NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia Return for Seventh Year

September 20, 2018

NAMM Musikmesse Russia (September 13 – 16), the international fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and music business connections, and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia (September 13 – 15), the international trade fair of technologies and services for entertainment, integrated systems and creation, successfully concluded last week, welcoming nearly 13,000 music industry professionals and music lovers to the Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre.

For the seventh time, domestic and international manufacturers and distributors presented globally-renowned musical brands in several pavilions:

- Pavilion 17: drums and percussion

- Pavilion 7: the Yamaha Musical Centre. Yamaha served as a strategic partner of the fair.

- Pavilion 7a: the main exposition for musical instruments and accessories

- Pavilion 4.2: Program zone, conference halls

- Pavilion 4.1: Registration area, the general exhibition of Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia

- Pavilion 4: Professional lighting and sound equipment, stage constructions, and rigging

- Pavilion 3: Live sound demonstrations

The exhibitor list included brands like Yamaha Music, Bose, Proaudio.ru, 64 Audio, Pedal Zoo, Dynatone, D'Addario, Lutner, Asia Music, Gitarland.ru, LTM Music, Neva Sound, Mbox, the Russian Trade Company, INSPECTOR GUITARS, Blastbeat DrumShop, and many others that debuted their musical instruments, equipment, and accessories.

At Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia, over 109 companies from 12 countries participated, including Asia Music, Clay Paky, Martin, OKNO AUDIO, Show Atelier, Imlight, Next Hi-Fi, Laserworld, Epson, Shure, Panasonic, and others.

This year, NAMM Musikmesse Russia was included in the consolidated action plan of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade for 2018. The official support allowed the Moscow show to present an expanded exposition of domestic manufacturers of musical instruments and to organize an educational program for trade visitors working in small and medium-sized businesses.

NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia presented an exciting program of education and events targeting both trade and public visitors. Highlights included:

The Music Education Symposium with the participation of the International Society for Music Education (ISME): On 13 September, music teachers discussed contemporary issues surrounding music education. The Symposium was headed by the ISME President, Professor Lee Higgins.

Musical laboratory, MUZZLAB: From 13 to 16 September notable industry experts, successful bloggers and famous artists shared their experience and trade secrets on how to become a successful musician in today‘s world with the visitors.

D’Addario Guitar Festival: The festival event became one of the brightest events of the musical fair. On September 16, the best Russian guitarists (including favorite domestic music bloggers and musicians) competed in guitar battles on an outdoor stage. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal – the world-renown guitar player and ex-guitarist of Guns ‘N' Roses – was a special guest of the festival.

“Drummers United 2018”: The drum fest hosted a contest where finalists of the online competition competed on the outdoor stage in three categories on September 15. Favorite drummers became members of the jury. The sponsors of the contest were 64 Audio, MuzTorg, and Slami Music Company, with DrumFan serving as the sponsor of the People`s Choice Award. The competition was co-organized by Blastbeat DrumShop.

Rock`n`Mob: A flash mob of 250 musicians including singers, guitarists, drummers, keyboard players simultaneously performed covers of world rock hits in front of pavilion 4.1.

Microphone settings and drums workshop: On September 15th, drummers and sound engineers were welcomed in the Black Box Theatre where they were able to compare the microphones of Shure, Audix, Telefunken brands and visit master-classes of the well-known domestic sound engineers and musicians.

Work of a sound engineer with an orchestral group workshop: This workshop was held concurrently with the Black Box Theatre on September 15th. The workshop demonstrated how to structure instrumental recording.

A3E (Advanced Audio + Application Exchange) Summit: A special program dedicated to the future of modern audio applications and new music technologies.

NAMM University: Master-classes and seminars focused on business development and industry trends, as presented by NAMM.

A variety of forums to serve industry professionals were also held:

V Theatre Forum focused on theatre technologies, projection, and installations for theatres.

Technical tours for sound engineers, lighting designers, event agencies and theatres.

Prolight + Sound NAMM Forum: A three-day intensive programme affecting the entire spectrum of issues in the industry of professional light, sound, stage, and media technologies.

B2B meetings with the Chinese manufacturers and domestic dealers and distributors.

MF-Group, Stagemarket, First Line production, Prolyte Group, and Live Sound Agency became the technical partners of the exhibitions.

The NAMM Musikmesse Russia 2018 was supported in the information space by VK music as the general social media partner; Maximum radio station, the general radio partner; and online guide KudaGo.com, the general promotion partner.

About NAMM

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $17 billion music products industry. NAMM is comprised of approximately 10,300 members located in 104 countries and regions. NAMM events and members fund The NAMM Foundation's efforts to promote the pleasures and benefits of music, and advance active participation in music making across the lifespan. For more information about NAMM, please visit www.namm.org, call 800.767.NAMM (6266) or follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.