High End Society have released details of the visitor figures and round up of this year’s High End Munich, plus the date of next year’s show, High End Munich 2018. Hifi Pig still has plenty of coverage to bring you from this year’s show over the next few days!

“Large international focus and high calibre of visitors”: These were terms used once again this year to describe the High End in Munich, the world’s largest trade fair in the audio industry.

•538 exhibitors from 44 countries (+ 4%)

•Increasing visitor numbers, totaling 21,412 visitors (+ 10%)

•8,002 trade visitors from 78 countries (+ 13%)

•Vast media presence from the whole world

The 36th consecutive staging of the High End, featuring 538 exhibitors from 44 countries, was once again a worldwide highlight for the industry. From May 18-21, the exhibition halls and rooms encircling the atria on the upper levels of the MOC were booked solid, and the crowd of visitors was “accordingly vast”. The exhibition delighted some 21,000 visitors, arriving from all over the world to find out about products and trends in the audio industry.

On Thursday, under sunny skies, the High End opened its doors for the trade visitors, hundreds of whom had gathered in front of the admission gates. This year, the exhibition was not scheduled to start on the usual public holiday of Corpus Christi, and while on Thursday and Friday, the High End experienced slight decreases in visitor statistics, the following days, Saturday and Sunday, saw all the more visitor traffic. The day with the highest number of visitors was Saturday this was a growth of 30% over the last year. 538 exhibitors, 63% of whom were international, presented a broad range of products at the show.

“The major effort expended on the part of many exhibitors deserves our great respect and our appreciation. All the efforts on the part of exhibitors achieved the goal of creating a proper setting for the products in our industry”, according to Stefan Dreischärf (Managing Director of the High End Society).

Compared to the previous year, the number of companies exhibiting increased by some 4%. They came from 44 different countries, not only from within but also from outside of Europe, and from North and South America, Asia and the region of Asia-Pacific. On the international level, the following countries were most strongly represented: the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Switzerland, Denmark, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Canada and Taiwan.

A total of 8,002 trade visitors from 78 countries came to the High End 2017, therefore the international presence of the trade visitors was exceptionally high. Their share in the overall trade visitor statistics was 73%. The lion’s share of international visitors came from European countries other than Germany, with a major focus on the following countries: the UK, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria. There were also numerous trade visitors from Asia and America, however. “This is where manufacturers, importers, sales organisations and dealers from all over the world come together. It is a testimony to the tremendous significance and the popularity the High End enjoys within the audio industry. Without a doubt, it has now become an indispensable forum for the entire industry and a ‘must’ for any- one involved in this sector”, confirmed Kurt Hecker (Chairman of the Board of the High End Society).

With 541 accredited journalists from around the world, the High End was able to reach a new record in media numbers. One out of two journalists who came to Munich was from abroad. Countries in Europe make up the majority, yet more and more members of the media from Asia and the United States are covering the High End. “The level of awareness of the High End has continued to grow not only within Germany but also internationally. We are pleased with the exhibition’s worldwide media attraction”, emphasised Deputy Managing Director of the High End Society, Mansour Mamaghani.

In addition to the wide array of innovative products, once again this year, numerous music presentations were celebrated by the exhibitors with great enthusiasm and high product quality. The High End offered not only its usual high level of information but also a distinctive entertainment value for participants and visitors. The technology stage, as a free information forum, was heavily frequented again this year. Among other innovations, there was a preview of the sound recording and broadcasting standards of tomorrow, information on the configuration and expansion of a music system built around a music server and presentation of a record player concept without a turntable.

FACTS AND FIGURES OF THE HIGH END 2017

The visitor statistics do NOT include the journalists and do NOT comprise the 2,978 exhibitor passes issued.

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

True to the motto “After the High End is before the High End”, the course has already been set for the next High End and the dates have now been fixed: 10 to 13 May 2018 at the MOC in Munich.