High-End Vienna 2026 - Let's go
The High End 2026 is just around the corner.
But unlike the last two decades, the fair will not take place in Munich this year, but in Vienna. I view this development with both a smiling and a tearful eye, as I have grown very fond of Munich over the past years.
I have perceived Munich as a very green, relaxed, and friendly city where I felt extremely comfortable from the start. I also always found the location at the MOC very pleasant: bright, open-designed, and spacious.
The infrastructure was just right, with plenty of hotels and good restaurants nearby. In this respect, Munich – not least because of the short travel time of just over three hours – was a great location. And although the High End always means a lot of work and considerable stress, I always enjoyed my time there.
A special highlight away from the exhibition stages for me was the daily visit to the Olympic Park – a green oasis of calm in the middle of the city, where I could do my outdoor workouts and enjoy the wonderful view.
Everything is different – or is it?
The news of the fair moving to Vienna caused quite a stir last year. In personal conversations with trade visitors, manufacturers, and distributors, a mixed picture still emerges today. While, for example, Eastern European exhibitors welcome the shorter travel time, many German manufacturers often reacted with disappointment.
Many showed little understanding for this step, since the High End Society is ultimately a German organization and presumably a suitable new location could have been found in Germany as well. Added to this was the concern of many about more complicated logistics and significantly longer travel times.
The news also shocked me at first. I seriously wondered if I really wanted to endure eight hours of driving in the future. But actually, I quickly realized: I will do it. Because only at the High End do you get the chance every year to meet our manufacturers and many international customers in person, shake their hands, test products together, or simply exchange ideas over a coffee or tea.
It’s not the new products, which we usually already know about in advance – it’s the people!
And these four days of genuine, human exchange – nowadays called “socializing” – are worth every effort to me. Because just as I prefer to welcome our customers personally in our showroom to build trust and a real connection, the same happens at the High End with our partners.
New Perspectives
That’s why I don’t see the change as a disadvantage beforehand, but as an opportunity. A new location also offers plenty of new possibilities. As nice as it was in Munich and as much as one clings to the familiar: letting go and embracing new things is essential and helps us move forward in life (and in business).
So I look ahead with great anticipation and am excited about the High End 2026 in Vienna! I’m a bit less excited about the at least eight-hour drive, but at least I’m not alone: I have three colleagues with me – so it definitely won’t be boring!
See you very soon,
Your Tom from Audio Essence
* Image source for title image: HIGH END SOCIETY