NAMM University Schedule Announced for the 2011 NAMM Show

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) today announced its NAMM University educational session schedule for the upcoming 2011 NAMM Show, which takes place Jan. 13-16, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Kicking the show off Thursday morning will be a NAMM Show favorite, “Breakfast of Champions,” featuring NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond as he welcomes the industry and a group of industry “champions” for a series of up-close and personal discussions about the current state and future of the profession.

The Idea Center sessions start on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. following the opening Breakfast Session. Held every 30 minutes on the trade show floor, these professional development seminars are designed to offer valuable insight about current business trends and practices to attendees throughout the duration of the NAMM Show. Thursday’s sessions will include “Right & Wrong Retail,” an interactive session delving into the right and wrong ways of offering customer service, presented by Billy Cuthrell, owner of Progressive Music. Also on Thursday, attendees can participate in a four-part “Guerilla Tactics” series outlining how independent retailers can hone in on public relations and marketing tactics in their local communities to drive customers into their stores.

Friday’s sessions will include a “Lessons Learned” series, starting with a Breakfast Session presentation “Lessons Learned: How Doing Business Now Has Changed for the Better,” by Danny Rocks, of The Company Rocks and a panel of industry retailers. The series continues in the Idea Center on Friday afternoon with “Lessons Learned: Best Practices for Success-Minded Retailers,” presented by George Hines of George's Music and retailers from the Alliance of Independent Music Merchants (AIMM). Sessions that day also include: “My Experience with SCORE: A Real-Life Success Story,” presented by Kevin Cranley, president of Willis Music, and “How SCORE Can Work for You!” presented by Mark Dobosz, executive director of the SCORE Foundation, Bill DiGrezio, lead SCORE counselor, and Kevin Cranley.

Saturday’s NAMM U sessions include “Reaching Out with the Right Technology,” presented by Danny Rocks of The Company Rocks with panelists Scott Robertson, director of marketing and communications at NAMM, and Greg Grunberg of Yowza who is also an actor and a drummer in the Band from TV; “How to Socialize in the World of Social Media,” presented by Jen Lowe of BoomBoom Percussion; and “Your Customers Prefer High-Touch NOT Hi-Tech,” presented by Kenny Smith, Music Inc. magazine columnist.

Sunday, Downbeat/Music Inc. Publisher Frank Alkyer is back with a panel of seven experts to rate the “Best in Show” products that retailers must see at this year’s NAMM Show and stock in their stores. NAMM U sessions continue on Sunday and will include a special double session on “Songwriting Boosts Your Business? Believe It!” moderated by Jen Lowe of BoomBoom Percussion and guests; and “Create a High-Impact Home Page” presented by Kate Blom, associate director of marketing and communications at NAMM.

Overall, NAMM University will present more than 50 sessions in the Idea Center on topics ranging from sales techniques and strategies to using social media and public relations as customer engagement tools.  For a complete listing of the NAMM University sessions, please visit http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2011/namm-u-grid.

Also, NAMM will bring even more learning opportunities through the Hands-On Training or H.O.T. Zone on Level 2 of the Convention Center.  The H.O.T. Zone is designed to create custom solutions targeted especially to professionals in the recording, live sound, House of Worship, and stage and lighting industries. Industry partners, publishers, organizations and associations will offer a series of FREE special training seminars, face-to-face meetings, networking opportunities, and one-on-one mentoring to strengthen the knowledge base of industry colleagues. For more information on the H.O.T. Zone, visit http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2011/hot-zone.

About NAMM
The National Association of Music Merchants is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).