The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association held its show on June 6-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. More than 1,000 exhibitors representing retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers attended this premier food industry event. Cassie Diedrick, GBIG Board member and Business Development Director at Titletown Manufacturing, represented GBIG at IDDBA 2026.
“I had an opportunity to start new conversations beyond the Midwest, connecting with people from California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Canada. It really expanded the reach of who we’re engaging with,” Cassie said. “I was able to have meaningful, real conversations with vendors and industry leaders and see what’s trending firsthand. One interesting conversation was about plastic grocery bags in California.”
Speaking to a representative from a large food packaging company, Cassie learned that the show wasn’t necessarily the biggest driver for immediate deals. It’s more about presence and staying top of mind. When those larger opportunities do come through, the show vendors are often the first to hear about them. Being at the show keeps them in the conversation for the times when big orders require additional packaging capacity or capabilities the companies don’t already have.
IDDBA 2026 peaked on June 8 with U.S. and international vendors featuring products ranging from cheese, bakery, and deli to packaging and meat processing. Packaging and equipment manufacturers maintained a strong presence, highlighting solutions focused on efficiency, automation, and operational scale, top priorities across the industry.
The conference also featured a high-profile speaker lineup, including Coach K, Alton Brown, and Trevor Noah, along with a couple fun cake competitions events. Alton Brown had a memorable quote during his talk: “You can’t take advantage of change if you’re afraid of it.” Trevor Noah offered this insight: “Trends tend to come back around in a recycled format.”
Beyond exhibits and programming, attendees appreciated the quality of connections made, new partnership opportunities and shared capabilities across the food value chain. As IDDBA 2026 concluded, the event underscored continued momentum across the industry, combining innovation, collaboration, and leadership in one of the sector’s most important annual gatherings.
