International Baking Industry Exposition
OVERALL TOP 25 RANK: 12

Organizer: American Bakers Association, BEMA and the Retail Bakers of America
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center

2010 Exhibit Hall Square Footage: 350,802
Rank: 5
Growth from 2009: 2 percent
Rank: 22

2010 Attendance: 19,340
Rank: 6
Growth from 2009: 39 percent
Rank: 6

2010 Exhibitors: 713
Rank: 5
Growth from 2009: 14 percent
Rank: 18

Attendees Per Square Foot of Exhibit-Hall Space: .055
Rank: 20

Revenue Growth from 2009: N/A
Rank: 24

For the International Baking Industry Exposition, organized by the American Bakers Association, BEMA and the Retail Bakers of America, a consolidating attendee base was jeopardizing the continued growth of the show.

The event occurs every three years and between 2007 and 2010, the organizers turned to their suppliers for advice on reversing the contraction. “The exhibitors said it made the most sense to bring in international buyers,” says Kimberly Hardcastle, vice president and chief account strategist at Marketing Design Group. “That was one of the first things we did to set the objectives.”

A comprehensive marketing plan involved working with the DOC’s International Buyer Program, print and digital advertising in foreign trade publications and close interaction with about 40 international associations helped bring in a large international attendees base for the 2010 event. Thirty percent of overall attendance was international, says Hardcastle. Total attendance shot up from 13,905 to 19,340.

A second strategy was to dramatically expand IBIE’s educational component. The curriculum was five times larger than previous events. “The show had really always been just about the expo and core audience of wholesale bakers,” says Hardcastle. “We couldn’t sustain that model.”

Social media was also introduced as a significant element for marketing the event. Output of three to five videos per day at the show garnered 3,200 views on the show’s YouTube page and flat panels through the show floor were dedicated to broadcasting the event’s Twitter feed “so that everyone could be a part of the conversation whether they were using Twitter on their smartphones or not,” says Hardcastle.
There were 713 exhibiting companies in 2010, up from 628 in 2007.

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