Disclaimer: this blog post should be read and taken as a “open letter” to NAMM the organization, its leadership and the show organizers. The views expressed within are my own and are not associated with any of my partner companies within the MI business.

As a long-time attendee, and one who hopes to continue attending for

many years to come, I believe now is the best and most crucial time to consider what NAMM can be in the future.

First, let’s talk about what the NAMM show has done well.

The NAMM Show is a celebration; not just of Music but also of the people who make, play and love it. With society as a whole diminishing the value of Music, it is refreshing to be in the presence of people who place so much value in it. If the greater Music Business is to survive and thrive in the years to come, we must continue this spirit of celebration. The artists, craftsmen, creators and innovators should all be celebrated for what they bring to the fold.

The NAMM show also does a wonderful job of equipping its member for success. Seminars, workshops and lectures give all positions in the industry a chance to “up their game”. Having attended many in recent years, I can attest that the knowledge base within our industry rivals that of “more stable” professions. As a creative industry, our colleagues often look at things differently and find unique solutions to common problems.

In short, NAMM serves its business and membership quite well. But with this good comes some bad...

The NAMM show has a few flaws that are worth highlighting and maybe in the future the smaller ones can be addressed. But there’s one that needs to be acknowledged that could very well dictate the future survival of the conference: the NAMM show and its relationship with the consumer.

One of the by-products of the “internet age” is the creation of online communities. These communities usually have a single unifying factor that brings its membership together into a “fandoms”. This is most prevalent in what we call “Nerd Culture”. From toy collectors and comic book fans to movies and TV shows, communities spring up on a regular basis and the music industry is no different. One needn’t browse Facebook long to see the list of guitar pedal groups, amp owner forums and Pages dedicated to specific builders and their creations. And for many, the central event of the year is the NAMM show and it’s yearly announcements of new gear. But what does that mean for NAMM? It’s time to recognize that the consumer can bring more value to the show than ever before.

And to extract that value, NAMM must embrace itself as BOTH a business-to-business conference AND a fan convention. So how can this be accomplished?

The first step into achieving this goal is to split NAMM 4-day festivities into two distinct periods: the Industry Conference and the Fan Convention. The Industry Conference would take place during the first two days of the weekend and would ONLY be open to NAMM members, exhibitors, press, artists and Content Creators. The Fan Convention would take place during the final two days and would be a publicly open, ticketed event. It is my opinion that this split of the time would accomplish two (2) primary goals:

1. Decrease show floor foot traffic. This decrease not only will make it easier to move around the conference but it will decrease ambient noise, providing a better environment for B2B transactions and potentially resulting in higher business turnover.
2. Exhibitor morale and satisfaction. By Day 3 of the NAMM show, most exhibitors are exhausted and ready to go home. My theory is this is, in part, thanks to the vast amount of walking, standing, yelling and being dragged from one conversation to another without rest. Splitting the time will allow exhibitors a chance to adequately staff their booths rather than having all hands on deck all weekend. A rested crew is a happy crew and is a successful crew.

These goals ultimately speak to the common challenges exhibitors face. The more NAMM can do to help exhibitors achieve success, the better. But simple splitting the time in half is not enough. NAMM must re-tool their focus for the “Fan Convention” portion of the weekend.

One big thing that would benefit a “ticketed NAMM” event is a Marketplace component. This would entail allowing exhibitors to not only take orders placed by distributors and corporate buyers but private consumers and individual buyers as well. Many companies that exhibit at NAMM have already embraced e-commerce and are no strangers to taking pre-orders for new product releases. In years past, some companies have “secretly” taken pre-orders from customers but by openly encouraging it the fans will feel more engaged with exhibitors and their products. Once a consumer plays something they like, they can immediately turn to an exhibitor and ask to place an order.

And why stop at pre-orders? Why not allow exhibitors to bring a small stock of product to see in the “NAMM Marketplace”. What is “NAMM Marketplace”?

The “NAMM Marketplace” would be an on-site (possibly on the on the 3rd floor of the Convention Center) shop with exhibitor product available to purchase RIGHT THERE AT THE SHOW. This would allow exhibitors to generate revenue that would help them pay their staff or pay off the expenses incurred by exhibiting at the NAMM show. And you could even open up this idea to allowing exhibitors to buy out the booths of the gear exhibitors bring!

Payment solutions have gotten so simple to use and unobtrusive that it only makes sense to begin allow people to buy product on the show floor.

Finally, a fan NAMM must embrace what San Diego Comic Con uses as a Main Attraction: event panels, signings and keynote debuts. SDCC is not alone in its use of such events but they’ve become the best example of how to effectively use them to create buzz and anticipation. One need only walk by the San Diego Convention Center during Comic Con weekend to see just how effective this all is. Whether its keynotes from key exhibitors to announce new products, live concert performances or panel discussions NAMM could easily do the same. NAMM reaches far into the music business and the well of talent is seemingly endless. Why not use these events to make NAMM feel as big of an event as it was in the 80s and 90s? And should it not be the goal to get NAMM back to the level of prominence and importance that it had during that time?

Now, you are free to take or leave these suggestions. But before you leave, please understand this:

I love the NAMM show. I love music. The two go hand-in-hand and I have a vested interest in both succeeding and thriving far past my lifetime. I would be happy to discuss any of this with you publicly or privately. You only need to reach out and ask.

Thank you for all you do and I look forward to being back with you in Anaheim next year.

All my best,

Sean Pierce Johnson