Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH

What Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH does

Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH operates steirischer herbst, the oldest interdisciplinary festival for contemporary art in Europe, held annually in Graz and Styria, Austria since its founding in 1968. The organization is a private limited liability company (GmbH) jointly owned by Land Steiermark (State of Styria) and Stadt Graz (City of Graz), with Ekaterina Degot serving as Director and Chief Curator since 2018 (contract extended through 2027). The 59th edition runs 24 September to 18 October 2026 under the theme 'Red Flags.' The company produces a unified festival experience integrating the main festival with sub-programs: ORF musikprotokoll (contemporary music), Out of Joint (literature), herbstvermittlung (education and outreach), herbstleaks (editorial publishing platform), the Ö1 Festival Podcast with ORF, and an extensive Vimeo-hosted video archive.

The underlying technology stack is a standard web infrastructure with no proprietary platform: ticketing is handled by Entrello Ticket & Service GmbH, payments by Stripe and Nexi (both PCI DSS compliant), analytics by the open-source Matomo platform, email marketing by MailChimp, and video by Vimeo. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) ticket sales (individual events and non-transferable festival passes) via box office and online webshop; (2) merchandise and publications (catalogues, readers, apparel, posters) priced €5–€250 shipped to Austria, Europe, and international destinations; and (3) public funding and sponsorship from Land Steiermark, Stadt Graz, and corporate partners including Holding Graz, Zotter, Brauunion, and media partner Kleine Zeitung.

The company serves contemporary art enthusiasts (primary audience, including local Styrian residents and international visitors), media and press (with dedicated [email protected] accreditation channel), and educational institutions through school partnership programs with OeAD. Marketing is multi-channel, combining the steirischerherbst.at website, MailChimp newsletters, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram organic social, Vimeo video archive, herbstleaks editorial content, press relations, and the Ö1 podcast collaboration. The 17-person team spans curation, production, communications, education/outreach, archive, finance, and administration functions.

Name

Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH

Legal name

steirischer herbst festival gmbh

Website

https://steirischerherbst.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH operates steirischer herbst, Europe's oldest interdisciplinary contemporary art festival, held annually in Graz and Styria, Austria since 1968. The government-owned (Land Steiermark and Stadt Graz) cultural institution produces exhibitions, performances, and sub-programs for art enthusiasts, media, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Festival and Cultural Events

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art festival
• Interdisciplinary arts programming
• Festival ticketing services
• Cultural event management
• Art publication and merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Festival passes and individual event tickets sold through own box office, visitor center, and online via Entrello ticket webshop. Ticket purchases are excluded from revocation rights per Austrian distance selling regulations.
2. Merchandise and Publications: Sale of festival catalogues, readers, posters, clothing, bags, and other branded merchandise through online shop. Prices range from 5 to 100 euros per item. Shipping available to Austria, Europe, USA, and international.
3. Public Funding and Sponsorship: Core funding from public shareholders Land Steiermark and Stadt Graz, supplemented by corporate sponsors, gastronomy partners, and media partners. Sponsorship contact listed as Lisa Reinisch.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH organises and operates steirischer herbst, an annual interdisciplinary contemporary art festival held each autumn in Graz and across Styria, Austria. The core offering combines a curated programme of visual art, music, theater, performance, literature, and new media presented across multiple city venues, supported by education and outreach programmes, festival publications, branded merchandise, and a corporate sponsorship programme.

Product overview

Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH operates steirischer herbst, the oldest interdisciplinary festival for contemporary art in Europe, held annually in Graz and Styria, Austria since 1968. The organization produces a unified festival experience combining the main festival with several integrated sub-programs: ORF musikprotokoll (music), Out of Joint (literature), herbstvermittlung (education/outreach), herbstleaks (publishing), and the Ö1 Festival Podcast. The product portfolio also includes a Video Archive of past performances and events, Festival Publications (catalogues and readers documenting each edition), Festival Passes (admission tickets), Festival Merchandise (apparel and accessories), and a Partner Program connecting corporate sponsors with the festival. The organization operates an e-commerce shop for tickets, publications, and merchandise sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ORF musikprotokoll: Music protocol - a sub-festival component accompanying steirischer herbst
• Out of Joint
• herbstleaks
• herbstvermittlung

Quantifiable outcome

• Festival runs annually for approximately 3-4 weeks with activations across multiple city venues

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Holding GrazminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal holding company of Graz providing sponsorship support. Additional information available via partner page.
• OeAD (Austrian Exchange Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on cultural education programmes with schools (Kulturvermittlung mit Schulen). Supports educational outreach objectives.
• Kleine ZeitungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading Styrian daily newspaper as media partner providing editorial coverage and promotional reach.
• Ö1 ORFcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAustrian public broadcaster's cultural radio station collaborating on Ö1 Festival Podcast and ongoing media coverage.
• Entrello Ticket & Service GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicket sales infrastructure provider for online ticket purchases and accreditation processing. Located at Spengergasse 37, 1050 Vienna.
• Stripe Payments Europe LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing provider for online credit card and bank transfer transactions. PCI DSS compliant processing. Located in Dublin, Ireland.
• MailChimp (Rocket Science Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter distribution service for email marketing to subscribers. US-based parent company.
• Zotter SchokoladenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAustrian fair-trade chocolate manufacturer as gastronomy sponsor providing products for festival events.
• BrauunionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrewery as gastronomy sponsor providing beverages for festival events and hospitality.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Manifesta: European nomadic contemporary art biennial founded in 1996. Comparable as a publicly-supported European contemporary arts platform with rotating locations, research-driven curatorial model, and citywide activation approach.
• Holland Festival: Amsterdam-based annual interdisciplinary performing arts festival founded 1947 combining theater, music, dance, and visual art. Comparable as an annual European interdisciplinary arts festival with public funding and international programming.
• documenta: The other leading German-speaking interdisciplinary contemporary art exhibition, held every five years in Kassel. Directly comparable as a major European contemporary art platform with public funding, director-led curatorial vision, and city-wide venue activation.
• Edinburgh International Festival: Major annual summer performing arts festival founded 1947 in Edinburgh. Comparable as a publicly-supported annual interdisciplinary arts festival combining music, theater, dance, and opera with international programming and significant tourism impact.
• Ars Electronica: Austrian festival for art, technology, and society based in Linz, founded 1979. Closest geographic and thematic peer as a sister Austrian contemporary arts festival with public funding, interdisciplinary programming, and similar international reach ambitions.
• Festival d'Automne à Paris: Major Parisian interdisciplinary arts festival founded 1972 combining theater, dance, music, visual arts, and film. Highly comparable as an interdisciplinary autumn arts festival with international scope, public funding, and curatorial commissioning model.
• Berlin Biennale für zeitgenössische Kunst: Biennial contemporary art exhibition held in Berlin. Directly comparable as a publicly-funded German-speaking contemporary art platform with director-driven curatorial model and citywide venue activation.
• Wienwoche: Vienna-based interdisciplinary contemporary arts festival with sociopolitical focus. Closely comparable as an Austrian publicly-funded contemporary arts festival with similar thematic emphasis on cultural-political critique.

Broad incumbents

• Venice Biennale: The largest and most established international contemporary art exhibition, held biennially in Venice since 1895. Comparable as the global benchmark for publicly-funded contemporary art festivals with director-led national pavilion programming.

Regional players

• Salzburger Festspiele: Austria's most prestigious performing arts festival, focused on classical music, opera, and drama in Salzburg. Comparable as a major Austrian publicly-funded summer arts festival, though more classical/performing-arts focused than steirischer herbst's contemporary art emphasis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/steirischerherbst
• Instagraminstagram.com/steirischerherbst
• Xtwitter.com/steirischerherbst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steirischer-herbst-festival-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Steirischer Herbst Festival GmbH