The last morning of the 2013 NAMM Show kicked off with Best in Show. Six retail gear experts shopped the show to find their favorite products and presented the top picks during the popular Breakfast Session. The second category, Gotta Stock It, featured products that retailers want to stock right now—if they haven’t already.

The last morning of the 2013 NAMM Show kicked off with Best in Show. Six retail gear experts shopped the show to find their favorite products and presented the top picks during the popular Breakfast Session. The first category, Best Accessories And Add-ons, featured great products from the small goods arena. 

Leaders never stop learning, and the NAMM Show 2013 Breakfast of Champions focused on industry leaders who are committed to continued growth and success. NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond sat down with these champions for up-close-and-personal discussions about the importance of leadership, how to lead through the best and the worst of times, and how to stay focused on the future.

Surprise guest Randy Jackson joined Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO, who presented Jackson with the industry's highest honor, the Music for Life Award. Jackson is a record producer, recording industry executive, bass player, TV star and judge for “American Idol.” He received the Music for Life Award for his efforts to promote music and music education.

Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO, welcomes two very different retailers who have a lot in common—both are second-generation owners, both have fathers named Roger, both are the same age. Still, each leads through unique business models. Ben Kraft, owner of Kraft Music, heads up one of the leading independent music retail dot-coms. He began selling and marketing instruments online in 1994.

Chuck Surack, president and founder of Sweetwater Sound, has raised the bar of customer service and marketing in music products retail. During the economic downturn, he famously told his employees that he refused to participate in the recession, and he hasn’t had a down year yet. Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO, invites Chuck to discuss how he built Sweetwater into the largest independent retailer in the industry.

Larry Thomas has run two of the largest companies in the music products industry, yet he’s managed to stay relatively under the radar. He’s the former head of Guitar Center, where he helped build the company into the national retail chain it is today. Now, he’s the CEO of Fender Musical Instruments.

Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO, welcomes Takura "Tak" Nakata, president of Yamaha Corporation of America, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2013. Joe explores with Tak what makes him a leader, as well as how Yamaha exhibits strong leadership in product quality, service and partnering with its dealers and customers.

Social media. Smartphones. Tablets. Internet access everywhere, all the time. There's a point when technology shifts from being a trend to becoming a disruption in daily business. Yet another point comes when consumer behavior starts to shift, and we're presented with an important decision: Either we embrace this change or we don't. Digital marketing guru Brian Solis explains how. Watch the video.

Business growth requires different actions as the market changes. Small-business guru Barry Moltz identifies ways that businesses get stuck, causing their growth to stagnate. By making changes to these ineffective patterns, your business can start to flourish again. Watch Moltz's session, and learn how to boost revenue and avoid the traps that keep businesses struggling for years. Watch the video.