WHEN TALENTED PROFESSIONALS TALK, WE LISTEN.
FOUNDED IN 1976, MEISSL OPEN-AIR SOLUTIONS PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS AROUND THE WORLD, NO MATTER THE WEATHER. “CELEBRATING OUTSIDE, SINCE 1976.“
Meissl Open-Air Solutions
Hermine Meissl, CEO
This family business, located south of Salzburg, Austria, is well known for their qualitative, solution-oriented and professional approach, which, paired with their warmth of communication and sense of user-friendly design, makes their weather protection solutions the go-to in the giant umbrella market. At Meissl, they believe in finding solutions — constantly developing and challenging the status quo through the problems at hand, they focus their interdisciplinary approach in order to resolve unpredictable, external factors caused by sun, wind, rain, snow, and ice. Come rain, come shine — Meissl Open-Air Solutions.
How did you get started?
It all started in a small family garage in 1976, when Johann Meissl followed his vision to solve the weather, so that people can enjoy the outdoors despite unpredictable sun, rain, wind, or snow. The trained locksmith from the Alps began to develop, build, and sell flexible large umbrellas.
What do you offer?
Today, Meissl is an independent, international business offering large and giant umbrellas, wind walls, and umbrella bar solutions as well as functional outdoor furniture. We design individual open-air solutions, perfectly fitted for the location and requirements on site. Clients can transform a space from an open terrace to a fully protected space in minutes. Our solutions address the needs of hospitality, hotels, ski resorts, events and festivals, fun fairs, public spaces, shopping malls, and many more — ranging from deep winter spots to seaside locations, extremely high altitudes, wind- and weather-exposed spots, as well as a local urban terrace or restaurant.
How do you work with clients, partners, and others involved in your projects?
We develop and plan every solution individually to the site at hand. Our team of technical engineers and interdisciplinary experts cooperates with our international partners and sales representatives and most importantly, our clients — to resolve their needs.
The process starts with our North American partner, Open Air Design USA, and they work with the end client to determine the specific needs and initial concept for the location. From that initial idea and concept, Open Air Design and Meissl collaborate together to design, engineer, and manufacture the customized umbrella solution at our headquarters in the Alps of Austria. Our finished product is shipped directly to the client location in North America, where Open Air Design works with the client contractor to assemble the finished product.
We think about quality and long-term solutions. In all our relationships, be it within our own team, with our suppliers and partners, all our clients, or our international network — we aim to build connections, solutions, and relationships that last.
What do you enjoy most about your work and why?
At Meissl we enjoy challenging the status quo — the problems presented to us — in order to find a solution. In this process we bring together different perspectives from diverse technical disciplines and markets — what results out of these connections and challenges faced is what brings us joy every day.
What project are you most excited about right now?
At the moment we are very excited about the new four-umbrella terrace debuting this winter at Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado. While our giant umbrellas and umbrella bars can be found at many ski areas across the USA and Canada, this the first multi-unit custom terrace solution in North America, planned and designed to fit the unique challenges of the existing lodge.
What we stand for and what we’re really good at is a solution-oriented approach. It is very important to us that this solution is long term and qualitative. For us, these are essential aspects of sustainable value creation.
–SIMONE MEISSL
What are the biggest challenges in your field?
We are challenged by ever-changing climates, weather situations, and diverse extremes in the outdoors. To ensure the quality of our outdoor solutions in every location we constantly develop and improve our manufacturing methods, our materials, and our team.
What place in the world do you find the most inspirational and why?
If you haven’t noticed by now: We love it outside! We believe in being outdoors for the happiness and wellness of human nature. We think one benefits most from nature, the elements and fresh air.
What is core to how you work as a team?
What is truly essential to how we run our business is humor and lightheartedness. No matter how heavy and challenging the topics and problems we are faced with in today’s business world and environment are — it’s key to find lightness and ease and see the silver lining of every cloud regardless.
What are your family and team values?
Our core team values at Meissl are Fairness, Loyalty, Reliability, Positivity.
Last publication you read that you would highly recommend and why?
The Food Report 2025 by the future institute / Hanni Rützler. We operate a lot in the hospitality industry, thus it is important for us to be educated and aware of the trends, tendencies, and developments in the gastronomy and food sector. This report gives great insight and future-oriented views of what is going on in this field.
