WASHINGTON — The International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) announced it has partnered with iba to offer virtual bakery tours at IBIE 2019, scheduled for Sept. 7-11 in Las Vegas.

The virtual bakery tours debuted at the iba trade fair in September 2018 in Munich, Germany. In a few months the tours will again come to life with enhanced content from the wholesale baking sector. Attendees at IBIE 2019 will be able to put on virtual reality glasses to view 360-degree videos showcasing bakeries from around the world, including Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, Sandholt Bakery in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Joseph Brot in Vienna, Austria.

“Virtual reality creates a completely immersive experience for IBIE attendees, allowing them to explore top bakeries on a national and international level, without having to board a plane,” said Fred Springer, chairman of the IBIE Technology Task Force. “Bakery tours have traditionally been highly requested, but understandably, are logistically hard to execute at an event of IBIE’s scale. Thanks to our partnership with iba, this virtual tour allows us to fulfill these requests in an engaging, and interactive way, and with a robust lineup of renowned bakeries and an additional content focused on the industrial sector, this offering will elevate the IBIE experience for all attendees.”