Since its foundation in 1998, Axess AG has established itself as a provider of ticketing and access systems. With a broad product portfolio, the company serves various industries, including ski resorts, leisure parks, stadiums, exhibition centers and tourist destinations. In the 2023 financial year, Axess increased its turnover for the 11th time in a row with an annual turnover of 86.9 million, making it the global market leader in the company's core area for the first time according to market estimates: ticketing and access solutions for mountain railroads and ski resorts. In addition to growth in this area, the company also achieved strong growth in the stadiums, leisure and attractions and trade fair and congress solutions segments.

Many customers are enthusiastic about the innovations and new technologies, and the demand to switch to an Axess system is steadily increasing. The innovations and new technologies in 2023 include the use of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) as a replacement for traditional RFID tickets, which already offers skiers on many continents the opportunity to buy tickets directly from the online store and enjoy a day's skiing without having to stop at ticket offices or ticket machines. In the stadium and leisure sector, there is also a clear trend towards modern and contemporary ticket technologies such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or the use of biometric identification systems.

Axess offers a variety of solutions, such as modern readers (certified by Apple & Google), as well as new opportunities through technology partnerships with innovative companies such as Amazon. Since 2023, for example, access to the fitness studios at Chrunch Studios in the US has been via Axess gates with integrated Amazon One palm readers. At Amazon's Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, thanks to Axess, since last fall you can decide for yourself whether to enter the arena with a classic barcode or NFC ticket, or use your palm as a convenient identifier. "The US market is the main driver of innovation here, but large stadiums such as the Rhein Energie Stadium (1. FC Köln) in Germany are already using NFC wallets on smartphones to allow fans to enter the stadium in a controlled manner," says Oliver Suter, CSO/CEO of Axess AG.

Further growth has also been achieved in new markets, such as the UK, with orders such as the Principality Stadium (WALES rugby national stadium) in Cardiff, soccer stadiums such as the Memorial Stadium in Bristol and the soon-to-open Co-op Live concert arena in Manchester. In Australia, too, the convenience of Axess systems is appreciated in ski resorts, leisure parks and breathtaking new customers such as Win Stadium or McDonald Jones Stadium, which are part of a large stadium association (Venues New South Wales). Existing markets such as the USA also leave nothing to be desired here. Away from major stadium projects such as Lincoln Financial Field, home ground of the NFL team Philadelphia Eagles, the past year was also a great success in the ski and leisure segment.

What was made possible in the stadium with NFC and biometrics was realized in the ski segment with technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy. "In addition to classic RFID media, Axess has been offering field-tested Bluetooth Low Energy access points that are ready for series production since last year. In combination with the Axess SkiWallet app, this technology makes it possible to save your ski ticket on your cell phone and then use it like a normal ticket. The cell phone does not have to be taken out of the jacket, the gate recognizes the ticket on the cell phone automatically and at the same speed as a normal ticket," explains Daniel Wakounig, CTO/Executive Board member responsible for the technological strategy. There is great interest in this technology. The Patscherkofelbahn and the Axamer Lizum (Tyrol) already have the BLE system in full operation. In France, after the world's largest ski fair in Grenoble (Mountain Planet), further interest is likely to come from various countries.

Axess has already taken on a leading role worldwide with its innovative technologies. For example, the renowned American ski resort of Aspen has also been relying on the systems and technology from Anif since this year. With the largest ski hall in the world, the Shanghai Ski Hall, and the modernization of the Dubai Ski Hall, two further projects with a strong image have been equipped. Growth is also steadily increasing in the leisure segment. From June, the new o2Surftown surf park in Munich will offer its guests a comfortable entry and stay with the Axess systems. Axess scores here with experience from established projects in Australia, such as the Urban Surf parks. Further expertise in these areas has been gained through countless international theme park projects. Axess gates can be found in various entertainment parks almost all over the Arabian Peninsula.

These are just a few examples of Axess' success story. Around 500 employees will continue to work passionately in the coming year to further extend the existing lead. An average of four new customers per week are already being taken on board. Last year alone, 35.4 million RFID tickets were produced at the Axess plant in Innsbruck and more than 3,000 new access points were installed worldwide. The systems are currently used for 17 million web transactions in the ski area every year. 

"The healthy and profound growth of Axess AG therefore allows for an extremely positive forecast for the future.Growth seems to be in the company's genes and will not stop in the coming year either," says Christian Windhager, CEO/Managing Director of the company.