With five more months to go, 2,000 exhibitors from 44 countries have already booked stands at the world’s largest exhibition for agricultural machinery and equipment, Agritechnica 2011, to be held in November in Hanover, Germany. This represents an increase of about 10% compared with the last show. Exhibitor areas have increased mainly in core agri-machinery sectors for example tractors, harvesters and soil preparation.
To cater to this demand, DLG, the organizer for Agritechnica, will open up six more halls, bringing the total number to 24, increasing exhibitor space by 15%. Having a visitor-friendly structure is crucial in view of this expansion, and visitors can expect an even more efficient layout to guide them to their key areas of interest.
Agritechnica will open its doors from 15 to 19 November 2011 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds, with preview days on 13 and 14 November. The last Agritechnica in 2009 was attended by 2,300 exhibitors from 46 countries. More than 355,000 visitors, including 80,000 international visitors, descended on Hanover to learn more about new developments in agricultural machinery and equipment.
Increased international participation
This year, exhibitors from outside Germany will comprise 47% of all exhibitors or a total of 940 companies, an increase of 14% from 2009. The biggest numbers are from Italy (260), the Netherlands (93), France (72), Austria (63), Turkey (44), China (44) Denmark (43), Spain (28), Finland (28), United Kingdom (27), Poland (26) and Canada (25). India is showing its highest participation at this coming show with 21 companies, as with Belgium (21), followed by Sweden (19), USA (18) and Czech Republic (16). Also planned are numerous country pavilions covering Argentina, China, Brazil, Canada, Pakistan, Spain and the USA and for the first time Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Japan, and Finland.
This reflects that the international industry players view Agritechnica as an important venue to develop existing and new markets.
Bright outlook for agri-economy
Several reasons account for the high number of exhibitors this year. Strong demands for both food and biomass have stimulated the agri-sector, which in turn have boosted interest and investment in agricultural technology. As the biggest trade event for agri-machinery in the world, Agritechnica is the venue-of-choice for companies wishing to showcase their innovations to a global audience, with manufacturers timing their innovation cycles and launches to coincide with the show. The increase in exhibitor numbers from outside Germany also reflects confidence in Agritechnica as a launching pad for businesses wishing to expand into markets across Europe and overseas. A consistently strong visitor profile with significant overseas participation is yet another draw-card for Agritechnica. The last event two years ago saw 355,000 trade visitors, including 80,000 from abroad.
Competition among companies is likely to intensify along with the economic upturn. Businesses will be keen to tap on the positive mood that currently prevails among Europe’s farmers, as seen from the results of the Spring 2011 DLG-Trendmonitor Europe survey of farmers from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.. Fueling this confidence is the expectation that agri-commodity prices will hold firm on the back of positive developments in the world economy and shortages in the grain and oilseed markets.
New exhibition concept with logical hall structure; Six new halls
In response to increased demand for exhibitor space, the exhibition area has been extended. The current hall concept with logical product groupings has been further developed. The aim is first of all to structure Agritechnica according to topics for improved visitor orientation and secondly to achieve optimal visitor flow across the exhibition. For the first time, exhibitors related to forestry and energy crop production will be unveiling their products in Halls 19 to 24 in the north-western part of the exhibition grounds. OEM and suppliers of spare parts will be presenting their products and services in Halls 25 and 26.
New: Smart Farming in Hall 16
It is not just about using tractors and equipment that are bigger, broader and faster. Advanced electronic systems now play a crucial role by providing automatic real-time communication of vital operating performance data via ISOBUS from farm equipment to the in-cab information console.
A show Special called “Smart Farming - Intelligent and sustainable plant production“ will host a wide range of renowned independent experts from leading agricultural consultancies and specialists from academia.
Visitors to the “Smart Farming” show special will be able to obtain a wealth of authoritative information and practical advice on the best-practice application of current technologies together with news of the latest technical trends that underpin intelligent farming.
Interactive displays and simulators will address many important topics including "Navigation," "Sensor Technology," "Data Management," "ISOBUS" and "Future Solutions.”
International dealer centre and Used machinery
Agritechnica will also this year be hosting the international dealer centre and used machinery in hall 7. This centre will act as an information area for dealers, sellers and buyers of agri-machinery worldwide. Agritechnica organiser DLG and the Association of German Dealers (previously H.A.G.) together with CLIMMAR (the European farm machinery dealers Association) are joint organisers. With this centre, a well-placed, comprehensive information and service centre can be made available to the international agricultural machinery trade.
Workshop LIVE – Quality service as the basis for success
Attracting talent in agri-mechanics
As technological advances result in more complex machinery and machine owners themselves demand more complete after-sales service, well qualified mechanics will definitely be a sought-after breed. Making its debut at the previous Agritechnica, Workshop LIVE has already been identified as an integral part of the show. That many shows around the world have also begun to follow suit by incorporating such events in their line-up attests to the importance of this segment.
International technical programme
A series of professional events will be held on these specialized topics:
- International Agricultural Engineering Congress, 11 and 12 November
- Agri-Markets 2011, 15 November
- Seed Congress, 16 November 2011 (only in German)
- Eastern Europe Conference 16 November
- Young Farmers Day, 17 and 18 November
Experts from academia, agriculture extension and consultancy, industry and practical farming will further be presenting practical and technical trends at three daily forums to present perspectives on current trends and important developments. All forums are interactive with question and answer sessions, many of them in English.
