BUSINESS MATTERS
Maximize Your Time at The NAMM Show
Cosmo Music ’ s Jerry Hunt shares his top tips based on 25 years of NAMM Show experience
By Michael Raine
The 2018 NAMM Show is fast approaching , ready to host the world ’ s MI , audio , and live production industries at the recently-expanded Anaheim Convention Center and surrounding hotels from Jan . 25-28 . It ’ s always been a massive event , and this year , it ’ ll be even bigger . ( Check out our show preview on pg . 24 for the details .)
As exciting and rewarding as it can be , the mega-show can also be a bit overwhelming and exhausting . To get the most out of it , attendees need to be prepared with a solid a plan of attack . To help out with this , we sought out a well-respected NAMM Show veteran to share his tips on how MI stores can get the most out of their time in California .
Jerry Hunt is the purchasing manager for Richmond Hill , ON ’ s MI megastore Cosmo Music . He estimates he has been to around 25 NAMM Shows , so he has learned a thing or two about how to be productive and comfortable during his four hectic days on the sprawling show floor . Each year , he leads the Cosmo delegation of 10 to 16 department managers and other staff to the show . Based on his experience and Cosmo Music ’ s best practices , here are his top tips .
Before the Show
Know your schedule before you book flights and hotels : “ Before you even book your seats on the airplane or book hotels , I would recommend you check out any pre- and post-show events that may pertain to your store . NAMM always puts on a number of things pre and post , and then some vendors or manufacturers , such as Taylor or Fender , will also have special events for exclusive customers who have custom shop store outlets or dealers that specialize in Taylor guitars , for example . They ’ ll have these pre-show events that are only open to those dealers by invite to show guitars that they don ’ t even show at The NAMM Show . Of course , you have first shot at purchasing these , so this is a great buying opportunity if you plan ahead . If you book your tickets and you don ’ t know the dates , then you ’ re out .”
Arrange factory visits : “ There are a number of factories and manufacturers who are around the Anaheim / L . A . area . Again , if you schedule ahead of time and plan ahead , you can visit them on your route either pre- or post-NAMM . Again , you ’ ve already paid for tickets , so you may as well maximize your time . Most of these guys are more than willing to show you around .”
Everyone should know their mission : “ We meet with our team that we ’ re taking before we head out . We set goals , objectives , areas to visit , brands to capture , categories , etc . That way , we ’ re not all just running off to one booth and wasting time . We ’ ll all have an agenda and everybody sort of scatters and has a goal in mind .”
Contact suppliers ahead of time : “ Before you go out , reach out to suppliers you want to connect with and the person responsible for your territory . This is important if there are no distributors in Canada and you ’ re dealing with outside companies , either in the U . S . or Germany or wherever . Email them first and get their contact information and who you ’ d want to meet with and set an appointment because that is hard to do once you ’ re there .”
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CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE