With halls fully booked down to the last square meter, atrium and conference rooms packed to the brim, and the new Press Center flooded with natural light in Atrium 2, the 40th edition of the High End show was successful on all accounts. A total of 22,137 visitors from around 100 different countries attended the world’s largest consumer audio show to find out about the new products and innovations from its 550 exhibitors, representing more than 1000 brands from 54 nations. This was the highest number of visitors ever recorded by the High End. The High End show had 551 exhibitors and received 21,180 visitors in 2019, with 530 exhibitors and 19,899 visitors in 2018.
The result far exceeded the expectations of the event organizer, High End Society Service GmbH. Alongside the abundance of positive feedback from those involved in the trade show, these figures underline the fact that this anniversary event was the most successful in its history. They also show that extending the show again to cover two B2B days after doing so successfully in 2022 was very well received in the industry.
While trade visitors made up approximately 38 percent of the visitor total in 2019, they represented nearly half of all guests at the High End 2023, which welcomed 10,748 trade visitors compared to 10,860 visitors when open to the general public. These were joined by a total of 529 media representatives from 43 countries reporting on the world’s most important audio show.
The High End 2023 was a hive of activity characterized by its captivating, positive and emotional atmosphere. According to the feedback received by Managing Director Stefan Dreischärf and his team, it was the best and most outstanding show they have ever hosted. "The response to this year’s show is truly overwhelming. Every single person I have spoken to was impressed by the fantastic atmosphere in the MOC," reports Dreischärf. "We had hoped to be able to repeat the terrific success of the last High End but didn’t expect to even go one better."
While exhibitors praised the perfect organization of the event, their impressive world premieres and the large number of product innovations captivated and excited their audience to a huge extent. The diverse program of events organized by the High End Society to accompany the anniversary show also attracted a great deal of attention and filled the event venues to the max.
"The balanced combination of an industry gathering and interactive exhibition has yet again been a complete success in 2023. The decision to again split the High End into two trade visitor days and two days for the general public ticked all the boxes. The largest specialist show of its kind is the most important marketplace with the highest international involvement for exhibitors from all over the globe. It is only here in Munich that all significant players in the industry come together at the same time," the High End Society states.
The schedule of talks and meetings on the B2B days confirmed that the decision to appeal to both target groups in equal measure represented an important new approach. And indeed, the companies participating in the event were very well prepared for their business meetings at the High End. In fact, discussion areas and meeting rooms are no longer a rarely seen occurrence at stands. The requests for B2B cabins at the event venue came in so fast that the event organizer was also unable to meet them all due to the limited space available.
And thanks to the cooperation with the Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International (ALTI) Association, which presented its ALTI Pavilion as part of the supplier trade show IPS – International Parts + Supply, held in parallel with the High End, the spectrum of topics covered in a dedicated presentation schedule was much more extensive than in previous years. All the recordings of the sessions can now be watched on the YouTube channel of the High End Society.
No other audio show offers as much to discover as the High End. With a virtually endless range of exhibits on show, the event is a true treat for both the eyes and ears of music enthusiasts, audiophiles and technology lovers. All visitors to the High End were able to immerse themselves in captivating sound demonstrations and gain insight into the state-of-the-art technology.
Another proven visitor highlight at the High End 2023 was the World Of Headphones, a special area in Hall 1 where manufacturers and distributors presented all kinds of different headphone models. Given that more and more companies are now discovering this market and decided to showcase their products in the World Of Headphones, this year’s special exhibition area was twice as big as when it was launched in 2022. It is an attractive addition to the High End that attracted young people in particular and encouraged them to spend time exploring the models on show.
"The headphone show is like a magical visitor magnet, attracting people to try out products directly without any interruptions," states Stefan Dreischärf, delighted about how visitors flocked to the stands on all four days of the audio show. Another important initiative are the audio systems displayed under the Soundsclever label — not only those from individual exhibitors but also, for the first time ever this year, four systems presented by different hi-fi magazines. With this initiative, the High End Society wants to debunk the myth that excellent music reproduction is only available in the luxury price segment. After all, companies that want to appeal to new target groups and encourage them to explore a premium hobby need to take new approaches. At the end of the day, high-quality musical enjoyment not only needs to be fun but must also be affordable. The Soundsclever components offer excellent music reproduction with top-quality sound costing no more than 5,000 Euros in total.
Brand ambassador Al Di Meola
This year's High End brand ambassador, Al Di Meola, was welcomed with a full house for the opening press conference, and wherever the artist went during his time at the High End, a crowd of excited visitors soon gathered. His presence at the "Meet the man" expert interview with Lothar Brandt also received excellent feedback, with the 45-minute talk providing listeners with an interesting insight into the life of the musician who was once the fastest guitarist in the world.
The autograph session attracted a long line of patient fans waiting to get their hands on an authentic signature from Al Di Meola. These fans and everyone who encountered the artist throughout his time at the event were able to experience his friendly and welcoming nature and also his keen interest in all things audio. Al Di Meola also made the most of the opportunity to enjoy the event with all of his senses, to discover the exquisite sound reproduction that he supports as the ambassador of the world’s largest audio show and to confirm why he perfectly embodies this year’s motto, “Loving Music”.
In the run-up to his visit to the largest audio show, a number of special exhibitor events were already planned in cooperation with his record company Impex Records. Together with his wife Stephanie, who accompanied him to the show, Al Di Meola compared playbacks of his own live recordings on a variety of exclusive audio systems. At the end of the event, he even happened to run into Rick Rubin, who was visiting the High End out of personal interest. The world-famous music producer is now one of 600 owners of the limited-edition version of the album “Saturday Night in San Francisco”, which was produced by Impex Records, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the High End. What’s more, he is one of just a handful of people to own a copy signed by Al Di Meola himself.
The High End show returns in 2024, May 9 to 12 at the MOC Event Center in Munich.
Facts & Figures High End 2023:
550 Exhibitors from 54 countries
More than 1,000 Brands
30,000 sqm show venue
22,137 Visitors during four days:
10,748 Trade visitors from 90 countries
10,860 Consumers from 71 countries
529 Media representatives from 43 countries
Organizer:
High End Society Service GmbH
Phone: +49 202 702022
E-mail: info@highendsociety.de
www.highendsociety.de
