The two global agriculture trade exhibitions — Agritechnica in Europe and AG CONNECT Expo in North America — have coordinated the timing of their show dates for 2011 and 2013 for the convenience of exhibitors and attendees with global business interests. Show organizers said this schedule allows those interested in global agriculture to attend both events in those years. The shows are held biennially.

Agritechnica is the world's largest agriculture machinery show while AG CONNECT Expo is North America's global exhibition, both featuring the latest innovations in production agriculture.

In 2011, AG CONNECT Expo will be held January 8-10, 2011 (Preview Day January 7) at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The 2011 Agritechnica will be held at the end of that year - November 15-19, 2011 at the Exhibition Grounds in Hanover, Germany (Preview Days November 13-14). The shows will next be held in 2013 - AG CONNECT Expo 2013 is scheduled for January 8-11, 2013 in Orlando, Florida and Agritechnica 2013 is slated for November 2013.

DLG (German Agricultural Society), the organizer of Agritechnica, and Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), organizer of AG CONNECT Expo, initiated a long-term cooperative agreement last year between the two agriculture trade shows starting with the inaugural AG CONNECT Expo, held in 2010.

The strategic alliance between the attendee organization DLG and the exhibitor organization AEM is designed to reach out to top-level decision makers, offering access to the latest technological developments that improve operating efficiencies and enhance quality of product. The alliance promotes and extends a more encompassing show focus (on agribusiness, management, dealers, etc.) that fits the requirements of modern farmers. This concept has already been a success in Europe with Agritechnica and now is available in North America with AG CONNECT Expo.

The DLG and AEM cooperative agreement results in optimum return on investment for all industry participants interested in both Agritechnica and AG CONNECT Expo. Both Agritechnica and AG CONNECT Expo focus on providing a world-class event with top value and the highest quality experience for attendees and exhibitors alike. The two organizations and their trade shows share a philosophy to provide customers with the full agriculture trade show experience. For 125 years DLG has highlighted technological advances favored by agriculture producers. AEM, in existence for more than a century, has a parallel concept with AG CONNECT Expo to provide an agricultural global gathering place in North America.

Martin Richenhagen is Chairman, President and CEO of AGCO Corporation, Duluth, Georgia as well as AEM's Chairman of the Board in 2009 and current Chairman of the 2011 AG CONNECT Expo Show Management Committee. "Agritechnica and AG CONNECT Expo are a perfect fit to develop the global agricultural presence that will benefit both shows. This indicates that AG CONNECT Expo will be even more successful in reaching out to international agriculture markets, while adding even greater value to the trade show experience for top agriculture producers," said Richenhagen.

"We believe two world-class events of Agritechnica and AG CONNECT Expo meet the global needs of farming businesses by offering exhibitors and visitors key platforms where they can meet and exchange views on increasingly international topics. We now have two key platforms, one in North America and one in Europe. A coordinated show schedule is just one step to provide enhanced services to exhibitors and visitors with international interests and activities," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, director Exhibitions, DLG.

Rusty Fowler is President and CEO of Krone North America, Memphis, Tennessee as well as AEM's Vice Chair Agriculture and AEM's Ag Executive Committee Chairman. "Ag equipment technology allows today's farmers to work nearly three-and-one-half times more land than their predecessors did in 1900. Today's needs are different and the rules governing production practices are different. Expectations are changing for what equipment will do for farming operations, and AG CONNECT Expo is the place to experience the future of global innovation in North America."

About DLG DLG, a non-profit organization, is a leading association in the agricultural and food sectors in Germany and Europe. With 125 years of experience, DLG's mandate is to promote technical and scientific progress internationally in the sectors it serves. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, DLG has over 22,000 members. Through its subsidiary DLG International, DLG is represented with offices in China, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and Turkey with projects in the US and Russia. DLG's test center for agricultural machinery is the leading competence center for agricultural machinery and testing in Europe. www.dlg.org

About AEM AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry, with more than 800 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the capitals of Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Beijing and a European presence in Brussels. One of AEM's core services is to provide trade association services on a global basis. www.aem.org