Day Three of the 2004 NAMM Show Comes to a Close

Many attendees got an early start to the third day of the 2004 NAMM Show by taking part in a variety of early-morning activities. Sales representatives were invited to a breakfast roundtable program, and all show-goers were welcome at the NAMM University sessions scheduled. Just before the exhibit halls opened, a crowd gathered in the Anaheim Convention Center lobby to take in a lively performance by Benise.

NAMM Chairman Paul Heid presided over this morning’s Annual Meeting of Members, where Members voted in the new slate of the NAMM Board of Directors and recognized the outgoing group of Directors.

NAMM University offered 13 sessions throughout the day, including the afternoon meeting of the 11th Annual GRAMMY® Producers SoundTable, presented by the Recording Academy’s® Producers & Engineers Wing and moderated by E! Entertainment Music Reporter/Executive Editor Hits Magazine Dave Adelson.

The competitions of the NAMM International Fastest Drummer Contest entered their final day today. The top drummers from the first three days of the show will go on to compete in the final heats tomorrow for a valuable grand prize package.

This afternoon, during the annual awards banquet of the NAMM Affiliated Music Business Institutions, NAMM President/CEO Joe Lamond proudly presented the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award to Lee Berk. For the past 25 years, Berk has been the president of Berklee College, the world’s largest independent college of music. Berklee has been an influential force in music and music education across the globe, with an impressive list of alumni who have gone on to win nearly 100 GRAMMY awards. Graduates include Quincy Jones, Diana Krall and Branford Marsalis. Preparing to retire in June, Berk said he was thrilled to accept the award for his contributions to the industry.

Traffic was heavy throughout the day, as attendees filled the aisles to make business deals, get hands-on experience using a variety of new products and collect autographs from celebrities appearing in booths. Many buyers were taking in different exhibitors’ product demonstrations, explaining that there is a great benefit in learning about a new product directly from the company that makes it.

“The show’s been really good … I’ve seen a lot of products that I hadn’t seen before,” said Christophe Ponsart, a buyer from Clutch Recording in Denver, Colo. “Not many places can you actually hear the quality of the audio or see how the equipment actually works from a professional who knows how to use it.”