EIMA INTERNATIONAL is one of the world’s leading agricultural machinery and technology trade shows. Its 44th annual edition will take place  from February 3 to 7 2021, and it will be the first international physical event scheduled  to take place in Bologna, Italy after the COVID pandemic lockdown.
FEDERUNACOMA, the Italian Federation Of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers  has been organizing the event in  Bologna since its first edition in 1969.
On October 23rd, 2020, the ITA-Italian Trade Agency in collaboration with FEDERUNACOMA held a video conference to launch  the EIMA INTERNATIONAL project which consists of  two initiatives: 

EIMA Digital Preview: the online preview of EIMA INTERNATIONAL, from November 11 to 15, 2020 which included  the display of the exhibiting companies' virtual stands and the registrations of visitors and business people onto the B2B  digital platform to arrange meetings and network with peers and exhibitors. "Agorà" is a specific section of the platform which  is dedicated to streaming events and conferences, as well as webinars on the main topics of technological innovation, research in the agro-mechanical field, applied electronics, and green space design. 

The Italian Trade Agency organized a virtual trade delegation of North American and international buyers and end users of agricultural technology to  EIMA Digital Preview and arranged  B2B meetings through its  "Fiera Smart 365" platform. 

EIMA INTERNATIONAL:   The brick and mortar trade show in Bologna, Italy is scheduled for October 2021 and  approximately 1,600 exhibitors have already formalized their attendance.   
The combination of the digital preview and the physical trade show  - according to FEDERUNACOMA - comes at a time when the global demand for machinery is potentially very high and businesses require an event that brings together the latest innovations and technologies to serve the various needs of farms and agricultural operations around the world. 
In the United States, despite the Covid-19 emergency, in the first nine months of 2020 the tractor market showed signs of a positive trend with about 219,000 new registered vehicles, 15% more than in the same period of 2019. The USA is also one of the main destination countries for the Italian export of agricultural technologies. In 2019, Italian exports of tractors to the United States amounted to 87 million euros (fourth market for Italian industries after France, Germany and Spain), while agricultural machinery - following a growth trend that started in 2017 - amounted to 400 million euros (second market after France). Meanwhile, the first six months of 2020 recorded a decline in exports of both tractors and agricultural machinery, but this is a contraction resulting from the lockdown of March and April. The great importance that Italian agricultural machinery has for US agriculture is also evidenced by the growing appeal of EIMA INTERNATIONAL for the American market's businesspeople. In fact, the exhibition has seen the number of American visitors grow considerably - more than tripled over time - reaching an all-time high (976) at the 2018 edition, thanks to the organizational and financial intervention of the Italian Trade Agency. To ensure that the show will  take place safely, FederUnacoma will implement the most rigorous standards and protocol never seen before at an international trade exhibition.

For further information on this initiative, please contact houston [at] ice.it (subject: Machines%20Italia%20Newsletter)