HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH, the organiser behind Europe’s leading high-end audio and video trade show, is handing the top job to a new leader. Effective 1 October 2026, Ali Ibrahim becomes Managing Director of HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH, succeeding Manuel Pinke, who is stepping down from the role for personal reasons. The change lands at a pivotal moment: Ali Ibrahim takes the reins just as the organiser settles into its new home for the flagship HIGH END show in Vienna, a relocation Pinke oversaw during his tenure.
“We fully respect Manuel Pinke’s decision and thank him for his outstanding work, his integrity and his great personal commitment,” said Jürgen Timm, Chairman of the Board of HIGH END SOCIETY e.V. “He achieved a great deal in a short space of time and, with the successful relocation of HIGH END to Vienna, sent a strong signal for the future of our show.”
A Decade Inside HIGH END SOCIETY
Ali Ibrahim is no outsider brought in to shake things up. The 31-year-old event manager began his apprenticeship in office management, with a focus on event management, at HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH back in 2016, and has stayed with the company ever since. Over nearly ten years he built up broad experience in trade show organisation and planning, paired with solid commercial expertise. He has also managed the marketing budget for HIGH END and the organiser’s other shows for several years, and sharpened his knowledge of journalism and media relations along the way.
“For me, this is more than a new role,” Ibrahim said of his appointment. “I am taking on responsibility not only for a company that has shaped me for many years, but also for the people I have worked alongside for a long time. On that basis, I want to shape the years ahead with a clear direction – for our exhibitors, our visitors and the industry as a whole.”
What Ali Ibrahim Now Runs at HIGH END SOCIETY
HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH is the commercial subsidiary of the HIGH END SOCIETY Association for High Quality Audio and Video Reproduction, and it manages every one of the association’s trade projects. Beyond the flagship HIGH END show, that portfolio includes the FINEST AUDIO SHOW, IPS and WORLD OF HEADPHONES exhibitions – a calendar Ibrahim now steers as the organisation’s senior executive, working from HIGH END SOCIETY’s headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany.
Pinke’s Legacy: The Vienna Move
Pinke’s departure closes a chapter defined by one of the biggest logistical undertakings in the show’s history. Moving HIGH END from its long-time Munich venue to Vienna required rebuilding relationships with exhibitors, halls and visitors from the ground up, and the board credits Pinke with steering that transition smoothly while keeping the show’s international standing intact. Grimm Audio was among the exhibitors that used the newly relocated show to unveil new analog gear, a sign the venue change did little to dent HIGH END’s pull for serious manufacturers.
Key facts
- New Managing Director: Ali Ibrahim, effective 1 October 2026
- Outgoing: Manuel Pinke, stepping down for personal reasons
- Organisation: HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH, Wuppertal, Germany
- Shows managed: HIGH END, FINEST AUDIO SHOW, IPS, WORLD OF HEADPHONES
- Ibrahim’s tenure at HIGH END SOCIETY: since 2016, event management
