PotatoEurope 2026 attracted around 10,100 trade visitors from 79 countries to Rittergut Gestorf near Hanover, Germany, as growers, machinery manufacturers, breeders and other industry suppliers focused on improving the efficiency and competitiveness of potato production.

The two-day outdoor exhibition, held on September 9 and 10, brought together approximately 300 exhibitors from 19 countries. This year’s PotatoEurope was staged alongside the inaugural SugarBeet Expo, creating a combined event covering two of Europe’s major root crops.

For the potato sector, the show retained its practical focus, with machinery demonstrations, trial fields and demonstration plots allowing visitors to assess equipment, varieties and crop-management approaches under field conditions.

Around 50 machinery combinations, self-propelled machines and stationary units were demonstrated across the combined exhibitions. Technologies on display covered planting and sowing, harvesting, transport, cleaning and loading, while field demonstrations also addressed crop protection, plant health, pest monitoring, herbicide strategies and weed management.

The event reflected growing industry attention to automation and digital technologies as potato producers seek to control costs, improve productivity and respond to labor constraints. DLG’s Digital Farming powered by FarmRobotix area included autonomous machinery, robotics, automation and artificial intelligence applications, while a separate Agricultural Logistics spotlight covered machinery and digital systems for crop transport and handling.

These themes extended into the technical program, where more than 20 presentations, expert discussions and panels addressed subjects including soil health, machinery developments, digitalization, robotics and the economic outlook for potato and sugar beet production.

Interest in the more established areas of potato production nevertheless remained strong. According to initial DLG visitor-survey results, seed and plant breeding attracted the interest of 41% of visitors, followed by harvesting technology at 36%, crop protection at 23% and seeding and planting at 20%.

The survey also indicated significant potential investment activity among attendees. DLG said 68% of visitors planned to invest in potato or sugar beet production within the following two years. Some 64% said they were directly involved in purchasing and procurement decisions, with a further 19% acting in an advisory capacity.

International participation remained an important part of the event, with more than 31% of visitors travelling from outside Germany. Around half of the exhibitors were also international.

Overall satisfaction was high, according to DLG, with 96% of surveyed visitors saying they were highly satisfied with the event. Some 90% expressed high satisfaction with the range of exhibits and topics, while the technical program received an 87% satisfaction rating.

The decision to run SugarBeet Expo alongside PotatoEurope was also positively received, with more than 95% of surveyed visitors supporting the parallel format. Organizers argued that the two crops share a number of production challenges, including soil management, crop rotation, crop protection, harvesting, logistics, labor availability and the need to increase efficiency.

“Potatoes and sugar beet have more in common than what separates them. Both crops place high demands on cultivation, technology and management while also needing to be produced economically and resource-efficiently,” said Wilfried Wolf, Project Manager of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo.

For potato businesses, however, the principal attraction remained the opportunity to compare machinery and production systems in working conditions rather than on a conventional indoor exhibition stand.

“What makes the event particularly valuable is its practical relevance: new machinery, production systems and cultivation concepts could be experienced and compared under real field conditions,” said Tobias Eichberg, Managing Director of DLG Markets GmbH.

Equipment and technology presented at the show extended beyond primary cultivation into harvesting, cleaning, loading, logistics and processing, giving the event relevance across a broader section of the potato supply chain.

The trial areas also placed emphasis on varieties and agronomy, including different crop-protection strategies and approaches to monitoring plant health. Together with the machinery program, these demonstrations reflected the pressure on European potato producers to raise output efficiency while managing increasingly complex environmental, labor and production requirements.

The next PotatoEurope will take place in Belgium on September 8 and 9, 2027.