JAN. 19 I SHOWS I NAMM
Winter NAMM 2011 Breaks Attendance Records

The NAMM Show 2011, held Jan. 13–16 in Anaheim, Calif., set an attendance record with 90,114 registered showgoers, a 3-percent rise from last year’s winter conference. International registration also experienced a 2-percent increase from last year to 10,400. NAMM also reported 1,417 exhibitors at this year’s show, a 3.2-percent boost from 2010’s 1,373 vendors. This included 247 newcomers.

“The world’s brightest minds and most innovative music companies came together in Anaheim for four amazing days of commerce, networking and learning,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “After meeting with NAMM members from around the world, I am continually impressed and amazed at the resolve and optimism our industry has shown these past years, and I believe that we are now on a path of recovery and future growth as more people of all ages and talent levels discover the fun and proven benefits of playing music.”

This winter show featured new pavilion areas for luthiers, Native American instrument exhibitors, and app and gaming companies, and NAMM reported strong traffic in areas, as well.

“At NAMM, we unveiled the trumpet app, and it’s been great,” said Tom Scharfeld, president and founder of Spoonjack, a musical app developer. “In general, I think this is the place to be for music. Our products are apps and they are sold through the Apple app store, so people might ask why would we be here. Well, it’s because this is where music is. Everyone in this room is going to have some sort of interest in what we’re doing. And if they like it, they’ll tell their friends — retailers in particular. They’re working with customers. They’re building relationships. They’re interested in showing them new things.”

NAMM's Hands On Training (H.O.T.) Zone also offered an educational experience for those in the recording, live sound, DJ, house of worship, and stage and lighting industries.

“The [H.O.T. Zone] session was great, very informative,” said Mike Morelli from The Upper Room in Elmira, Ontario. “I’m going to go home and experiment. Four days is almost not enough, there’s so much here to see. I’m a musician, so I’ll go home and try and use the session aspects in my studio and what I’m doing and in my business, too.”

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