly put into perspective, however, in view of the diverse audience and the knowledge that «the world» has long since regained its footing, while Germany is still waiting for necessary reforms and is maddening the rest. But even this is only half true: for anyone who, as a German bakery entrepreneur, has set out for the future, was also on the move in Munich with well-founded optimism and was looking for his way. Wherever you looked and whoever you asked, the most people were optimistic and full of ideas, which was almost diametrically opposed to the public grumbling and complaining.
Photo: usp 2023
Business expectations are essentially encouraging, even if there are still a few obstacles to be cleared out of the way. The challenges that have been overcome seem to put a lot into perspective. The visit to Iba 2023 was therefore primarily intended to deepen existing plans and contacts and to take a closer look at «tools» or instruments without which successful company management seems hardly possible in the future.
Innovative pick-up boxes expand the possibilities
The system specialists from copago had already made a good showing with their «copagoDAYS» in September. In Munich, they now consistently focused on utility value and use cases, on the basis of which the discussions developed. The team from Oberhausen was fully occupied in view of the answers it can provide with regard to cashless branches, the checkout as a central communication platform, customer loyalty via «get2go» or fully automated pick-up boxes for many occasions. In any case, there was no lack of interest at Iba in view of the pressure to act that many businesses have yet to free themselves from. «Our solutions are in such demand not least because they can be grasped intuitively without having to read thick manuals,» say Dominik Skora and Karl-Heinz Faulhaber, executive board members of copago AG.
Photo: usp 2023
«Marvin Order AI»: How Big Data optimizes sales
The action radius of Marvin, the modular bakery software from Goecom, begins directly behind the cash register. With their «Marvin Order AI», the experts from Kronau have this year realized an innovative as well as highly topical tool that can significantly reduce returns while at the same time significantly increasing sales. Building on the experience of the previous module «Order-Profi», the «Marvin Order AI» has several unique selling points and is certainly worth a look if sales are to be optimized and the returns rate reduced. «Marvin Order AI» completely replaces «Order-Profi» and also works «standalone», i.e. without using the Marvin merchandise management system. «As always, we are ready with our well-known good customer service to help bakeries tap into the benefits that help leverage potential,» say Christian Riffel and Patric Leu, managing directors in Kronau. As before, the modular structure of Marvin helps to optimize business management down to the bakery in a sensible and cost-effective way, so that the Goecom booth was also well attended on all days of the trade fair and the experts expect corresponding follow-up business.
Photo: usp 2023
Heuft: One hybrid thermo-oil heater, two technologies
About the conception and realization of the beautiful exhibition booth, with which the Heuft Group presented itself in Munich, it had put the public relations in the apron a little bit behind. At the Iba, the trade fair audience got to see many small insights into the tradition of baking oven construction since 1700, a carefully integrated IceCool System and, last but not least, a hybrid thermo-oil heater that opens up astonishing options and/or leaves degrees of freedom for bakeries – in order to be able to make the right energy decision under changing conditions. «The patent-pending thermo-oil heater heats thermo-oil sustainably and offers independence in energy management. The hybrid thermo-oil heater combines an electric as well as a fired heater, whereby the electric heater can be operated by electricity from renewable sources,» Jochen Wagner, department manager of Heuft Energy, explained to the highly interested trade visitors. Needless to say, also or especially the booth of the Heuft Group was well visited on all days of the fair and many interesting conversations developed.
Photo: usp 2023
Uniferm: «FermFresh» products hit the nerve of the people
Once energy costs are under control, baking becomes a pleasure again. For example, with «FermFresh AromaDurum» from Uniferm. This belongs to the new generation of fermented products from Werne. The fresh products under the «FermFresh» umbrella brand incorporate the knowledge and experience of over 280 years in fermentation processes. With their natural ingredients and gentle ripening under defined fermentation conditions, the products contribute to long-lasting freshness as well as authentic and original taste. «With FermFresh AromaDurum, baked goods with a juicy golden crumb and golden-brown crust succeed in pleasing the eye and whetting the appetite for a taste discovery,» says Elke Preißler, Head of Corporate and Marketing Communications. «Thanks to the combination of durum sourdough and DurumFerment in FermFresh AromaDurum, the flavor potential of durum wheat is profoundly tapped,» adds Bettina Zech, also of Uniferm. The presentation focused on the products under the bespoken umbrella brand. This struck a chord with the trade show audience, so that many interesting conversations developed here as well, which will certainly be continued after the trade show.
Photo: usp 2023
After the editorial deadline: A brief look at the official final report
Munich / DE. (ghm / eb) According to the preliminary official final report penned by GHM, some 57,000 visitors (m/f/d) from 150 countries took in the offerings of the 1,073 exhibitors from 46 countries during Iba 2023. The quality of visitors must have been above average, even if Dieter Dohr, Chairman of the Management Board of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH, does not elaborate on the «phenomenal decision-maker rate» he mentions in the report. Experience has shown that a final official report is more informative in this respect. So we have to wait a few weeks to get smarter.
A comparison for preliminary classification: during Iba 2018, around 76,800 trade visitors (m/f/d) examined the offerings of 1,373 exhibitors. The exhibitor mix (31 percent national – 69 percent international) and visitor mix (33 percent national – 67 percent international) already made it difficult for GHM to place the event as a national meeting place in 2018. This year, the weights will have shifted further and the trade fair will presumably have become more international.
Fewer exhibitors and fewer trade visitors do not diminish the success of Iba 2023, its organizers and sponsors: The trade fair offered everything that is currently available for the baking industry in Europe. Quote Susann Seidemann, Head of Iba: «A robot in the bakery, a vending machine that is open 24/7, a BrotHaus branch that shows how personal advice and self-service can be combined without sales staff, and a branch of tomorrow with purchase recognition and cashless payment. These were just some of the digital solutions on display. Iba exhibitors presented visitors with the full range of digitalization – from concrete practical examples that can already be implemented in stores today to options for the future. From vision to realization – our goal was to offer «digitization at your fingertips.» We ensured this through the focus topic and product range, but also through the new Iba.Digitalization Area,» says Seidemann (… although this area is expandable and was easily topped by the offerings in the 10 halls).
Photo: usp 2023
