On the evening of the opening day of the SIMA in Paris, the AGCO Corporation held a large press event in the Musée d`Orsay, with some 200 guests from around the world. In a historical setting, Martin Richenhagen, Chairmen, President and CEO of AGCO, Arnaud Roux de Bezieux from Management Board of the Rabobank France, Sir Ben Gill CBE, Managing Director of Hawkhills Consultancy and Klaus Martini, investment banker from the Deutsche Bank, discussed the current situation in agriculture as well as future prospects, with special focus on the financial sector. The experts agreed that the problems and the effects of the financial crisis are clearly noticeable in many areas. However, they also agreed that the agricultural industry is mostly unaffected by this crisis and will continue to remain stable.

Besides numerous journalists from the business and agricultural trade press, the guests at the press event included almost the entire senior management of the AGCO Corporation, as well as the managing directors from Fendt, Hermann Merschroth, Peter-Josef Paffen und Dr. Heribert Reiter.