A comunidade audiófila internacional vai reunir-se de novo em Munique, de 19 a 22 de Maio, para celebrar o Highend 2022, pós-pandémico, no MOC, o Centro de congressos da cidade bávara. Por Pedro Henriques

Pela primeira vez, serão dedicados 2 dias aos profissionais e jornalistas, abrindo as portas ao público em geral apenas no fim-de-semana.

O número de presenças aproxima-se do registado em 2019, com 500 empresas de 40 países diferentes.

‘As pessoas estão desejosas de voltar a encontrar-se cara-a-cara’, diz-nos Stefan Dreischä, o Diretor da organização. ‘E nós vamos estar à altura das expectativas…’

Está mais que provado que este tipo de eventos aproxima os fabricantes dos distribuidores e estes dos compradores. Por isso, numa altura em que corredores apinhados são mais motivo para preocupação do que regozijo, disponibilizar dois dias para os profissionais é uma excelente iniciativa.

Os fãs do hi-fi vão ter oportunidade de explorar a sua paixão, quer ela seja o streaming, colunas, amplificadores ou gira-discos. E vai haver lugar a muitos seminários com especialistas da indústria e da imprensa especializada também.

Irá ser montada uma área específica para os auscultadores, ‘Headphone Area’, onde poderão experimentar e comparar os modelos mais recentes.

E também uma área exclusivamente dedicada aos componentes para os fabricantes de hi-fi e os fãs do DIY.

O embaixador do Highend 2022 vai ser, como estava já contratado em 2020, Alan Parsons, que dispensa apresentação.

A pandemia está mais calma mas não acabou. Por razões de segurança e bem-estar a organização vai garantir um limite de capacidade por motivos de higiene e segurança pública.

Além disso, os corredores serão mais largos e os auditórios vão ter dimensões adequadas aos lugares permitidos.

                                                                                                                                     Por Pedro Henriques

Notas:

Os leitores podem ler em baixo a Newsletter original em inglês.

Os leitores podem abrir em 'Artigos Relacionados' as Reportagens do Highend de  2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 e 2019

THE HIGH END®2022 IS WELL UNDERWAY

THE INTERNATIONAL AUDIO INDUSTRY WILL FINALLY COME TOGETHER AGAIN IN MAY

It’s almost time: from 19th to 22nd May, the HIGH END^® 2022 will be held in the exhibition grounds of the MOC Event Center in Munich, and finally reunite the international world of hi-fi experts and professionals after having to pause for two years. Over a four-day period, the event will bring together audio industry representatives in a central location where they can exchange ideas and experiences, network and establish new business connections. For the first time, this year’s event will feature two trade visitor days on which the entire trade show will focus on B2B business. At the weekend, the HIGH END 2022 will also be open to the general public, offering audiophiles and music lovers the opportunity to experience impressive listening experiences and exciting technical demonstrations too.

Focusing on personal encounters

Up to 500 companies from around 40 different countries are expected to exhibit their products and innovations at the leading international audio trade show this year. The impressive number of bookings is on the same scale as the last HIGH END back in 2019 and underlines just how much the exhibitors have been looking forward to the relaunch of live industry events. “People want to meet up ‘face-to-face’ again and can’t wait to finally experience products in person after being separated for so long,” states Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of the event organiser, the company HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH. “They haven’t just missed the business side of things but also, and in particular, the personal contact.” The preparations for the HIGH END trade show are currently well underway. Dreischärf and his team have set themselves the target of meeting the exhibitors’ high expectations of the first HIGH END to be held after the unwanted break and ensuring that their participation is a huge success.

A balanced combination of a B2B platform and audience event

This year, the companies participating in the HIGH END 2022 are more determined than ever to use the opportunity offered by this showcase event – namely to present themselves to the world and continue their journey into a highly promising future in a variety of ways. The past two years have shown that trade shows play an essential role in driving and promoting business relations. Competition, customer acquisition, market research, innovation, inspiration, experiences and media attention will all be possible again at the leading trade show for the audio industry this year. To ensure maximum success, at this year’s HIGH END the opening day and also the Friday will be reserved to trade visitors – for the first time ever. The advantages of this concept are clear to see: customer meetings can take place without being pressed for time, and it will be easier to disperse the flow of visitors. In times in which pushing your way through jam-packed halls is more of a nightmare than ever before, the HIGH END 2022 is focusing on offering high quality and a manageable setting.

Hi-fi fans and music lovers will, of course, also have the opportunity to further explore their passion on the two days on which the event is open to the general public. The highlights planned for this year’s event include the popular specialist talks and presentations in the HIGH END KOLLEG lecture series, at which industry experts share informative and entertaining insider knowledge on various topics in the audio world. In the demonstration rooms in the atriums and the sound cabins in the halls, listeners can look forward to excellent sound experiences and impressive product presentations. The portfolio of brands represented at the trade show not only includes globally known industry heavyweights but also features small independent companies and young start-ups. Be it streaming solutions, loudspeakers, amplifiers or turntables, the products showcased at the HIGH END 2022 cover the entire spectrum of the audio industry. This year’s event will also feature a Headphone Area in which visitors can examine and test products in a direct comparison.

Alan Parsons maintains his role as the brand ambassador

The face of the HIGH END throughout 2022 will continue to be Alan Parsons, who initially agreed to be the guest of honour of the trade show planned to take place back in 2020. The exceptional musician is well known as a veritable master of good sound and has enjoyed global success for decades. “Alan Parsons personifies the connection between music and technology like no other,” explains Stefan Dreischärf. “With his superb recording technology, he is extraordinarily successful at bringing the magic of his compositions to our living rooms.” By welcoming Alan Parsons as its brand ambassador, the trade show organiser is continuing its PR strategy of inviting a popular artist to underline the most important message of its events.

The perfect addition to the HIGH END

The new supplier trade show IPS – International Parts & Supply brings together what belongs together. Taking place in a separate area of the MOC Event Center in parallel with the HIGH END 2022, the event offers manufacturers of supply parts for the hi-fi industry the ideal platform for establishing direct contact with their customers and showcasing their products in a presentation tailored to their target groups.

Safety with a sense of proportion

Although the Covid-19 pandemic currently seems to be calming down, the event organiser is sticking to its plan of a limited capacity and an appropriate hygiene concept. “Be it exhibitors, visitors or staff, everyone should feel completely safe and comfortable at the trade show,” emphasises Stefan Dreischärf, the man behind the event. Larger minimum sizes for exhibition stands, wider aisles and clearly marked routes through the halls are all designed to meet these requirements. What’s more, all participants are required to register online in advance. Tickets for trade visitors and the general public are available from beginning of April in the online ticket shop only.

The HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH is looking forward to a successful year 2022 with a new HIGH END trade show that will raise the bar in times of and after Covid-19.

Information on the HIGH END

The HIGH END, the internationally renowned audio trade show, is the undisputed leader when it comes to impressively setting the tone for top-class music reproduction. It has been providing ideas and impetus for producers, sellers and consumers of high-quality consumer electronics for four decades. On the four days of the event in May, the entire world of audio experts and professionals will gather in Munich to visit hundreds of exhibitors from more than 40 different countries as they showcase their latest innovations in the halls and atriums of the MOC Event Center.

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