Bakery Exhibitors Ltd (BEL) the board of Food & Bake exhibition, has decided to align itself with William Reed’s Baking Industry Exhibition. The result will be the first-ever joint event for the baking industry, which will take place at the NEC from 6-9 April, 2008.

David Marsh, chairman of BEL said: "The final agreement forged between BEL and William Reed Exhibitions maintains the original goals of BEL’s charter, together with significant benefits for members in the near and long term future. This decision secures a single industry exhibition and conference event, able to provide a unifying platform for bakers, suppliers and their associations."

Charles Reed, managing director of Wm Reed said: "We are delighted with this decision; it will be good for the whole industry. We will work hard to incorporate the Food & Bake brand into the Baking Industry Exhibition. The industry needs a single, successful event and Wm Reed is best placed with its mix of titles including British Baker, Bake & Take, The Grocer, Food Manufacture, and Forecourt Trader to promote the show widely. Our PR will also extend into other media.

"The Baking Industry Exhibition will benefit from events put on for the craft baker and other bakery sectors and, with our his-tory of organising successful shows alongside, which attract over 70,000 visitors and buyers under one roof, we are confident that the show will go from strength to strength."

Exhibitors already signed up for the show include equipment suppliers Rondo Doge, Brook Foods, Orbiter and Reiser as well as Bakery Conservation Systems, Fermex, British Bakels, Muntons and Rank Hovis.

Richard Tearle, general manager, Rondo commented: "We didn’t exhibit at the last Food & Bake show, and think that, by the time we get to April 2008, it will be the right time for Rondo to exhibit. The plans for a live bakery at the show were very attractive. We will be placing equipment there. Birmingham is the only place to have a national show. Any bakery show in London over recent history has been ineffective, as people don’t want to travel there."

And Stephen Matthews, general manager of seasonings company Gordon Rhodes said: "We will be targeting larger bakers, those with 30 or more shops, who manufacturer their own sausage rolls and pies. We do blends of seasonings for meat and vegetarian products."

Acrivarn sales director Lindsay Owen added: "Two or three other shows will take place at the NEC at the same time, which will draw customers in. We have customers who will be visiting the Foodex Meatex show, on at the same time. It is good to see exhibitors like Rondo coming back, who weren’t there last year."

And Richard Lyon, UK manager, Bakery Conservation Systems explained: "In the past we have distributed through agencies, we are now going to be Koma UK, and we need to make sure that custo-mers realise that. We will launch a couple of exciting developments on touchscreen control panels at the show. Exhibiting at the show will give us access to the whole food industry."

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