LAS VEGAS — Want to know how to apply cutting-edge technology simply, economically and quickly to resolve problems that plague the production floor? Perhaps learning the time-tested methods of leavening techniques, mixing and shaping of doughs is an area of interest. Whatever the case, IBIEducate is ready to deliver.

Billed as “the baking industry’s largest, most important educational program,” IBIEducate will put new information, expert strategies and today’s best practices at the disposal of attendees at this year’s International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) that will take place Sept. 8-11 in Las Vegas. As part of IBIEducate, industry professionals will have the opportunity to present best practices, provide hands-on demonstrations and share the latest trend and technical research with more than 23,000 grain-based foods professionals.

The show’s education program, IBIEducate, will offer more than 100 sessions of targeted educational opportunities for attendees in every role and every segment of the baking industry. IBIE’s comprehensive program will be offered in specialized tracks and address trends and topics across a spectrum of industry needs. New for 2019 will be a full day of education on Sept. 7, one day prior to the exhibit hall opening.

Andrea Henderson, chair of the IBIE Education Task Force and vice-president at Rondo, said the additional day of education comes in direct consideration of attendee feedback from the last IBIE held in 2016.

“We heard from attendees that they were challenged on how to balance their schedule between IBIEducate sessions and the time needed to meet with suppliers on the show floor,” Ms. Henderson said. “By introducing this dedicated day of learning before the exhibit hall opens, we’re creating an opportunity for attendees to take full advantage of IBIEducate, gain a more complete experience at IBIE, and return home more prepared with new ideas and strategies to improve their products, optimize production, and support business growth.”

David Watson, chair of the IBIE Attendance and Marketing Task Force and vice-president of Campbell Soup Co., added, “The learning opportunities at IBIE are incomparable — both on the show floor through conversations with suppliers and in the classroom through educational sessions. In fact, IBIEducate will have its largest program ever in 2019 and is now the most comprehensive training opportunity anywhere in the baking industry. My team will specifically be looking forward to the new dedicated day of education on Saturday before the exhibit hall opens. It’s the most efficient and effective way to stay on top of the major issues we’re facing every day.”

Extra day, added value

Among the opportunities available for attendees on the added day will be a full-day, baking for beginners (BOB) seminar presented by RPIA Education and Training. The event costs $450 and will cover a wide range of topics broken up into segments. Areas of discussion will include sourcing ingredients, social media guidelines, understanding design and build, and exploring the bakery sales cycle and day parts. The seminar’s instructors will be Rick Crawford, managing partner of The RPIA Group, and Randy McArthur, founding partner of RPIA. Mr. Crawford has served in bakery trade associations in one form or another for the past 30 years, and Mr. McArthur is a past president of the Retail Bakers of America.

“New to the baking industry? Growing your operations? BOB is a wise investment and can save you tens of thousands of dollars that might be lost due to a lack of knowledge and just plain mistakes,” Mr. Crawford said. “We learned the hard way and are happy to share experiences that may apply to you.

“BOB has served attendees well over the last 10 years.  If you have less than 10 years in the industry, BOB is a great return on your investment in your own future.”

Representatives from AIB International, Manhattan, Kas., and General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, will lead two, four-hour sessions on applying food safety best practices to a plant. The sessions — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — will begin with an overview of facility certifications helping determine which programs are of the most importance to a company. Breakout sessions will follow with more in-depth training on a variety of issues, including minimizing food safety risks through equipment and plant design, sanitation and cleaning principles for managers, and GMP’s from basics to best practices for internal audits. The seminar’s instructors include: Earl Arnold, global quality manager for food defense and FSMA, AIB; Alfonso Capuchino, general manager of certification services for AIBI Certification Services; Leonard Steed, manager of food safety services North America, AIB; and Karl Thorson, global food safety and sanitation manager for General Mills.

A one-hour presentation from 9:45-10:45 a.m. will provide attendees a look at consumer trends in the baking industry. Led by Jennifer LaPaugh, senior director of global market research and insights at Dawn Foods, the session will take a closer look at three years of research conducted by Dawn.

“At Dawn, we put our customers at the center of everything we do — we know that if bakers are successful, we’re successful,” Ms. LaPaugh said. “As part of this, our team is constantly researching and bringing together insights from the consumer trend landscape to help bakers make more informed business decisions and better meet demands in the marketplace.

“At my session at IBIE, we’ll be giving attendees an exclusive, hands-on look at our refreshed consumer trends to help inform plans and new product offerings as we look ahead to 2020. As part of our ongoing commitment to customer collaboration, every three to five years, the Dawn Foods Global Market Research & Insights team refreshes our consumer trends report to bring the relevant insights and partner with customers to help them meet their consumers’ evolving demands.”

A four-hour session led by chef and master baker Julien Otto of The French Pastry School will teach attendees the time-tested methods of leavening techniques, mixing and shaping of doughs. Participants will then use what they’ve learned to create artisan bread, including Alsatian Rye Beer Bread, Beaujolais Wine and Salami Bread, Onion Levain Bread and Madras Curry Raisin Loaf.

Opportunities for everyone

Although the exhibition hall opens on Sept. 8, that doesn’t mean the education programs will disappear. Quite the opposite, as seminars and presentations will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 8, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 11.

The IBIEducate program is chock-full of interesting topics and on-trend issues.

On Sept. 8, Christine Cochran, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation, and Stephen McCauley, founder of The Ginger Network, will provide commentary on the state of the media/union shaping the bakery marketplace. The session will address the myriad outside influences on the industry that are amplified most in the media.

Walt Tunnessen, national program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EnergyStar program, will join Rasma Zvaners, vice-president of regulatory and technical services at the American Bakers Association, to discuss energy efficiency improvement and cost savings opportunities for the baking industry in a presentation set for Sept. 9. Mr. Tunnessen and Ms. Zvaners will discuss how companies can benchmark their commercial bakeries against industry peers and how to become an Energy Star partner.

Trends in nutrition labeling will take center stage on Sept. 10 as part of a session led by Val Wayland, director of regulatory compliance at Flowers Foods, Inc.; MaryJoy Ballantyne, special counsel at Covington; and Lee Sanders, senior vice-president of government relations and public affairs corporate secretary at the American Bakers Association. The panel will highlight the A.B.A.’s work to assist bakers in complying with recent labeling policy developments from the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state level initiatives.

The final day’s session will include a presentation on cleaner label solutions for shelf life extension in baked foods. Henk Jan van Lent, product and innovation manager at Niacet, will present and discuss the currently available clean label solutions for bakery applications and their efficacy.

“Clean labels are nowadays the standard in new product development (in the higher quality segment) and there are many options available in the market, also for bakery applications,” Mr. van Lent said. “Unfortunately, not all options are as effective as the traditional preservatives, and the chemistry behind it is often overlooked or misunderstood. My presentation will focus on these clean label alternatives, their efficacy and the actual mechanism of action behind them. Consumer perception is another topic that will be discussed since consumers often don’t understand clean label or why some traditional alternatives might actually be better.”

Something for everyone

The IBIEducate program is organized into nine targeted tracks: all management; artisan and specialty foods; retail — bakers/decorators; retail — management; retail — sales and marketing; wholesale — formulation/product development; wholesale — plant operations; wholesale — process; and wholesale — sales and marketing.

Cost of the sessions ranges from $450 for the RPIA Business of Baking for Beginners event, to $295 for access to the TIA Technical Conference, to $15 for a single session pass. Attendees also will be able to purchase an all-access pass that provides access to any and all $15 sessions between Sept. 8-11.

“As the only non-profit event in the industry, IBIE is always looking for opportunities to give back,” Ms. Henderson said. “This year, we’re particularly excited about the Student Immersion Program that we’re launching at IBIE 2019, which is designed to support students in establishing their career in the baking industry. Students who are selected for this program will get behind-the-scenes access at the show, participate in meetings with select exhibitors, and receive a stipend from IBIE for their travel and accommodations.”

To view the full IBIEducate agenda visit www.ibie2019.com/attend/education/sessions/