EIMA, stronger than anything
The world exhibition of agricultural machinery closed in Bologna with extraordinary results. The "EIMA people" overcame the post-Covid uncertainties and consecrated the exhibition as a leading event in the trade exhibition landscape. Certified data released by FederUnacoma and BolognaFiere indicate 270,700 visitors, 25,900 of whom from abroad. A great success for an event that will return in November 2022 and then resume its natural biennial schedule
The world exhibition of agricultural machinery sweeps away all uncertainties linked to the health emergency and makes its mark with exceptional numbers. After five days, the exhibition closed last Saturday 23 October with 270,700 visitors, 25,900 of whom from abroad, a result that makes EIMA a top international event not only in the specific sector of agricultural machinery, but in the landscape of trade exhibitions in absolute terms. Not only was the number of visitors remarkable, but also the quality of the public, largely made up of businesspeople interested in new products and the purchase of technologies suited to the most diverse agricultural uses. The cultural part of the exhibition was also very rich, with a total of 116 conferences and seminars on technical and political topics.
"EIMA wanted to go ahead this year, despite the inevitable defection of exhibitors and visitors from some countries that are still in a health crisis," commented Alessandro Malavolti, president of FederUnacoma, the association of Italian manufacturers that is organising the event, "and despite the scepticism of all those who were aiming to freeze it until November 2022. "The figures have proved us right, and the 2022 edition will not be for us the 'restart' edition, but the 'reconfirmation' one, the consecration of an event that in this most difficult year has given an extraordinary proof of strength".
"On the eve of EIMA we had already defined as a good result the threshold of 160 thousand visitors, i.e., about 50% of those who had participated in the record edition of 2018 - added Simona Rapastella, general manager of FederUnacoma - while the final data indicate an attendance of 85% of that last edition before the pandemic, a result that seems 'miraculous', but which in reality is the result of a great deal of work by the structure, of our determination to underline the value of EIMA on the international exhibition scene, and of the exhibiting companies that followed us".
Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere, also commented on the success of the exhibition: "We are particularly proud of the results of EIMA 2021 that bear witness to a widespread trend of economic recovery after the pandemic emergency. These are results that also underscore the importance of an extremely high-tech sector that is strategic for the objectives set by the green deal. Agriculture has a fundamental role to play in the ecological transition, and the operators in this sector are the main protagonists. Today, agricultural machinery is an essential tool for an increasingly important role in agriculture, as the event testified. A heartfelt congratulations to FederUnacoma for the organisational commitment that led to this success".
As many as 1,350 exhibiting companies took part in the event, the first sector event of international resonance after the suspension of trade fair activities imposed by the health emergency, 350 of which from abroad representing over 40 countries, displaying more than 40 thousand models in the 14 sectors of specialization and the 5 theme shows ("Components", "Green", "Energy", "Digital" and "Hydrotech") into which the event is divided. Despite the limitations still in force for some areas, EIMA 2021 confirms its international character. During the five days of the event, in addition to agricultural entrepreneurs and mechanization technicians, businesspeople from all over the world are expected at the Exhibition, including official delegates selected by ICE offices (about 300 representing 60 countries), interested in negotiating the purchase of machinery that responds to the specific needs of different farming and business models.
"In addition to being a great promotional and commercial showcase, EIMA has always been a great ‘relations machine’," said Simona Rapastella during the presentation conference on the eve of the event, "and this is a fact of strategic importance, because the agricultural machinery industry is part of a complex system, in which close interactions are necessary between the agricultural world, the industrial world, research activities, environmental instances and political and administrative guidance and coordination activities".
