Press Release: March 13, 2013

IBIE announces strategic partnership with PMQ Pizza Magazine

Washington, D.C.— IBIE is bringing pizza to the 2013 Baking Expo™ thanks to a new partnership with PMQ Pizza Magazine, which includes the PMQ Pizza Village—a unique town-hall style pavilion on the show floor featuring pizza related exhibitors, competitions, demonstrations and more. “The addition of PMQ is a natural next step for IBIE. One that our audience has been asking for,” says IBIE Chairman Mike Beaty.

Already on pace to surpass 2010’s record-breaking attendance numbers, IBIE 2013 featuring PMQ, will attract an additional segment of the grain-based industry. With pizza and baking in one event, IBIE 2013 will facilitate a dialogue between professionals in two closely related industries for unprecedented networking and new business opportunities. The baking and pizza industries share many of the same ingredients, equipment and business strategies. PMQ Pizza Magazine publisher Steve Green states, “This is something that I’ve seen in Europe and have always wanted to pursue in the U.S.—baking and pizza working together. In 2013, the entire industry will truly unite.”

PMQ will offer its vast knowledge of the pizza industry to IBIE 2013 attendees at the PMQ Pizza Information Center—located within the Pizza Village. Attendees who currently offer pizza or are considering adding it to their offerings (frozen or fresh) will have the opportunity to learn from pizza experts who will share knowledge on best practices, recipes, food costs, growth rates, consumer trends, the state of the industry and more. The PMQ Pizza Village will also host exhibitors offering everything from flour, cheese, ovens and mixers, to car top signs, direct marketing support, equipment, flour and yeast, and more.

In addition to exhibitors and industry experts, the PMQ Pizza Village will feature a demo area to host the American Pizza Championships cooking contest and the thrilling US Pizza Team Trials where ‘Pizzathletes’ will compete in freestyle pizza acrobatics. The winners of these competitions will represent the US at the 2014 World Championship competition in Italy.

PMQ is also contributing to six seminars in the IBIE Education Program with topics that speak to all food service businesses. The class lineup includes:

  • Trench Marketing: How to Grow Your Retail Business from Behind Your Own Counter
  • Rock Their World!
  • Driving Restaurant Sales in a Tough Economy
  • Pizza Art: Not Just for Fun, but Good Business Marketing
  • Online Ordering—How to Get Started and What it Can Mean for Your Bottom Line
  • Pizza and Bakeries: the Hidden Link to Profit

To sign up or find more information about IBIE 2013 and to register, visit www.IBIE2013.com.

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IBIE, sponsored by the American Bakers Association (ABA) and the Baking Industry Suppliers Association (BEMA), is recognized worldwide as the grain-based food industry’s largest, most comprehensive trade event. A “working show,” where millions of dollars of business is conducted daily, IBIE brings the entire professional baking community together, offering the complete range of equipment, supply and ingredient solutions and showcasing the newest baking technology in 500,000 net square feet. The triennial event will next be held in Las Vegas, Nev. October 6-9, 2013.

Attendees include employees of: wholesale bakeries, suppliers and distributors; supermarket chains, central bakeries and commissaries; supermarket in-store bakeries; multi-store and single unit retail bakeries; intermediate wholesale bakeries; donut, pie and cookie retailers; cake and cupcake shops; foodservice operators; tortilla producers; snack food producers; biscuit & cracker producers.

Exhibitors include manufacturers and suppliers of: baking/food equipment and systems; ingredients, flavorings, spices & fillings; ingredient handling systems; packaging materials & systems; technology; sanitation equipment; transportation & distribution equipment; refrigeration equipment; business services.

PMQ Pizza Magazine, based in Oxford Miss., circulates 10 times per year to 40,000 pizza professionals who operate America’s 70,000 pizzerias. The company also publishes Pizza Australia, which circulates to 7,000 pizza entrepreneurs, and PMQ China, which circulates to 8,000 Chinese Pizza entrepreneurs. Visit PMQ.com for more information about the pizza industry and business.