ASK A BAKING KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND BAKERY FUTURIST: WHAT’S TRENDING WITH BAKERIES TODAY?

It takes dough to make dough or so the best baking keynote speakers and bakery futurist consultants remind. Of course, that’s easier said than done in today’s marketplace, where change is in the air and uncertainty is now technically the only certainty that business leaders can anticipate. Where are bakeries and bakers’ conferences, meetings and events asking the best baking keynote speakers to share their thoughts and input? A boatload of different areas, as it turns out. Given these industry dynamics, we outline a few trending topics here:

• Baking trends – Analysis of popular flavors, ingredients, and styles of baked goods based on consumer preferences and sales data.
• New product innovation – Ideas that baking keynote speakers have for creative new baked items or riffs on classics that align with trends. Could include alternative flours and ingredients.
• Food science – Explaining the chemistry and processes behind successful baking with insights into ingredients, techniques, and equipment.
• Sustainability – Adopting green practices around energy, waste reduction, sourcing, packaging and transportation.
• Efficiency and automation – New technologies and processes that baking keynote speakers recommend for mixing, proofing, baking, packaging, and other steps to improve productivity.
• Safety and sanitation – Proper procedures and training for maintaining cleanliness, preventing contamination, managing allergens.
• Marketing and social media – Strategies for differentiating, driving customer engagement, leveraging influencers, and direct-to-consumer sales.
• Distribution and sales channels – Optimizing routes to market in baking keynote speakers’ eyes including wholesale, retail, online channels and partners.
• Leadership principles – Motivating and developing baking teams. Fostering innovation and operational excellence.
• Workforce development – Recruiting and retaining talent. Cross-training strategies that baking keynote speakers suggest utilizing considering labor shortages.

It’s a challenging business world out there, and economic uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval aren’t helping. Nor is it necessarily a world in which yesterday’s marketing, advertising and branding strategies will continue to work. All things said and done, bakery owners and operators are looking to improve performance, meet changing consumer demand, and adopt new technology trends and business advances. That’s where the best baking keynote speakers plug in and provide value.