It was in the air, but now the official confirmation has arrived: the 44th edition of Eima International has been postponed to 2021 due to the ongoing Coronavirus health emergency. The event, which should have been held in Bologna in mid-November, will instead be from 3 to 7 February 2021.
"The decision to postpone the great traditional Eima until the beginning of next year - explains Alessandro Malavolti, president of FederUnacoma, the federation of Italian manufacturers that is the direct organizer of the review - stems from a careful logistical and economic evaluation, since it is extremely likely that trade fair events may still be affected by specific government orders in the autumn, and that the transport and services system may still be slowed down due to the precautionary measures that will still be in place both in Italy and abroad ".
«The agriculture and applied mechanics sector has an urgent need to resume operations because there is great interest in technological innovations and a great need, especially after the acute phase of the virus emergency, to restore energy and competitiveness to the economy primary. "
"That's why we have planned the November preview which will bridge the February 2021 edition, an event that represents an exceptional case in the history of Eima International which will return from November 2022 to its traditional location," continues Malavolti.
Pending the live appointment in February, in fact, for the days of November when the fair was scheduled (from 11 to 15) FederUnacoma organized a "Digital Preview", an event entirely mediated with platform and digital technologies.
»The adhesions to the 44th EIMA have already filled the Bologna fairgrounds and this organizational structure is transferred en bloc in February - explains FederUnacoma General Manager Simona Rapastella - while we are already working on the digital platform that will allow exhibitors to preview in November their company profiles and the range of products and news. We are developing in synergy with institutions, professional organizations and publishing houses a program of seminars, conferences and mediated events, which keep the attention high on the salient themes and favor the meeting between demand and offer of agricultural technologies, the care of greenery and the maintenance of the territories. "Business-to-business meetings with foreign operators who represent a strategic target and a great strength for our exhibition will have particular importance in the new platform".