Review of the Graz Autumn Fair 2024

26.09.2024

Messe Graz

THE GRAZER HERBSTMESSE 2024 DRAWS A POSITIVE BALANCE

For five days, the Graz Autumn Fair 2024 at Messe Graz provided the perfect place to get ready for the colourful season. The programme on offer and the mix of exhibitors were just as colourful. In addition to intensive consultations at the stands, the successful return of “Die Messe tanzt” and the popular Nintendo area, well-known classics delighted around 80,000 visitors.

Balance sheet for download

EXHIBITORS DRAW A POSITIVE BALANCE

The Graz Autumn Fair is of great importance for the business location as it promotes the local economy as well as regional networking and innovation. This not only strengthens the local economy, but also contributes to the revitalisation of the city and its surroundings. Thanks to the participation of numerous companies, including start-ups and young companies, the trade fair offers an ideal opportunity to discover innovative products and services – as confirmed by the exhibitors. “This was our first time exhibiting at the Graz Autumn Fair and we can look back on a successful five days. With extensive product consultations and bath bomb workshops, we were able to give visitors to the fair a taste of Lush in the truest sense of the word and inspire them to visit our shop on the main square in Graz,” says Clara Lachmann from Lush GmbH. Armin Bachmann from Herzschlag sums up: “We used the Graz autumn fair to promote our store in Velden am Wörthersee and to present our fashion directly to a Styrian audience. We are very pleased with the positive feedback from visitors. The owner of Spielewelt Gutmann, Marina Gutmann, is also satisfied: “For small regional entrepreneurs, the Graz Autumn Fair is an ideal opportunity to present themselves to a wide audience. Our colourful range of games and the fair prices fitted perfectly into the concept of the Gamefusion hall, so we can be satisfied with the result on all levels.”

GAMEFUSION WITH NINTENDO FUN

It wasn’t just children’s eyes that lit up here; between nostalgia and brand new games, adults also found the right gaming fun. More than 50 different themed pinball machines featuring Elton John, Jurassic Park or The Godfather, for example, made the addictive potential of trying to keep the ball in play for as long as possible soar. The artist and retro market next door was also a magnet for all fans of retro games, anime, manga and vinyl records. The controllers were also glowing in the Nintendo area with Super Mario. One visitor said: “Gamefusion is a true gaming paradise – my daughter was absolutely thrilled when Super Mario suddenly stood in front of her and it was possible to take a photo. We already knew most of the games from the console at home, but here it’s a whole new experience.”

THE FAIR DANCES

The Graz Autumn Fair 2024 had some special highlights in store, especially at the weekend. “Die Messe tanzt” celebrated its comeback and presented the diverse world of dance with its exhibitors. In addition to shows of ballet, hip hop, standard dance, the casting for the Styrian Ball and folk dance, brides-to-be were able to browse the ballroom and wedding dress outlet. “The new edition of “Die Messe tanzt” showed how differently dance can be interpreted and the performances were met with enthusiasm across generations.

PRODUCTS TO TAKE HOME

Even in the current difficult economic situation, trade fairs offer an important point of contact for all industries to get in direct contact with consumers. “Our trade fair appearance was a complete success and we are looking forward to future projects and continuing our good cooperation,” explains Momcilo Stojnic from LEDwall Point OG. “The trade fair offered us the ideal opportunity to present our innovative solutions to a wide audience. With the modular container solutions from EKOBOX, which are known for their flexibility, customisation and wide range of applications, we were able to inspire numerous interested parties – whether for offices, residential modules or other uses. We were delighted with the many visitors from different age groups and industries who showed great interest in our products. The direct dialogue with trade fair visitors enabled us to present the benefits of our solutions in a targeted manner and discuss individual customer requirements,” he continues.

SUMMARY OF THE TRADE FAIR

Armin Egger, CEO of Messe Congress Betriebsgesellschaft m.B.H., is also fundamentally positive: “Despite the challenging times caused by the current economic situation in Austria, we are looking forward to a very good Graz Autumn Fair 2024. Reaching a large number of people in a short space of time and getting them excited about your product is exactly what a trade fair is, a perfect stage for companies. It is so important that the public not only has added value through the products of our exhibitors, but that an experience is generated for our visitors through a matching programme. We would like to thank all exhibitors who have shown courage and presented themselves extremely positively at the trade fair, especially in these difficult economic times. We are aware that even traditional formats such as the Graz Autumn Fair need to be constantly developed further – we already have a lot planned for 2025.”

ADRENALIN KICK PAR EXCELLENCE

While it was mainly families who had fun in the amusement park during the opening hours of the trade fair, breakdancing, magic, hurricane and tagada were a real attraction in the evening, especially for the younger generation. Another crowd-puller this year was the 140 metre bungee jumping crane, where the most diverse generations clearly demonstrated their courage with well over 200 jumps with a view over Graz and a pulse range of 81 to 189 during the jump.