What will the postponement to 2023 mean for the industry this year and going forward? The exhibition’s director acknowledges the absence of iba this year in its full dimension. There are multiple layers to the consequences: “First of all, it means a lack of business exchange. Exhibitors from all over the world usually present what the industry has to offer while visitors receive a focused view of the market. Secondly, innovations are presented live in their full functionality at the trade fair and thus, some of the new products will not make their first market appearance with all of the industry´s physical and sensory attention, which is normally the case at iba. Thirdly, iba is a global marketplace where participants interact with each other and maintain long-term relationships. The trade fair also enables spontaneous encounters. All of this is most important for decision makers, as well as sales teams and much of this, will be missed in October 2021. Luckily, with iba.CONNECTING EXPERTS we will be able to bridge the gap to a certain extent. Nevertheless, as the ongoing crisis has an impact on global market places like iba, the market´s relationships will be affected as well,” Kabashi tells us.

With the experience of the virtual event that has just concluded, Kabashi anticipates, “The second edition will allow the industry to network once again, even in this unusual year. Our aim and therefore the challenge will be to connect even more participants worldwide and expand the possibilities of business exchange. This being the case, we do not want to display a digital version of iba, but an independent virtual networking and knowledge event to link the global industry.”