The International Baking Industry Expo (IBIE), Washington, D.C., is enhancing its cutting-edge education curriculum with more than 20 new seminars focused on the most relevant issues facing the industry.

IBIE 2013, scheduled for Oct. 6-9 in Las Vegas, will bring the baking industry together to experience the latest technologies, explore supply and ingredient solutions and learn best practices across a variety of topics. And, this year’s show features a revamped education program aimed at giving professionals of all levels the essential knowledge needed to improve operations, grow their businesses and stay ahead of the baking industry’s ever-changing curve.

IBIE 2013 is offering more than 70 seminars organized into five targeted tracks, such as AIB Technical, Retail & Food Service, Business Management & Marketing, Ingredient Trends & Formulations and Hands-on Cake and Pastry Decorating.

The education program begins on Oct. 5 with the RPIA Group’s Business of Baking for Beginners workshop and the Tortilla Industry Association (TIA)’s 2-day Technical Conference. This year, TIA’s conference will address operation skills, safety regulations, quality control, plant efficiency and best practices to capitalize on the baking industry’s fastest growing market segment. All other educational seminars will be held during show days, from 8 a.m. to noon, with a selection of hands-on sessions taking place in the evenings. Several of the seminars will be available in Spanish.

While the new curriculum is designed to deliver value to all attendees, a number of seminars in the Ingredient Trends and Formulations track are particularly relevant to wholesale and industrial bakers. These sessions, led by proven industry authorities, touch on everything from sodium reduction and whole grains to gluten-free and other hot industry trends.

Highlights from the new curriculum include:

AIB Panel Discussion: the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) – Ask questions and get the latest information about the act right from the source.

Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Seminar – Learn how the key roles in the GFSI interact and how you can follow GFSI Audit Schemes.

Managing Flour Price Risk – Explore the volatile flour market and identify ways to minimize risk of overpaying for this critical commodity.

Industry Trends: Ancient Grains – Learn about the risks and rewards of using time-tested grains and how they mesh with two of the leading industry trends—gluten-free and trans-free shortening.

“We created a program that gives every attendee relevant information they can immediately apply to their everyday business, whether they’re management or R&D, bakery owners or workers on the line,” says Dennis Gunnel, assistant secretary and treasurer and education task force chair. “IBIE worked side-by-side with our industry partners to create the most comprehensive, in-depth program possible. We have been fortunate to bring together organizations from all segments of the industry to create a strong, targeted seminar package for our attendees.”

Organizations that contributed to the new program include AIB International, American Bakers Association, BEMA, Retail Bakers of America, the Bread Bakers Guild of America, the California Raisin Board, BISCC, the Grain Foods Foundation and Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturers Association.

For more information about IBIE 2013, go to www.IBIE2013.com.