EIMA expands and prepares for a record-breaking edition

Trade shows and exhibitions are a fundamental tool for the development of agricultural machinery. This is the view of FederUnacoma, the Confindustria federation representing industries in the sector, which held its annual meeting this afternoon in Bologna. In presenting the activity report, General Manager Simona Rapastella highlighted the significant commitment and high expectations for EIMA International 2026, which the Manufacturers’ Federation is organizing directly and which will take place at the Bologna exhibition center from November 10 to 14. This year’s schedule—as noted—starts earlier on Tuesday and ends on Saturday to better support the business needs of industry professionals. “The trade show optimizes marketing efforts, curates technologies, highlights new trends, and builds relationships of trust among industry professionals from around the world,” said Rapastella, “and this is invaluable at a historic moment when protectionism and geopolitical tensions are holding back the sector.” “But above all,” she added, “the EIMA exhibition bridges the gap between countries and fosters all forms of cooperation, from commercial and industrial collaboration to scientific and technological research.” To date, 1,800 exhibiting companies have already been confirmed (with more than 100 still on the waiting list), which will fill the exhibition grounds to maximum capacity (with over 60,000 models of machinery and technologies on display). The new Hall 35 will be available in November; three temporary halls will be constructed alongside the permanent ones; and the so-called Maserati Area will be utilized for the first time—a space that permanently expands the perimeter of the exhibition grounds and will be equipped with new structures (Halls 11 and 12) and high-quality logistical support. Services within the fairgrounds and transportation links to the airport, train station, and city neighborhoods have been enhanced to accommodate an audience that reached a record 350,000 attendances at the last edition (November 2024). Visitors from 150 countries are expected, while official ICE delegations from 90 countries have been confirmed, in addition to those of Italian and European parliamentarians; the area known as “Extend” will also host government institutions and representatives of the agri-food sector. “This year, the fair will have an even more impressive visual impact,” added Rapastella, “given the quality of the booth design proposals that exhibiting companies are sending to our organizing staff.” In fact, for the first time, a competition will be held in collaboration with the ADI designers’ association, joining the two contests that are already a hallmark of the

 

Bologna event and awarding the best booth designs—those most effective at showcasing innovations and agricultural machinery products, as well as telling the story and highlighting the qualities of the sector’s brands. “At EIMA International,” Rapastella emphasized, “much of the work that the Federation systematically carries out comes to fruition—whether in terms of the internationalization of businesses (with dozens of trade missions and group exhibitions organized in every region of the world), or in terms of regulations and technological development (see, among others, the digital and robotics sectors, which will have particular visibility at EIMA).” The statistical and economic surveys compiled by the Federation are instrumental to a professional trade show like EIMA, while part of the training activities that FederUnacoma conducts through its AFI Academy has been dedicated to trade show management. Thanks to a collaboration agreement with the University of Bologna and a partnership with the Italian trade agency ICE, the Federation has in fact developed specific training programs for member companies to prepare them for trade shows. New trends in trade show marketing, advanced stand design methodologies, and the value of trade shows as venues for communication and networking were among the topics covered in the seminar program.