2014 NAMM Show – The Global Ecosystem

There’s always gear and product, but the NAMM Show is about people,” says NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond about this winter’s annual gathering in Anaheim. “The absolute diversity of the event is what really struck me this year. Diversity in the types of people who were there, who came from all over the world – anyone involved in the trade, buying and selling, was at the show. It is truly the global ecosystem.”

The numbers bear out Lamond’s assertion, with this year’s Show seeing a solid six percent increase in international attendees, compared to last year.

Overall attendance was up considerably, as well, with 96,129 music industry members officially registered for the 2014 Show, compared to 93,908 in 2013. Another “up” statistic: in total, there were 1,533 exhibiting companies on hand in Anaheim this January, fielding 5,010 brands – the second-highest number of exhibitors ever at Winter NAMM.

The numbers suggest a rebounding, active industry and so does the feedback from many key figures in MI.

Industry Figures React

“Yamaha felt as though this was the most successful show in some years,” says Rick Young. “Orders were up, traffic was up, our launch products were very well received and maybe most importantly, our programs and direction for the future were not only accepted, but strongly supported by our dealers.”

“This was one of our best NAMM shows ever,” enthuses Alfred Music’s Andrew Surmani. “It is looking like our sales are about 30 percent higher than they were for NAMM 2013. We really couldn’t be happier with the results from this Show.”

Fender’s Larry Thomas says, “We were very satisfied with the excitement and layout of our new combined FMIC trade show booth. We were also very happy with the traffic, and sentiment of our dealers visiting the booth during the show. We were quite busy all four days of the Show.”

Roland’s Kim Nunney agrees: “We felt good about last year, and this year was even more successful. The response to the new Roland and BOSS products and programs was extremely positive, offering many new opportunities for growth over last year… There’s a lot more to come from Roland in 2014, and we look forward to supporting our authorized retailers through an exciting year.”

According to Keith Brawley, Taylor Guitars’ vice president of sales, “Sales were brisk and we wrote a record amount of business, giving us a lot of confidence that 2014 would be another record year for Taylor Guitars.”

D’Addario’s David Via felt the Show was a reflection of the evolving international economic picture. “As for commercial activity, we felt a more relaxed presence to this year’s Show,” he says.  “While markets remain challenging, most dealers we spoke to felt that much of the volatility had subsided and dealers were eager to discuss ways to compete in the 21st marketplace.  Internationally, the global cycle of previous economic adjustment periods remains in place.  By that I mean the North Americans and Europeans see 2014 as being a year of continuous improvement over last year.  Asia is stable with moderate growth overall, while Latin America seems to be the market that is slowing at this point.  We remain optimistic that if you can show customers initiatives of value the market can be persuaded to engage”

Not Your Father’s NAMM Show

However optimistic the analysis of this year’s get-together, it seems clear that the nature of the Show has changed (see MMR’s survey on purchasing habits at Winter NAMM in our February 2014 issue) – though it’s value remains undiminished. “NAMM is definitely the number one show, in my opinion,” offers Hap Kuffner of Kuffner International, Inc. “If you’re going to stay in the game you’ve got to be there – but you don’t go to this show to write orders; You go to judge where the market is. If you go only to sit in a booth and write orders, you missed it by 20 years, pal. It’s about how many people can you interface with in order to take your business to the next level? NAMM delivers immeasurable relationship potentials. We all need to be there.”

Those Darn ‘Yellow Badges’…

While the general perception of the 2014 gathering seems to be universally positive, that doesn’t mean that folks don’t feel there’s room for improvement. As with previous years, some wonder if there are yet better ways to arrange the NAMM Show’s relationship with that pesky attendee segment: the general public. EMG’s Scott Wunschel notes, “The consumer attendance seemed much higher this year than ever before which I am all for, but I would think starting [the Show] on Wednesday would see consumer traffic lighter the first two days (Wednesday and Thursday) giving more time for industry business. Then open it up on Friday and Saturday to consumers with artist signings, demos, live performances, and clinics.  Our industry needs customers as we continue to compete with others such as fishing, golf, and video games, all of which have consumer shows and this show is the perfect showcase for playing music.”

Sabian’s Peter Stairs agrees that, whatever “nuisance” they may present, non-industry visitors to the Show do come with upside. “There definitely seemed to be a significant increase in floor traffic this year, which is encouraging,” he observes. “No, they weren’t all buyers, but they were interested parties and, and that’s important, given there is a definite feeling the MI market is shrinking and we’re not attracting new players as an industry like we used to.  So seeing more people there this year kicking tires is definitely a good sign.” 

The New Chairman Weighs In

Hal Leonard’s Larry Morton was able to reflect on the 2014 NAMM Show from the perspective of an exhibitor, as well as NAMM chairman, as this was his inaugural convention holding that title. “From the Hal Leonard side, we had a terrific show, finishing more than ten percent up over last year,” he says. “We found that the general vibe of the show, especially from our dealers, was very upbeat and optimistic about the new year. There’s a palpable sense that the market is doing better and good things are on the horizon .

“From the NAMM chairman point of view, it was a stellar show by any measurement. There were more exhibits, more attendees, and more events.  Above all that, however, it is yet another reinforcement of the importance of NAMM exhibitors and retailers coming together to help each other build the industry, and NAMM is the perfect place for that to happen.  In fact, it is unique in that a successful NAMM Show means more revenue that can be reinvested into market development, thus creating more customers for all of us.”

Onward, to Nashville

“There was a real spirit of growth in the industry in Anaheim this year,” says Lamond. “There was real optimism. Looking to the Summer Show I’m hoping that we’ll see that continue. If there’s some growth coming – and that’s what I saw this January – then the Summer Show is going to be an important stop and you’ll want to do everything possible to be there.”

The Summer NAMM Show will take place July 17-19 in Nashville, Tenn.