JAN. 20 I NAMM I EVENT I BY KATIE KAILUS
Strike a Chord
In need of some business inspiration, innovative selling strategies and proven ideas? Look no further than this year's NAMM Show, held Jan. 22-25 in Anaheim, California. The show promises to be chock-full of better business ideas, so many, in fact, NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond said attending the show is the "single most important thing you could do to achieve your goals for 2015."

"In this competitive marketplace only the best and brightest survive, and you will find those folks in Anaheim this January," he added.

Big-Name Acts
NAMM has added some big names to this year's bill, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and author Richard Gerver.

Wozniak will discuss the hard-hitting lessons he learned during the founding of Apple as well as innovations in business and entrepreneurship at Saturday's Breakfast Session. Gerver, author of Creating Tomorrow's Schools Today, will share his insights on change, leadership and education during Sunday's Music Education Days – an event that gives music education professionals exposure to the latest in music product innovation.

"Since the days of Thomas Edison, The NAMM Show has been the place where great thinkers have come together to create the future," Lamond said. "Wozniak and Gerver are some of the iconic thought-leaders out there, inspiring entrepreneurs to think outside of the box and thrive in these turbulent times. NAMM members will leave energized on their return to make their businesses better and with a clearer sense of what's next."

On the concert side, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will headline the NAMM GoPro Grand Plaza Stage on Thursday night, while the Imagine Party will take place Friday night at the John Lennon bus.

Slight Adjustments
Smoother registration and badge pickup are just two of the refinements that NAMM has made. Additionally, NAMM has listened to member feedback and will be more aggressive regarding enforcement of the show's sound regulations, creating a more business friendly show floor.

"The big additions to the show come from what our 1,500 exhibitors and more than 5,000 brands bring to the table," Lamond said. "The creative exhibits, concerts, parties and innovative, creative new products are the stars of The NAMM Show." MI