Agromek realigns with double offering in 2008

hen farm machinery and supplies exhibition Agromek opens in Denmark in January it will be the 35th event, but the last to take place at the opening of the year. That's because the international trade show will be held yearly in November beginning in 2008.

To make the transition, there will be two editions of Agromek in 2008. The first is set for 15th-19th January and the second for 25th-29th November, both of them at the regular venue of the showground at Herning in Jutland (western Denmark).

Once it makes its transition to the new calendar slot, the exhibition will present both machinery for arable farming and livestock equipment in years with even numbers and livestock equipment in years with odd numbers.

"This more precise profile will mean that machinery for arable farming cannot be exhibited in those years in which the main theme is livestock equipment. 2008 will be the changeover year from the well-known Agromek to the new Agromek. There will therefore be two Agromek exhibitions. These will be held in January and November and will have different exhibit contents," explains Managing Director Peter Hansen, Cormall Agro Holding A/S and chairman of Agromek.

The January time-slot had already been revised after being announced originally for the following week. The Herning venue wanted to host another big show soon after the original dates, so asked Agromek to move back one week, starting on Tuesday, 15th January. Another change is that the event will dispense with its tradition of having a VIP preview day for traders and international visitors on the Monday of the same week. Doors now open daily Tuesday-Friday from 09:00 until 17:00 and on Saturday from 09:00 to 16:00.

Exhibitor influence

Changing to a November schedule was described by the Danish organizers as suiting the requirements of the majority of exhibitors. Each year, Agromek has exhibits of over 1300 companies represented on 540 stands and receives more than 60,000 visitors, at least 10,000 of whom are from outside Denmark. In recent years there have been attendees from almost 80 countries, not the least from the central and eastern European states. Visitors come to see an exhibition that now covers approximately 86,000 square metres in 14 halls.

The aim to have livestock production equipment and feeds represented at every edition, while field machines for crop farming will be exhibited every other year, is also in response to the general clamor from agricultural suppliers in Europe in favor of having fewer events on the annual show calendar. Several of the companies selling crop machinery have been exhibiting at Agromek only every second year since 2005.

Show Manager Dr Jan Tjørnelunde Pedersen also emphasizes that the January 2008 edition will be a transition show. A number of the field machinery companies have decided not to exhibit, preferring to wait to November, but visitors to the livestock production areas of the event will hardly notice any difference, he declares. The number of exhibitors and the size of stands in those areas are more or less unchanged from former years.

It was the big companies in particular from the field machines sector that started to prefer presenting themselves on a biennial basis rather than annually, he adds. The large sections of the show devoted to feeds and other supplies for pig and poultry production predominantly feature suppliers who do not want to miss a year.

New products competition

All stand-holders have had the chance to submit an entry to the show's new-product competition. A panel of specialist judges has been examining the entries to see which ones qualify for the prestigious Three Stars at the January 2008 event, signifying that the product "involves a new operational or construction principle or an entirely new composition or effect and thus results in an important improvement in effect/ergonomics/comfort/environment/economy." A two-star new product must either give a significant increase in production capacity or represent advances in construction/composition.

Decisions on the product awards will be known by the end of November and posted on the show website so that visitors can check on the innovations before making the trip. The Agromek of January 2007 had a list of 230 new products on display.

Visitors arriving from abroad can fly into Billund or Karup airports, from which there are shuttle connections to the show. Herning is also reached easily by car and by train, including a fast rail service from the Danish capital city, Copenhagen.