In the opening paragraph to his Show Report from Music China 2024, MMR publisher Mike Lawson writes, “Covering 150,000 square meters across 14 exhibit halls, the event was truly a monumental experience for this veteran of over 30 NAMM Shows and more than a dozen Frankfurt MusikMesse shows.”
As I was unable to attend the Shanghai gathering this October, I was both pleased that Mike was impressed by the scope of the event and, perhaps predictably, more than a little bummed/envious! My most recent trip to Music China was covering the 2019 convention, which not only seems – but at this point truly is – quite a while ago. (Sidebar: when I returned from that trip in early November I was sick as a dog for two weeks; A couple of months later, when a little PANDEMIC with origins – likely – in China rolled into town, a few of my friends and bandmates did the math and jokingly started referring to me as the rhesus monkey from the movie, “Outbreak.” What larks! I digress…) Anyway – yes! It’s great to read how someone I work with (for!) both enjoyed and was awed by an MI gathering I’ve come to value and feel familiar with was great, but, boy did I feel the sting of missing out!
It’s one thing to long for the days of Musikmesse and hobnobbing with industry pals over apfelwein and Frankfurter grüne soße mit eiern und kartoffeln – that show exists only in the past (for now, at least). Music China, however? Serious FOMO at work.
For those of you without frequent internet connectivity, friends or family under the age of 100, or with better things to do than keep up with the ridiculous ephemeral vernacular of the young-ish (my hat’s off to those of you in the latter category!) “FOMO” is an acronym for: Fear of Missing Out. I know I missed out on plenty of learning experiences, cultural exploration, and plain old good times in Shanghai this October, so, in this case, it’s not so much “fear of,” but “awareness of.”
The good news for those of you who, like me, weren’t at the recent Music China, is that in but a few short weeks (10 or so weeks counts as “short” to me, anyway) those amongst us who choose to do so can make our way to Anaheim for the largest and longest-running stateside gathering of the MI industry: the NAMM Show!
Is it the same event as in years gone by? No, not entirely. For one thing, it’s bigger! Per a recent press release: “The NAMM Show unites the entire global music industry for one spectacular week of exhibits, education and networking in January,” said John Mlynczak, president and CEO of NAMM. “The expansion to five days of events is necessary to provide more time for education and networking that our global members depend on to grow their businesses, industry and professional community.”
So this year’s NAMM Show will be longer and, quite arguably, better than you remember it. To any fence-straddlers: Feeling some FOMO yet? In cases like these, FOMO can be good for you, but there’s no need to fear! While 10 weeks is (again, to me) only a short chunk of time, it’s more than enough to arrange your registration (or plan to exhibit, depending), book travel and hotel, and get your ducks in a row!
I couldn’t be in Shanghai this year, but I look forward – as always – to returning to Orange County for one of the biggest events in our industry.
Hope to see you there!
