HOUSTON — The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA), the world’s largest trade show for the dairy, deli, bakery and foodservice industries, saw record numbers for its 60th anniversary. Held June 9-11 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, the show welcomed more than 850 companies and exhibitors from more than 36 countries to its exhibit floor. A total of 2,200 exhibitor booths and 10,000 qualified attendees participated.
Exhibitors included leading retail chains, wholesale chains and major independents, with the show focused on networking and business opportunities with names such as General Mills, Premiere Foods, Sabra, Wisconsin Cheese and many others. The show welcomed 185 new exhibitors and saw increased participation in its international pavilion, according to Jeremy Johnson, vice president of events at the IDDBA.
“The biggest change from last year was our show floor layout,” Johnson said. “We had a high demand for exhibit space and had to get creative to maximize our net square footage. This allowed us to accommodate more exhibitors and create a dense, dynamic show floor.”
The lineup featured big names like World Central Kitchen’s José Andrés, “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro and Chip & Joanna Gaines of “Fixer Upper.”
Show highlights included the association’s What’s In Store Live experience, where the latest trends from product to packaging were showcased, as well as a presentation by 2024 Honoree Pat Reser, Chairman of the Board of Reser’s Fine Foods.
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Sessions included everything from The Amish Flavor Connection, focusing on sustainable agriculture and ingredient innovation, to How Generational Trends Shape the US Food Landscape, examining different food and ingredient preferences.
Another highlight this year was the second annual Cake’d competition, which featured two rounds of challenges. In the first, decorators were tasked with creating a three-tier cake celebrating the IDDBA’s 60th anniversary. The second round was a seasonal challenge, where decorators were asked to create three seasonal or special occasion cakes.
IDDBA is a nonprofit organization that serves the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese and supermarket foodservice industries. At the end of the show, food donations were donated to the Houston Foodbank and Second Servings of Houston. In total, IDDBA members donated more than 183,000 pounds of food to local food banks.
“When we initially partnered with IDDBA to bring their show to Houston, we knew it would be a perfect fit. This year, we were thrilled to welcome the group for the third time,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First Corporation. “Hosting the premier trade show for the dairy, deli, bakery and restaurant industry in a city known for its vast and diverse culinary scene just makes sense. Add in the group’s recent attendance numbers and it’s clear that this is a great fit.”
IDDBA 2025 will be held June 1-3, 2025 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Contact Jeremy Johnson at JJohnson@iddba.org