The American Bakers Association (ABA) and the Independent Bakers Association (IBA) announced they will co-locate their spring meetings at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. The meetings will run consecutively April 14-18, 2012.

“Given the overlapping memberships and competing demands on everyone’s time, holding the two groups meetings together in the same location makes a lot of sense,” said ABA President and CEO Robb MacKie. “ABA is responding to its independent baker members’ and allied partners’ requests to be more efficient in scheduling meetings, and this was the next logical step.”

Currently a number of other baking industry partner organizations hold key meetings during the ABA Annual Convention. In addition to long-time partner the Allied Trades of the Baking Industry, the board of directors of the AIB International, the Grain Foods Foundation, the International Baking Industry Exposition and the Quality Bakers of America also hold meetings.

“The IBA is pleased to meet prior to the ABA annual convention in Scottsdale,” said IBA President Nick Pyle. “We will continue to focus our program on opportunities and challenges specific to independent, family owned bakeries and allow our members to take advantage of ABA’s high level speakers and business networking sessions.”

IBA will hold its business meeting and cocktail reception on Saturday, April 14. ABA members are invited to participate in these sessions. IBA members who are not ABA members or who are ABA members but have not yet attended an ABA meeting will be afforded special discounted registration fees to the ABA Annual Convention.

“When ABA and IBA work with united purpose, it strengthens the industry’s effectiveness in the policy and business arenas,” said MacKie and Pyle. “Given limited resources, particularly time, our groups are working together to explore ways to serve the industry more efficiently.”