NAMM Announces Steve Schmidt As Keynote Speaker for Briefing Day and Webcast During 2011 Washington D.C. Advocacy Fly-In Event

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) today announced that Steve Schmidt, one of the top public affairs and political strategists in the country and senior advisor to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker for the association’s 2011 Washington D.C. Advocacy Fly-In training luncheon on May 10, 2011.

Schmidt will be among several prominent policy leaders speaking at the 2011 Washington D.C. Advocacy Fly-In event who will offer insight about the current political and economic climate. Presentations will be available to all NAMM Members via webcast at www.namm.org/publicaffairs.

Schmidt will offer an overview of current U.S. political activity, an outlook for the 2012 presidential race, and issues that face the electorate.

Schmidt is currently the vice chairman of public affairs at Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm. Named by PR Week in 2008 as one of the top 25 most powerful leaders in the public relations industry, Schmidt has provided high-level strategic counsel to political candidates, elected officials, and major organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood studios and professional sports teams.

NAMM invites all NAMM Members to be part of the annual fly-in event from May 9-12, 2011, and participate in the advocacy training and face-to-face meetings with Congressional officials. The fly-in will concentrate on NAMM’s core advocacy theme of music education and legislation that advances access to music education for all children. This year’s event will offer an anti-counterfeiting and intellectual property issues briefing and advocacy for NAMM Members concerned about this issue. All fly-in delegates will be asked to contact members of the U.S. Congress in the weeks before May 9, 2011, to schedule meetings with representatives or their staff members.

The schedule for NAMM’s 2011 Advocacy Fly-In will be:

• May 9, 2011: Travel to Washington D.C.; opening dinner in the U.S. Capitol building
• May 10, 2011: Issue updates, advocacy training, live issue-briefing webcast from Washington
• May 11, 2011: Congressional visits and Congressional reception
• May 12, 2011: Congressional visits (half day as needed); departure

As a fly-in delegate, NAMM provides up to three nights hotel accommodations and meals, starting with dinner on May 9 through breakfast on May 12. Fly-in participants are also responsible for round-trip travel to Washington D.C. Due to a considerable increase in hotel and meal costs in Washington, NAMM is requesting a $300 registration fee. A $100 per-person fee is requested for additional people traveling with NAMM Members to help cover the cost of shared meals. The designated hotel during the entire fly-in event is Hotel Monaco http://www.kimptonhotels.com/hotels/factsheets/hotel-monaco-washington-….

The deadline to secure registration and a hotel room is April 4, 2011. For more details and to register online, visit: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e3b6bxf7f…

About NAMM
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).