Hargassner company anniversary and in-house exhibition: A complete success!
Weng (FIL/24 Sept 2024) More than 11,000 visitors discovered the heating technology of the future in just two days. Thousands celebrated the 40th anniversary on September 7 and 8 in Weng im Innkreis – preceded by an exclusive gala evening for 850 guests in the newly built service center. Exciting talks and great entertainment with talks with Austrian Ski Federation stars, spectacular demonstrations of agricultural equipment and a nature-based children's program took place in perfect weather.
“Sensational! We are incredibly thrilled at how many people have come to celebrate 40 years of Hargassner with us. A success story that began with our parents and in which many people have been actively involved since then,” said Markus and Anton Hargassner jun. in a joint statement.
Key topics for farmers and heating system renovators
Three stages provided 18 daily lectures on the exchange of boilers and biomass. In the in-house cinema of the Energy World, house builders and renovators were reached, while the farmers were interested in the agricultural and forestry focuses in the tent hall - right next to the large exhibition of agricultural and forestry equipment. Ten chippers with a total of 6500 hp shredded alone with an enormous spectacle during the tours. House builders discovered innovations such as the new Airflow-M air/water heat pump and thermal vacuum flat plate collectors from Hargassner subsidiary ThermoSolar.
“We are proud of our sustainable heating technology, because renewable energies and environmentally friendly heating systems are necessary for climate protection and the conservation of natural resources,” says managing director Anton Hargassner.
Highlights on 110,000 square meters of company premises
During a tour of the gigantic production halls, Hargassner employees explained the various stations of one of the most modern sheet metal processing plants in Europe in an exciting demonstration. A big highlight for classic car fans was a Schlüter tractor Super 2000 TVL. An entire fan club even traveled from Freising in Bavaria for this tractor.
On Sunday, Upper Austrian State Councillor Stefan Kaineder visited the in-house exhibition and, during his tour, discovered, among other things, external container heaters and large Magno industrial boilers. Such powerful systems are otherwise only seen in the boiler rooms of commercial enterprises or in local heating power plants for entire towns. The special thing about them: these industrial heaters are also 100% CO2-neutral.
Entertainment for young and old
The Sunday morning get-together with 35 musicians from the Weng traditional music band provided entertainment for everyone in attendance. Even senior partner Anton Hargassner personally took to the stage to conduct. This was followed by talks and autograph sessions with ÖSV ski jumping stars Philipp Aschenwald, Jaqueline Seifriedsberger, Daniel Tschofenig and Julia Mühlbacher.
The wooden wheel of fortune was already in high demand on Saturday, with more than 2,000 visitors spinning a total of 14.5 tons of pellets and almost 2,000 other prizes. In the “Take as much as you can carry” game, the strongest winner shouldered eight (!) 15-kilo bags of pellets. The company restaurant “Kesselstube” served 8,000 snacks. The excellent gastronomic offerings, from veggie burgers to chicken, pizza, homemade cakes and farm ice cream, delighted everyone in attendance. 100% of the proceeds went to the surrounding clubs and farm shops that had taken over the catering.
Exclusive gala evening with 850 invited guests
On Friday evening, the first guests already walked the red carpet to the exclusive gala evening. Installer partners from 31 countries, as well as many local and regional guests, experienced an entertaining evening with moderator Andreas Jäger, political celebrities and ÖSV stars such as Toni Innauer. A festively decorated hall for the gala buffet from Zeiler Gastronomie was not the only thing that awaited the guests; there was also a show act and many emotional moments, such as the presentation of the new company chronicle by Herbert Schwarz and Anton Hofer, who are responsible for sales and products.
Managing director Anton Hargassner opened the evening and emphasized that the company and its 40th anniversary are of great importance to each and every person in the room. His brother Markus continued: “The new service center is an important milestone for the company. It brings us even closer to our mission of being the best for our customers with the best Hargassner technology, the best employees and the best plumbers and heating engineers.”
Together, the Hargassner brothers thanked everyone who has contributed to the company's success, especially the customers and partners who have placed their trust in the company, as well as the employees, both long-standing and new.
From federal minister to ÖSV sports director
The list of political guests of honor was long. On stage were the President of the Upper Austrian State Parliament Max Hiegelsberger, State Councilor for Housing Dr. Manfred Haimbuchner, the Mayor of Weng Gerhard Wiesner, President of the Economic Chamber Mag. Doris Hummer, ÖVP Club Leader and National Councilor August Wöginger, and Federal Minister of Labor and Economic Affairs Dr. Martin Kocher. The audience also included the members of the state parliament David Schiessl and Klaus Mühlbacher, as well as the Braunau district governor Gerald Kronberger.
In addition to many ÖSV ski jumping stars, the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL), Einars Fogelis, and FIL Executive Director Christoph Schweiger were also present at the gala evening. Fogelis took part in a panel discussion with Ski Jumping Olympic Champion Toni Innauer and ÖSV sports director Mario Stecher. Together, the two FIL officials presented an individual luge artwork created by Austrian artist Josefine Frauenschuh to Hargassner as an anniversary gift.
Photos: hargassner.com
