If you got a French dictionary, a striped Breton jersey or a beret for Christmas, it’s time to pack them away for a couple of years, as the giant French machinery Show SIMA has been called off for November 2024.
While there are currently no confirmed dates, the next event is planned for 2026.
Axema, the French trade association for manufacturers of agricultural machinery, says that the show, which was planned to run over four days from November 24 to 27 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition complex, has been cancelled because of the decline in the agricultural equipment market, alongside the current agricultural crisis in France.
The latter sees rural folk frustrated by low commodity prices and excessive environmental protection regulations, with angry French farmers continuing to block roads across much of the country.
It is suggested that this situation could continue for the foreseeable future.
A drop in exhibitor numbers is also given as another reason to cancel the 2024 event, with John Deere and Pöttinger stating in mid-2023 that they would not attend Sima 2024, while Rural News understands there has more recently been a lot of last-minute cancellations.
It’s interesting that since moving the French show from its traditional Northern Hemisphere spring timing at the end of February to a new November slot, visitor numbers to the first November Sima timing in 2022 were down by a third to 153,000 people.
In contrast, EIMA 2022, held in Bologna, Italy welcomed nearly 330,000 people, while visitor numbers to Agritechnica, the largest of the three premier European exhibitions, welcomed more than 473,000 visitors through the gate.
Looking at the rescheduling in more detail, with Agritechnica being held in Germany during the odd November years and EIMA held in Italy in the even years, it makes November a busy month on the international show circuit.
This has led to manufacturers suggesting that another major event in the same month puts a huge strain on budgets, logistics and resources that they appear reluctant to support.
