While Eima is heading towards the 2024 edition, Sima had to cancel the edition scheduled for November 24th to 27th. Here are the reasons
The transalpine event, which in 2022 departed from its traditional February slot in odd years to take place in November of even years, almost overlapping with Eima International, has indeed had to cancel its 2024 edition, scheduled for November 24th to 27th. Despite the brief announcement attributing the cancellation to a generic downturn in the equipment market and a crisis in French and European agriculture, the true reasons are believed to lie in the numerous withdrawals received by the organizers.
The first, well in advance, was publicly announced by John Deere, followed by others from the major industrial groups in the sector. However, if the causes were truly those stated by Axema, the French manufacturers’ association that organizes Sima, then Eima International, scheduled in Bologna from November 6th to 10th, should also be affected by the conjunctural difficulties. Instead, the Bolognese event is heading towards a sold-out exhibition space well in advance, demonstrating that Sima’s crisis has nothing to do with the market but rather with a trend that has been ongoing for years, causing a fading international profile of the event in favor of a greater focus on the French market. While it remains the largest in Europe, this trend has diminished Sima’s appeal to international exhibitors.
Eima 2024 Heading Towards Another Success
Hence the attempted effort by the organizers to challenge Eima International by positioning themselves as the autumnal benchmark event in even years, alternating with Agritechnica held in odd years. Clearly, this attempt was unsuccessful, especially since FederUnacoma accepted the challenge without hesitation, surpassing the transalpine event in 2022 in terms of both exhibitors and visitors. Before facing further setbacks, the decision was made to withdraw, without specifying what the future holds for Sima. Whether it will return to its traditional slot in February of odd years, whether another attempt will be made in two years to challenge Eima International again, or whether the curtain has definitively fallen on the era of Paris.
