Day Three of 2010 Summer NAMM
Day Three: Music Products Professionals Leave Summer NAMM with Orders and Ideas; Enthusiasts Enjoy Wanna Play Music Sunday
NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, hosted its third and final day of 2010 Summer NAMM with business meetings, product demonstrations, NAMM U sessions and a special welcome to music students, parents, advocates and enthusiasts at Wanna Play Music Sunday.
The day’s events opened with a lively gospel performance by the Born Again Senior Minstrels, followed by NAMM President/CEO, who took the stage to welcome TV commentator and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to talk about the Wanna Play Fund and music education.
“I think it’s very important that every student in America have access to a music and art education because it’s a part of who we are as a human race, and it enhances their overall educational experience—both academically, as well as aesthetically and personally,” Huckabee, a musician himself, said of his commitment to school music. “The only thing I want to do is spend more time at the trade show. The ultimate musician experience is to come to the NAMM trade show and see the products—the new ones, the old ones, the people that you know, the brands you’ve played and also the ones you’ve never heard of that you find. There’s some great stuff and a lot of innovation going on.”
The NAMM U Breakfast Session, “Best in Show” was then presented by moderator Frank Alkyer, publisher of Music Inc. magazine, and panelists Zach Phillips of Music Inc. magazine, Mike Guillot of Mississippi Music, George Hines of George’s Music, Brian Reardon of Monster Music, Victor Salazar of The Drum Pad and Gordy Wilcher of Owensboro Music Center. They named their favorite finds that attendees should make sure to see before they go on the show floor in the categories of “Something Small,” “Gotta Stock It,” “Companies to Watch” and finished with their top pick for the “Best in Show” category, which included guitars, drum sets, a vocal processor and the NAMM U sessions in the Idea Center.
“In my humble opinion, perspective is a valuable commodity and to have the perspective of these folks that have been in this industry and are, for all practical purposes, very successful gives me a huge advantage as far as what to look for and what to see—I think it’s very valuable,” said Steve Garrett, Case Brothers, Spartanburg, S.C.
One of last year’s “Best in Show” products, the JamHub, continues to establish its presence in the industry, and the inventor was pleased with the traffic over the past few days.
“We’ve been so busy, there are very few times when we’ve gotten to take a break,” said Steve Skillings, JamHub LLC, Whitinsville, Mass. “We are so fortunate—we had a bunch of industry partners help us out with this booth, and it’s been a blast. At this show, we have literally signed up more dealers than we did all of winter NAMM this year and even more than the first Summer NAMM. This NAMM show has been exactly what we hoped for—times ten.”
At show opening, Huckabee autographed copies of his book for attendees and later performed in the Wanna Play Celebrity Jam with country music stars Aaron Tippin, Louise Mandrell and John Anderson, accompanied by some of Nashville's finest studio musicians.
On the show floor, there were new products, contacts and information to be found.
“I think Summer NAMM is a great experience for people who want to talk to people one-on-one because we don’t always get to do that in Anaheim,” said Nikki Ray, Eatmybeats, Inc., Tuscaloosa, Ala. “It’s a great experience for us to be able to come in and get away for a little while and go to some of the classes. We went to one of the classes about redesigning your store on a budget—it was great.”
For exhibitors, this was an opportunity to spend quality time with buyers and network with other industry professionals.
“The show’s been very good, a lot of good contacts, revisiting with a lot of existing dealers and a whole lot of new dealers, so we’ve been very pleased,’ said Gerson Rosenbloom, Wechter Guitars, Fort Wayne, Ind. “Attendance felt good, excitement level has been high. We feel very good about it.”
Even when the show is over, buyers can access company information from exhibitors that have provided information using NAMM’s Follow Me application for smartphones.
The NAMM U sessions focused on social media interactions and music education programs, for the music teachers in attendance. They nominated the “Best Tools for Schools” throughout the show, and the winning products were announced Sunday afternoon in the Idea Center.
“I have come to NAMM this year because I want to find out about the many programs that help the schools,” said music educator Julianne Sommers, Danville School District, Arkansas. “I understand that GAMA and a lot of other programs that were represented here help us with our funding, sometimes they match funds, and they help the teachers and administrators find out how they can get money for their school district in order to get instruments into the hands of the children.”
Wanna Play Music Sunday offered workshops and clinics with renowned musicians and also allowed enthusiasts to walk the floor and check out the newest products on the market coming to their local stores.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” said local Nashville musician Vic Hammond. “A lot of it’s just having the ability to talk to people who designed the equipment and just kind of get hands-on with stuff I’ve seen but haven’t been able to experience. I’ve really being able to talk to people and understand what’s going on.”
For more information about 2010 Summer NAMM, interested parties can log on to www.namm.org/summer/2010 visit the Photo Gallery for new pictures each day. For information about the upcoming 2011 NAMM Show, January 13–16 in Anaheim, Calif., interested parties can log on to www.namm.org/thenammshow.