As far as the MIA agenda went, the show started on the Wednesday morning with the International Coalition meeting. This regular event brings together representatives of all of NAMM’s international partners to be updated on matters such as CITES, Make Music Day and the work of the NAMM Foundation. Time is also given over to the sharing of examples of best practice and project co-operation which meant this year I presented our work on the State of the Industry Report, which has also been adopted by Alex and the team at the Australian Music Association (AMA).
The IC meeting was just part of an expanding schedule of events that will develop in the future to form NAMM week. The idea being that the Exhibitor Halls are just part of the annual Industry gathering that will broaden its base for wider and deeper opportunities to learn and network. As a first step, this appeared to be gathering momentum as the Wednesday felt far more business-like than in previous years.
The Halls opened with the usual verve and excitement on Thursday, though with the caveat that for the first time they would be closing on the Saturday evening, and even after far too many NAMMs to recall there was still the same sense of energy and anticipation. Say what you like the Yanks really know how to put on events at scale.
As far as the actual NAMM vibe went, I thought this was the closest to the last few shows pre-pandemic. OK, so exhibitor stand design has moved on and the statement booths of the past are not in evidence. So whilst everything feels a little more modest – smaller stands, wider aisles – what it doesn’t do is diminish the essence of the event, there is still that NAMM buzz going on and the sense that you are in the right place, at the right time.
MIA Drinks Reception
For the last couple of years the MIA has hosted a networking get-together on the Thursday, nothing too lavish, just an opportunity for the UK folks in attendance to grab a beverage and meet up with friends and colleagues. This year we managed to secure the 5pm slot, which seemed to work well for schedules, and as a result we had just under a hundred people pre-register to attend.
Of course the trick is managing to encourage those pre-reggers into actually turning up, and I am pleased to report that we managed it. The few no-shows were cancelled out by the walk-ups and we had a very enjoyable event that overran considerably, it literally took the closure of the bar to enable the staff to finally clear the room.
A big thanks to everybody that turned up, and help turn this into a special little event.
On reflection…
I managed to speak to a lot of people over the four days, and the sentiment seemed to be consistent through all those conversations. The show isn’t the same as it was pre-pandemic, it’s a little more measured in terms of size and footfall, but the evolution is positive and NAMM still resonates with much of its target audience.
The exception from a UK perspective is probably amongst Retailers, as far fewer of them make the trip to California than a decade ago. Of course the change in the way new products are released to the market means that the rationale for attending as a Retailer has shifted. Content collection is a more realistic reason to attend for a UK store than say product procurement, and whilst it’s a great place to talk high-level away from the day-to-day, much of the more routine account management that used to take place (for international visitors at least) has disappeared.
Saying that I didn’t speak to one person with an empty schedule, and most reported that the interactions they had had, were really useful. In most cases the move to three days was a welcome one and we will have to wait and see if the transition to NAMM week lands with the international community and encourages people to travel out a little earlier and take advantage of some of those opportunities.
I will be providing feedback to John and the team at NAMM about the UK experience(s) of the show. If you have anything you would like me to share please feel free to drop me an email – anthony@mia.org.uk
