NAMM Unifies Industry at Record-Breaking Show

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, today announced final registration and exhibitor numbers for the 2008 NAMM Show. At show close, NAMM reported a 4 percent increase in overall registration from 2007 for a grand total of 88,128 registrants.

The association previously announced breaking the all-time record of exhibitors with 1,560 companies displaying products at this year’s NAMM Show. International attendance showed a 7 percent increase for a total of 10,605 registrants from more than 100 countries.

The event featured a jammed-packed schedule of events from celebrity appearances by Stevie Wonder, Slash, Robert Downey Jr., Bill Murray and Dave Navarro, to high-profile meetings between buyers and sellers of music products determining sales goals for the year ahead. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade from industry professionals at NAMM University Breakfast Sessions and focused sessions held every 30 minutes at the Idea Center.

“Despite the uncertain economic times the music products industry once again showed its resiliency as we came together to see new products, attend NAMM University courses, and network with friends and peers,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. “We believe this is a positive sign for the year ahead.”

“The dealers I saw here were the ones who decided they were going to find a way to make their businesses work,” said Pete Gamber of Alta Loma Music.

“Obviously you come with a perception, you know the big players in the market, the household names, and as you go to the various stands I think what’s hit me is the people that have ideas of their own,” said Esther Daly of Al’Bang’N’Strum’It, Navan, Ireland. “They have unique products that they’ve brought to the fair and you go and think that’s actually something you can use and you would never have seen. Just looking at a magazine or looking through a trade book you wouldn’t have gotten the concept to actually visualize it in it’s intensity—it’s everything and more.”

“I like to see how things are changing, what different stuff might be coming out,” David Dudley of Dave’s Drum Shop, Ottawa, Canada. “There seems to be a lot of these trends that are different here in the U.S. than Canada, and it’s interesting to see that stuff develop and see how long it might take to get up to Canada.”

“We had a great show,” said Dick Boak of Martin Guitars, Nazareth, Pa. “It was the third-best trade show in our history.”

“Overall the show’s been great,” said Lena Juncha of Shure Inc., Niles, Ill. “We had a lot of booth traffic and a lot of meetings with our dealers, which is always great.”

“This has been our best show in corporate history,” said David Jahnke of the Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis. “We always track our sales when we talk to customers and do projections, and the vibe this year was some of the most optimistic that I’ve ever seen.”

“The show was a big hit for us with lots of attendees, they liked our products and they liked our display,” said Dan Norton of Ernie Ball, San Luis Obispo, Calif. “For the visitors, this is probably the best forum in the country for people who are going to buy something in this coming year to see what is available.”