Summer NAMM Continues Climb

"Seeing our members meeting on the show floor, attending NAMM U sessions, and enjoying themselves in the vibrant Nashville scene was gratifying, the optimism was palpable," says NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond. "This show is very different from Winter NAMM. It's a unique opportunity to get a lot of business done in a very thoughtful and human manner.

"In my opinion, there is a vital business imperative to connect with one's business partners more regularly. This can be done in many ways, but for a NAMM member retailer or manufacturer, there is no way you could see over 1,000 companies in three days of normal business travel. Being able to do that at Summer NAMM just makes such economic sense. I believe that is why smart companies use this event to further their business goals."

Taking Advantage of a Slower Pace

Many we spoke with – both dealers and suppliers – reinforced this notion of the Nashville gathering serving as a setting for more intimate, meaningful conversations and meetings, minus the often-frenzied backdrop of the Winter Show.

"Summer is indeed a lot slower [than Winter NAMM], but I see that as a bonus rather than a negative," observes Sammy Ash of Sam Ash. "In the winter, since we are a full-line dealer, four days is almost not enough. Between the signings, waiting in long lines for food, and wading through competitors to get answers to questions, it can be very time consuming. At Sunmer NAMM, I get to hang out and talk longer, and see exhibitors that couldn't afford Winter NAMM."

Ashley Atz of The Music Link says, "Summer NAMM has always been essential for us to connect with our dealers. Thanks to NAMM's addition of the public day, now we're also meeting in person lots of folks who own our instruments, which is pretty exciting. It's a great opportunity for growing brands like Recording King and The Loar to get the message out about the cool stuff we're doing. Each year seems to be better than the last, which is good for manufacturers, dealers, players, and for music."

"Many people in the industry refer to the Summer NAMM as a 'regional' show, using the word as something negative," says S.I.T. Strings' Tim Pfouts. "We feel the opposite, that the 'regional' part is what makes the show important for us.  We have an opportunity to talk to a lot of dealers who either do not get the chance to attend Winter NAMM, or if they do, wind up not having time in their appointment calendar to really stop and talk."

Official numbers bear out the notion the Summer NAMM represents a worthwhile investment of both time and money for many in our industry. There were 438 companies exhibiting in Nashville this July, representing 1,510 brands – the most since the 2006 convention. Significantly, 112 companies, including some "big names" such as Orange Amplifiers, Pearl, and KHS, made the return to the Show floor after a hiatus. The total number of buyers was also up again (the number had increased by eight percent from 2012 to 2013) with an uptick of five percent over last year. All in all, 12,442 were registered to attend this summer's Show, up from 11,498 in 2013.

Nashville's bustling music business is a key difference in how the Show fits into the city's geography. Local bands team with radio stations like Nashville's Lightning 100 to play manufacturer get-togethers such as Casio's after-party at the Pour House. Rehearsal studios open their doors for music pro-welcoming gear exhibits like the bustling Artists Relations Gear Preview. And the all-day, all-night hustle of Lower Broadway is never more than a few steps away.

The NAMM Young Professionals group continued to grow this year, with new board members and another crowded event capping off the summer gathering. This time, Chris Martin (CEO and chairman of C.F. Martin & Co.) was on hand for an informal personal history of his family's company's long history of challenges and triumphs.

Here to Stay

The doubt that many felt regarding Summer NAMM's future a few years ago – a totally reasonable concern if you were one of the all-too-few roaming the comparatively barren halls of the old Convention Center in 2010 – seems to be a thing of the past.

"As NAMM chairman, the show was clearly a strong, positive step forward for the vitality of Summer NAMM for all NAMM Members," says Larry Morton.  "The value of being at Summer NAMM dwarfs the expense and time commitment to being there.  It was also our second year in the beautiful new convention center, which really serves as a fantastic showcase for our industry. The Summer Show is strong and growing.  We had several years of 'what ifs' that caused hesitancy, but we are now seeing more and more companies embrace the importance of being there. I believe Summer NAMM is here to stay and remains a critical part of gathering our industry together."

Mike Miltemore, whose Riversong Guitars first exhibited in Nashville last summer, shares Morton's enthusiasm, saying, "The future of Summer NAMM is bright in the Music City. The new trade center has been open for a year, the bugs from the first show [at Music City Center] seem to be worked out, the flow is excellent, and there is some serious business to be had from both the end consumer and with co-operating manufacturers.  The Show was clearly larger than last year's and the overall feeling is positive and optimistic.  Although Summer NAMM is not as big as the Winter NAMM show, we still met with distributors from many other countries and made good inroads with music stores that wouldn't normally come to Winter NAMM."

"I would be lying if I said there were not some tough years to work through with this show," says Pfouts. "Along with a lot of other manufactures, we had to annually re-examine whether or not it made financial sense for us to attend.  But I think we have turned the corner and are committed again to Summer NAMM, knowing that it will be good for us every year to attend and not just hoping that it will."   

An Industry Defined by Ups and Downs

While many are still monitoring the recovering economy with "cautious optimism" or still licking their wounds from financial beatings incurred during the worst of the recent recession, Joe Lamond offers this larger-picture view: "I've been in the MI industry since March of 1982, and there have been so many ups and downs since then. Many of our members have been in it for much longer than that. This industry has always been hard, it's always been fun, and there have always been those who won, regardless of the external business conditions or what the pundits were saying. I expect more of the same!"  

The next Summer NAMM is scheduled to take place July 9-11, 2015.