If you have not yet sorted travel and accommodation to Sima in November, then don’t worry. The French farm machinery show is off. There are no dates, but the next event is planned for 2026.
There is nothing on the Sima website, but 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, is off.
Main reasons include the decline in the agricultural equipment market and the current agricultural crisis in France. Frustrated by low commodity prices and excessive environmental protection regulations, angry French farmers continue to block roads across much of the country. It is believed that this situation could continue for the foreseeable future.
The drop in the number of exhibitors is cited as another reason to cancel this year’s show. Last summer, both John Deere and Pöttinger, said they would not attend Sima 2024, and we understand there have since been a lot of last-minute cancellations.
It is somewhat ironic that the moving of the French show from its traditional timing at the end of February to a November slot, has backfired. Visitor numbers to the first November Sima timing in 2022 were down by a third to 153,000. Eima 2022, on the other hand, welcomed nearly 330,000, while visitor numbers to Agritechnica, the daddy of trio of Euro shows, exceeded 473,000.
With Agritechnica (November odd years) and Eima (November even years), November is a busy month on the international show circuit. Another major international event in the same month puts a huge strain on budgets and resources of manufacturers.
So, where does this leave Sima? The plan is to reinvent it, is the message. It will be interesting to see what this means. To my mind, there could still be room for the French show, but then more of a regional event and less of an international one. We will have to wait and see.
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