Starting in 2010, farmers from around the world will have a new venue to descend upon to see all the latest new tools and innovations in the industry.

Leaders of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), along with agribusiness company leaders, announced the formation of AEM's AG CONNECT Expo this week at the annual Ag Media Summit in Tampa, Florida. The first Expo will hit Orlando, Florida, in January 2010. The second Expo will be held in 2011, after which point it will become a biennial event.

"Agriculture today is global and dynamic," said AEM President Dennis Slater. "Industry professionals want access to the best information and the best people possible, without boundaries. That's why the member companies of AEM felt the perfect time to initiate AG CONNECT Expo is now."

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The three-day event will feature the latest from equipment, crop protection, seed, fertilizer and allied industry firms, according to an AEM report. Event organizers anticipate around 700 exhibitors in a nearly 250,000-square-foot exhibit space. Attendance is expected around 20,000.

Companies including AGCO, Case IH, John Deere, Krause, Krone, MacDon, McCormick and New Holland are initial supporters of the AG CONNECT Expo 2010.

"The companies involved are part of show management committee that makes the decisions about how the trade show will be managed," said Martin Richenhagen, CEO and president of AGCO, in introducing the Expo this week. "We very much like planning a show that will fully support the results of our research to deliver what the customer wants and to provide it an end product for the benefit of the industry.

"I have been in business a long time and I don't think what we are attempting with AG CONNECT Expo has been attempted in North America."

At AG CONNECT Expo, manufacturers, dealers, distributors and producers will have knowledge-sharing opportunities to better evaluate their position in the world marketplace while networking in a global environment and learning how to gain a competitive knowledge.

According to Charlie O'Brien, AEM VIce President Agricultural Services, their goal for AG CONNECT Expo is to it to become the forum for sharing global agricultural ideas and management trends. Education will be a key focus of the Expo. In addition to showcasing a wide variety of new equipment, technology and services, the show will offer information on some of agriculture's most important business management issues.

Two innovations to be implemented for this show will be a card system in which attendees will have a customized card to swipe at vendor booths to receive more information about products and services they're interested in. In addition, producers can go online before the show and map out what they want to see and what they can take advantage of ahead of time to maximize their time at the show, which will include sessions geared toward interacting with peer groups.

"We believe this show will be a great opportunity for the international ag community to come together in North America and showcase the best products from around the world," added Bob Schnell, executive vice president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. "We are excited about the prospects for AG CONNECT Expo and look forward to the launch in 2010."