Day One of the 2005 NAMM Show

NAMM, the International Music Products Association, opened its 2005 NAMM Show with a swirl of activity. Educational sessions, musical performances and a show floor featuring thousands of exhibits created a busy scene at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Before the show doors opened, an early-morning NAMM University breakfast session gathered a standing-room only crowd in the Hilton Anaheim Hotel. "Music Retailing: Opportunity or Crisis?" was moderated by industry expert Alan Friedman, CPA, and featured music leaders representing a variety of industry segments.

“I think the best part for me was getting some feedback from the ‘big box guys,’ having Guitar Center and eBay up there,” said Kathleen Melanson of Northstar Music Center in Plaistow, N.H. “We’re a small, family-owned community store, and [the session] really echoed a lot of our sentiments, a lot of what we’re dealing with currently. But getting live feedback from that side of the table was very informative to us. The people you had up there are the people who everyone wants to hear. Everyone really respects their opinions.”

Just before the main halls opened for attendees, a crowd gathered in the convention center lobby for a high-energy performance by the Mariachi Divas. The official show opening was marked by more musical entertainment—that of the Fernand L. Petiot All-Industry Memorial Band. Open to any industry member who wants to participate, this group marched through the exhibit halls playing “76 Trombones.”

The exhibit halls saw a steady stream of attendees checking out the latest musical products and product demonstrations. Many show-goers also stopped by the NAMM Idea Center to learn about Member services and to take in the newest version of NAMM U at the show—20-minute-long, focused sessions presenting quick tips for improving business.

Today marked the beginning of the NAMM International Fastest Drummer Contest, sponsored by NAMM’s teen initiative, The Music Edge. Attendees will be competing for the fastest drummer title today through Saturday. The Top Ten Fastest Hands and Top Ten Fastest Feet in the first three days of competition will then compete in a "finals battle" on Sunday.

People filled the convention center lobby near the end of the show day for NAMM’s tribute to industry professionals who passed away in 2004. The video compilation, “In Memoriam, A Tribute to Music Products Industry Leaders,” was set to moving bagpipe and trumpet music performed live by the Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band.

The four-day trade show, known as the world’s largest trade-only music products show, attracted a record 1,426 exhibiting companies, and high numbers of pre-show registrants suggests a record-breaking attendance by show’s end.