Cakes on display from the decorating competitions are likely to inspire bakers seeking new decorating ideas.

A timely and appropriate mix of themes, from the economy to bakery television to social networking websites, will be central to the American Retail Bakery Exposition. With the host city of Charlotte, N.C., a NASCAR flair will be evident, as well. The show, to be held Oct. 18-20, is sponsored by the Retail Bakers of America (RBA).

Joe Gibbs, NASCAR Championship team owner and the longtime coach of the Washington Redskins, will be the general session speaker, talking about perseverance and resiliency, a relevant topic for bakers given the recent turmoil in the baking industry and economy.

“We worked hard to get Joe Gibbs to speak at the convention,” says Paul Sapienza, owner of Sapienza Pastry Inc., Elmont, N.Y. “Resilience is a big theme with the current economy, so the subject seems to be important to bakers right now.”

Also on hand will be Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo's Bakery, Hoboken, N.J., and television personality. He will create a life-size NASCAR racing car out of cake, and the television crew for his TLC show, Cake Boss, will film the endeavor. The recent surge in bakery and cake decorating programs on The Food Network and TLC, many bakers believe, is helping drive the increased popularity of decorated and specialty cakes.

The educational program will include hands-on sessions, demonstrations and business discussions. One on-trend seminar will be Alyksandra Syska's tutorial on web marketing, particularly direct e-mail marketing.

“One of the things that we found we had to put into this year's event was the social networking phenomenon. We believe our members can benefit from Twitter and Facebook, especially when a lot of what we did in the past isn't working anymore,” Sapienza says. “Young families are using social networking. Even if you aren't going to use Twitter, a bakery at least should be doing e-mail marketing. It's a great way to always stay in your customers mind with a weekly newsletter — put up some specials, best sellers.”

The exhibition also will host the 9th Annual Pillsbury Grand Champion Creative Decorating Competition. Contestants selected from across the country will compete live on the show floor, creating flowers and sprays, wedding cakes, rolled fondant designs, custom design cakes and sculpted cakes. Another competition, the 2nd Annual Cake and Bread Extravaganza, features pre-made bread and cakes that can be pre-registered or entered on site.

Program schedule

Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the exhibit hall opens at 11 a.m. each day.

Sunday, Oct. 18

Monday, Oct. 19

Tuesday, Oct. 20