Kick Off NAMM Week With Expanded Education Summits

Get ready to kick off your NAMM week with even more opportunities to network and collect actionable insights from industry experts. This year, The 2026 NAMM Show is expanding its education lineup with two days of sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday — all before the exhibit floor opens. It’s your chance to dive in and sharpen your skills at the start of a five-day event schedule.

The centerpiece of Tuesday and Wednesday education will be a series of expanded summits designed for pros from different corners of the music industry. Whether you join half-day ($50) or full-day ($100) summits, you’ll discover new ideas and strategies alongside industry peers as expert presenters go beyond the basics, offering you an in-depth education experience that’s relevant to your field.

Along with these summits, Tuesday and Wednesday of The 2026 NAMM Show will also feature a robust lineup of sessions included with your show badge. Topics range from marketing strategy, AI for business and social media to music-education advocacy, finance and more.

Space is limited for the paid summits, so be sure to secure your seat early for your top choices.  Here’s the lineup:

Retail Financial Summit

Tuesday, January 20
9 am-4 pm

Capitalizing on 15 years of success in delivering the best one-day financial training for music retailers, NAMM’s Retail Financial Summit will provide the most comprehensive, current and entertaining workshop on all things financial for music store owners and their staff. This program offers every retailer, at every level of responsibility, the opportunity to discover how to successfully conquer the most critical components of running a music store.

Join veteran financial professionals Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of the music retailing CPA firm Friedman, Kannenberg & Company P.C., who will present proven best practices in the fiscal management of a music store. Alan and Daniel will deliver this vital financial education using the always-entertaining video-based “Tommy Gunn Music Store” saga. And this session will have new, updated content and perspectives for 2026.

Registration fee: $100

Music Education Leaders Summit

Wednesday, January 21
8:30 am-5pm

Step into the heart of the global music industry at the NAMM Music Education Leaders Summit, a one-day gathering designed for music supervisors, VAPA coordinators, lead teachers and school counselors. This unique experience places you at the intersection of education and industry, where classroom learning meets real-world opportunity.

Through keynotes, interactive panels and collaborative breakouts, you’ll hear directly from leaders across manufacturing, live sound, retail and music technology about the skills and careers shaping today’s music economy. Balancing inspiration with action, the summit explores ways to reframe the narrative of music education, develop career pathways for your district and connect with the NAMM member community at a hosted closing networking reception.

Registration fee: $100

NAMM Marketing Summit

Wednesday, January 21
9 am-12 pm

If you’re like most independent retailers and lesson operations, you run your own marketing — and can’t rely on an outside agency or guesswork.

In this three-hour, hands-on workshop, you’ll discover how to build a marketing system that works in 2026, driving new and repeat customers to your business. The NAMM Marketing Summit will be presented by nationally recognized marketing expert Dennis Yu, CTO of BlitzMetrics.

This workshop will draw on practical, real-world examples from small businesses of all kinds, inside and outside of our industry. Dennis will show you how to create content that drives results — from quick, useful videos to answering customer questions with Google-friendly posts. He’ll walk you through the entire process: recording and processing videos, answering queries, publishing across platforms and tracking results.

Everyone will leave with their starter content published, along with a one-page checklist to keep the engine running and a clear plan of action for the next 30 days.

Registration fee: $50

TEC Tracks Studio Summit

Wednesday, January 21
10 am-5 pm

If you’re operating, building or managing a recording studio today, you know that disruption is a given. Staying ahead of trends isn’t optional — it’s essential. And in this full-day, expert-led education summit, you’ll hear directly from many of the most respected names in pro audio and studio operations, as they share the latest intelligence, strategies and ideas shaping the future of the studio business.

This year’s Studio Summit will cover such timely and essential topics as how AI is already changing music production; the future of studio design, acoustics and architecture; emerging revenue models; legal and financial best practices; and much more. Leave with actionable ideas and perspectives to move your business and career forward.

Registration fee: $100

Women of NAMM: Leadership Amplified

Wednesday, January 21
1-4 pm

Women of NAMM is excited to present Leadership Amplified, a first-of-its-kind leadership training at The NAMM Show, designed for mid-career and experienced female music industry professionals ready to grow, connect and lead with intention.

This three-hour interactive workshop will offer practical strategies for female professionals to help strengthen resilience, embrace transformation and lead with confidence in an evolving industry. Key topics include fostering resilience in the face of challenges and using music as a motivation, emotional intelligence to enhance leadership impact, networking and more.

Registration fee: $50

▸ ▸ ▸

To sign up for NAMM education summits, please log in or create your NAMM account. From the left-hand menu, select Badge Registration to register for the show and add any of the education summits. If you have already registered, you can also add  summits directly through the link in your badge confirmation email.

About the Author

Zach Phillips serves as NAMM’s director of member services, where he oversees the organization’s education and membership initiatives. He previously served as director of professional development, where he led NAMM’s education programs for business, pro audio and live event professionals. He was also the editor of Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines, as well as a contributor to NBCChicago.com.