Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2020 | Page 24

A New Decade of
INNOVATION & BUSINESS
The 2020 NAMM Show in Review
It
BY MICHAEL RAINE
seems that no matter how
many times one makes the
trek down to Anaheim for the
annual NAMM Show, it never
ceases to be at least a little over-
whelming. It’s a fool’s errand
to try to experience it all. There are simply too
many companies launching too many products,
too many experts sharing too much advice, too
many parties serving up too many connections
(and laughs and drinks!), and too many concerts
showcasing too much talent. As such, you need
a plan going in to achieve your objectives, and
then keep your eyes and ears open to whatever
cool, fun, and interesting people and things
you’ll encounter along the way.
To put it in some context, though it’s a bit
hard to envision unless you were there, The 2020
NAMM Show hosted over 2,000 exhibiting
companies representing roughly 7,000 brands
that span every conceivable niche within MI and
audio, plus a growing presence in the lighting, video, and staging
realm. And though the show uses every inch of the massive Ana-
heim Convention Center and its neighbouring hotels, with 115,888
registered attendees roaming about, you can’t escape the crowds. Of
course, that’s a bit of a mixed blessing as the liveliness of the NAMM
Show is part of what makes it exciting, but it also makes it very hard
to grab a quick lunch between appointments and, if you’re in a hurry,
you better be deft at dodging people in your path.
In its post-show report, NAMM said that “international mem-
bers accounted for nearly 20 per cent growth over two years, with
realigned member badge allocations to ensure an enhanced profes-
sional attendance resulted in a more focused business experience
with a slight increase in attendees.” NAMM, of course, tries to limit
attendance to business-oriented members. Mostly this means dealers,
buyers, and distributors, plus some specially-invited college music
students and faculty from The NAMM Foundation’s GenNext pro-
gram. But, as we’ll hear, there was the perception among many Cana-
dian exhibitors and dealers that more end-users are finding their way
onto the show floor and they have some mixed feeling about that.
“I would love to see NAMM be an entire week long. I think that is
the only way that you can possibly make all of the connections and
see the people you don’t get to see… Throughout the week, you need
time to make your appointments with the reps that you already have
and discuss the future of the business with that vendor and where
the product is going, and then you need to have some time to walk
and explore and go, ‘Hey, can I have a meeting with you?’” says Ryan
Sergerie, the assistant manager at Sight & Sound in Terrace, BC. “I
mean, the [NWC NAMM Canadian Reception] is a big night for me
because I deal with distributors and their correspondents all over the
country and I never get to meet them. Then, all of a sudden, I am in
a room with all these people who I have either never met but have
talked with on the phone, or have met dozens of times.”
24 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE