One of the largest exhibitors at the world’s biggest machinery show, Agritechnica, will not attend the rescheduled event in February 2022.
John Deere has confirmed it will not be present, citing bad timing as the main reason for its pending absence.
Agritechnica, organised by the DLG in Germany, was cancelled from its traditional November slot in 2021 and has been postponed to February 27 to March 5 2022 in Hanover.
John Deere had previously announced it had pulled out of the November event but has now confirmed it will not attend in February 2022 either. UK manufacturer JCB has also confirmed it is not attending.
Attendance
Ralf Lenge, John Deere’s public relations manager at the company’s German headquarters, said that by February, farmers would be working in the fields and attendance at Agritechnica would be down.
He said: “There are several reasons which do not recommend the participation due to the new timing. Considering the new fair date in spring 2022, we expect far fewer visitors from the domestic and from international markets and we need to question the tremendous investment.
“In the February/March time frame, farmers and contractors are already back working in their fields. We expect that many buying decisions for the season 2022 have been done already.”
Revenue
This is not the news the organisers wanted to hear. John Deere is one of the show’s biggest supporters in terms of show presence and revenue generated for exhibition space.
However, Mr Lenge did say the company would be present at other events hosted by the DLG and others.
Mr Lenge added: “For next spring season, we plan local events in Europe to present and demonstrate new products.
“This decision will not impact our commitment to future DLG fairs or events, such as the DLG Field Days in June 2022, the Eurotier Show in November 2022 or the next Agritechnica in November 2023.”
Companies already registered as exhibitors for Agritechnica in February 2022 include Claas, Case IH, Argo, AGCO, SDF, Kubota, Amazone, Kuhn, Kverneland, Krone, Horsch, Lemken, Pöttinger, Grimme and Väderstad.