The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, the global crossroads of music products, pro audio and sound, and live event technology industries, returns to the expanded Anaheim Convention Center in 2020 and will offer visitors a dynamic way to cover all aspects of music: from products, to pro sound and live production. This will be a consolidation of the reinforced show that positively surprised the industry in 2018, and will offer an overview of new products from 7,000+ brands, combined with special live music events, celebrity appearances, dozens of educational sessions tied to today's trends, and the world's largest gathering of top music and audio technology innovators, artists and professionals.
Expanding on the concept introduced in the past two years with the campus expansion and the opening of the new AAC North halls, the NAMM Show is now creating new categories for better identification of activities and exhibits during the event. Labeled as Music, Sound and Live, visitors will be able to follow their interests as they visited the different halls, conferences, and outside event areas.
In the Music areas, visitors will be able to discover a wide variety of the latest instruments, accessories and solutions from leading global brands. In the Sound areas, visitors will be able to meet the industry’s leading audio experts, and experience new product trends in studio, recording, and pro audio technologies. Finally, the Live label identifies where visitors can find entertainment technology at The NAMM Show.
Since 2018, the NAMM show gained the full scope of an AES West Coast convention with the exhibits in the new AAC North Level 1 hall, plus the AES@NAMM sessions at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel, while the new Level 2 hall looks effectively like a condensed version of a Prolight+Sound show (the sound part of it...). All this, while the traditional Hall A gains a new life with more space for exhibitors in the home recording and stage product segments. The traditional halls at the NAMM show also benefit largely from wider walkways, and more dispersed noise clusters.
The Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards also take place during The NAMM Show on Saturday, January 18, 2020.
And once again, taking place concurrent with The NAMM Show 2020, the AES Academy will provide a series of hands-on training sessions and technical presentations from expert presenters.
The Loudspeaker Systems Showcase
Top sound manufacturers will return to present a showcase of line array and loudspeaker technologies at the second annual Loudspeaker System Showcase. Held Thursday – Saturday, and under the guidance of the team from Live Sound International magazine, the systems showcase will take place inside the Anaheim Convention Center arena, giving participants the opportunity to demonstrate both their flown and portable systems in a real-world setting to a mix of industry professionals.
In total, fourteen participating companies will have the opportunity to showcase both their flown and portable systems as part of the Showcase. Participating companies include Alcons Audio, BASSBOSS, Crest Audio, dbTechnologies, Electro-Voice, FBT, Martin Audio, Proel, RCF, Sound Barrier, TW Audio, Verity Audio, and VOID Acoustics. The Loudspeaker System Showcase will run two compact system showcases and one portable system showcase per day. NAMM Show attendees can also engage with the companies in their respected spaces in the Showcase to trial portable systems.
Retail Focus
At The 2020 NAMM Show, NAMM retail members seeking the latest in future-focused retail and financial strategies are invited to attend one of two daylong, interactive Summits that will explore exciting ways to amplify their retail success: The Retail Innovation Summit or the Retail Financial Summit. Held at the Anaheim Hilton on Wednesday, January 15 before the show opens, both Summits run concurrently and are free to NAMM members with advance registration.
At the Retail Innovation Summit, best-selling author, sales and marketing expert Marcus Sheridan – previous host of two standing-room-only NAMM U Breakfast Sessions – will walk attendees through the changing behavior of consumers, and strategies to deliver in business. At this Summit, attendees will discover how the shift in buying will influence sales and marketing in the retail music business going forward and what types of content and messaging do and don’t move the revenue needle.
New for 2020, the Retail Financial Summit will provide the critical financial training all music retailers need to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, while looking at new trends and developments that are certain to impact their business. Presented by industry financial gurus Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co., the pair will address new financial trends, regulatory updates and highlight recent changes in sales tax and labor laws that are impacting the industry.
Registration for both Summits is currently open to NAMM members registered for The 2020 NAMM Show. To register for the Retail Innovation Summit with Marcus Sheridan, click here. To register for the Retail Financial Summit with Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co., click here.
ESTA Events at The 2020 NAMM Show
ESTA Member attendees at The 2020 NAMM Show will have the opportunity to vote on their choice for their favorite product of the year at the Entertainment Technology Showcase. All products have been introduced to the market after the January 1, 2019 and deliverable by January 16, 2020. Ballots will be online and open from Thursday morning, January 16, until 4 pm Saturday afternoon, January 18. Attendees will receive an email with a link to the ballots. Winners of the 2020 ESTA Members Choice Awards will be announced on Saturday, January 18 at 6 pm on the Event Technology Lounge in Hall A.
These awards, voted on by all ESTA Members attending The NAMM Show, recognize outstanding new entertainment technology products. Awards are bestowed in Expendable, Gadget and Equipment categories.
The new Entertainment Technology Showcase will feature cutting-edge products and side-by-side demos of the latest innovations and brands in the event production world. With a dedicated lighting zone complete with dimmed overhead lights, allowing participants to discover all they need to produce an exemplary tour from rigging to video consoles.The Designer Studio is the lighting designer’s home on The NAMM Show Campus, featuring support by ESTA and other key players in the lighting field. A space to meet up and interact with the global lighting community, and attend one of five tracks of ESTA-curated training.
The NAMM Show 2020
January 16-19
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, CA
www.namm.org/thenammshow/2020/attend/
