There’s a scene in an old movie called “Major League” when a broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians baseball team, played brilliantly by Bob Uecker, says, “In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven’t, the Indians have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.”
When it comes to the Summer NAMM show, you could say, “In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven’t, NAMM has put forth a very solid summer show the last couple of years since returning to Nashville.”
NAMM will be in Nashville for an earlier June 18 to 20 show this year. The event also took place in June 2008, but returned to a traditional July date last year. It’s fair not to expect a miraculous rise in attendance this year. The economy is still wheezing along, some manufacturers have shied away from exhibiting and other people don’t think two U.S. trade shows are necessary. There’s another contingent who love the Winter NAMM show for its parties, celebrity appearances, and the ability to trade cold and snowy locales for sunny skies with highs in the 70s.
Summer NAMM’s attendance ranks fourth in the industry, trailing (in no particular order) Musikmesse, Winter NAMM and Music China. The other three shows had more than double Summer NAMM’s attendance in 2009.
The show “must go on” however. NAMM has consistently pledged to host a Summer NAMM as long as its members want it. While there is plenty of skepticism by some, other members love the Summer NAMM show. The trade show does provide several benefits. One benefit is its central location in the United States. A huge percentage of people are within reasonable driving distance or a short flight from Nashville. Perhaps the best benefit is the ability for you to spend lots of face-to-face time with manufacturer reps. Summer NAMM lacks the hustle and bustle for the most part. If you make an appointment—and often even if you don’t—you can spend a lot of time to learn more about a company, the people behind it, and why you should sell their products in your store. “The music products industry is coming out of one of the worst periods in history and everyone has been impacted to some degree,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “It is likely that Summer NAMM will be impacted as well. But from talking to hundreds of members, I’m sensing that there is a growing stability that is making the industry feel a little more confident about the future. At this point, we’re expecting to have a good, well-attended show, especially for our independent dealers and the groups like AIMM and IMSO who are holding meetings during Summer NAMM. We feel the responsibility, especially for emerging NAMM member companies, to produce this event for those who need it. For us, providing Summer NAMM continues to be a member service decision, not a financial one.”
 Big Change
NAMM is making a huge change for this year’s show. The organization announced on April 9 that Sunday, June 20 would be called Wanna Play Music Sunday. NAMM will open its doors to member-invited music students, parents, music advocates and enthusiasts. These groups of people can check out the new gear and companies of course. In addition, Wanna Play Music Sunday will feature many workshops geared to the new audience. Workshop titles include “How to Get More Gigs,” “Effects 101,” “Techniques to Hook up Your Gear,” “Recording Tips and Tricks” and “How to Get Endorsed.”
Wanna Play Music Sunday will also feature drumming competitions, free guitar set-ups and restringing and a “Vintage Guitar Roadshow,” where used instruments will be appraised by professionals.
Prior to the show, NAMM has begun to encourage Wanna Play Music Sunday attendees to visit its member stores. To sweeten the pot, 50 percent off discount coupons containing promotional codes can be obtained from these new attendees when they order tickets online at namm.org/wan naplaysunday. If you’re a NAMM member and want to give out these coupons to your customers, you can visit www.namm.org.
According to NAMM, proceeds from Wanna Play Music Sunday ticket sales will support music education via the Wanna Play Fund.
More Education
NAMM University sessions are always a big Summer NAMM draw. Although Summer NAMM is one day shorter than its sister show, there are many options to learn information in a relaxed setting. “NAMM’s professional development department is hard at work on the Summer NAMM sessions, but I can tell you that we’ll have Joe Lamond’s State of the Industry address on Friday and cap things off with the popular Best in Show session on Sunday,” said Scott Robertson, NAMM’s director of marketing and communications. “Once again, the Idea Center sessions will primarily feature retailers sharing best practices with other retailers. Topics will include sales and marketing, lesson programs, finances, retail ideas and social media/e-commerce. And we’ll be doing specific tracks for the house of worship and recording/live sound attendees. Plus, we’ll again be working with SCORE to provide small business mentoring sessions for NAMM retailers. During these, members can meet with a SCORE counselor on any topic of their choosing from marketing to business planning and finance. For the latest show information, be sure to check namm.org and NAMM’s Playback Digital e-newsletter.”
Let’s not forget about Nashville itself. The city offers plenty of nightlife, restaurant options (especially if you love barbecue food) and, of course, music. Speaking of music, NAMM will look to kick off the show in a great way by again hosting the pre-show party at “The Hang.” The party will be open to NAMM badge holders and will take place on Thursday June 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. “You can expect free drinks, food and live music performed by some of the best and most fun bands made of music products industry professionals,” said Kevin Johnstone, NAMM’s director of trade shows. “And we’re planning a few surprises as well.”
If you prefer to eat and drink outside of the Nashville Convention Center, NAMM offers a full range of discounts for its members and a plethora of venues. For a list of these discounts, visit www.namm.org and look under the Summer NAMM section.
New Digs Soon
The Nashville City Council approved the construction of a new convention center, expected to be ready to host the 2013 Summer NAMM show. We asked Johnstone his view on this seemingly positive industry event. “The current facility is antiquated and, for a city of Nashville’s size and caliber, much too small,” he said. “The Music City Center, now under construction, offers many exciting possibilities and provides NAMM with the ability to do everything we want to do all under one roof, as well as the ability to grow the show as we look into the future.”
But does this mean NAMM has found its new home for the foreseeable future? “Yes,” Johnstone answered. “Our members have made it very clear that they really like having Summer NAMM in Nashville. They especially appreciate the affordability, convenient central location, cool music scene, warm Southern hospitality as well as its moniker ‘Music City USA.’”
Getting back to this year’s Summer NAMM, why should you attend? “In my opinion, while our members really enjoy all that Nashville has to offer at Summer NAMM, this is a working meeting where the slower pace of the show allows buyers and sellers the time to really sit down and build their relationships,” said Lamond. “Summer NAMM is where dealers make inventory choices to ensure their success during the important fall and holiday selling seasons. And it’s where dealers can learn new ideas that can increase their profits and reduce their costs substantially. During these unprecedented times, we need more communication, not less. Dealers and suppliers need to work together more, not less. And the place to have those crucial business conversations is at 2010 Summer NAMM.”
[ pages: 1 ]
|
you can download this entire issue here >>
