For starters, Vienna is an expensive city to visit. To counteract that, the organisers promised not to raise prices when the show switches to Vienna, but finessed that commitment by instead hiking them in Munich this year. Nor is Vienna exactly accessible: being at the ‘wrong end’ of Austria presents considerable geographical challenges, A flight might be a flight, but transporting or shipping by road is a whole different thing. Although Austria is a German-speaking country, it isn’t Germany. That might seem obvious, but consider the fact that many companies have different distribution for Germany and Austria and how many German distributors or dealer/distributors are going to invest in the show? Finally, despite the organiser’s assurances to the contrary, there are significant question marks regarding the ‘rooms’ at the Austria Center in Vienna, many of which are partitioned out of larger/longer spaces and have windows down one side only, creating a significant acoustic imbalance. I deliberately sought out reports from those who exhibited or attended the Vienna Show last year and they were extremely mixed and far from up-beat.
Unfortunately, as in the case of the move from Frankfurt to Munich over 20 years ago, continuity isn’t a given and today’s industry and markets are a very different place. As it stands, two things are certain.
This year’s show in Munich will be the last at the MOC.
High-End 2026 will take place in the Austria Center in Vienna.
But whether there’s a High-End 2027 in Vienna – at least, a High-End show as we understand it – remains to be seen. If the Vienna Show disappoints in 2026, it could be just the catalyst needed for the industry to finally take responsibility for its own global event, the product of an international High-End grouping rather than the German High-End Society. The organisational blue-print is there and, without the imperative to use a German-language location, the choice of venues widens enormously. The opportunity to alter and update the show format is just as interesting. If we recognise that this is fundamentally a B2B event and it’s international business and interest that finances it, then the sonic/musical imperative becomes rather different. If the industry wants to show the public just what’s possible (something that the Munich Show has signally failed to achieve) then fewer, better sounding rooms and a lot more static display is the way to go. Which in turn opens up even more venues. Good business combined with a good experience is what the industry needs and should be offering. Munich doesn’t and unless Vienna ups the ante considerably, it risks losing the pre-eminent international status it’s set to inherit.
