NAMM 2018?

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gyraf

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Hi Group,

NAMM in Anaheim, Jan. 25-28.

I'll be there with my friend Tim Campbell - as visitor, not exhibitor. No work involved  ;D

Anyone else going?

Any chance of meeting up with someone from our LA chapter?

Edit:
We will be in booth 16112, with Bock audio and Soundelux

Jakob E.
 
I usually go,  but didn't renew my membership this year.  So depends if I get that straightened out in time for the badge deadline.
 
ruffrecords said:
Just to be clear, is NAMM open only to members?

Cheers

Ian
Supposedly, but there were always consumers there using dealer passes given them for being good customers.

I haven't been to one this century and don't miss them, it was always work.

JR
 
I will be working the show.

Jackob look forward to a meet and greet.

I don't have our booth number off hand. But the moment I get it I will post it. come by and say Hi. We may have our espresso machine going again this year.
 
I went to the Orange County one to support a friend with his guitar building, what I saw digusted me. Some old fogey offer my partner $50 for sex when I wasn't around, and one of the guitar stall hired aging strippers to walk around in high heels and thongs, we vowed then we would not return.

Some people I know from a very famous international  pro audio company offered to take me to a brothel if I lost the missus.

I dunno, people who I thought were decent turned into football numbnutz little boys out on the town, it appeared to be actively encouraged.

I can't do that. My partner has had to fight to be taken seriously as a musician and songwriter all her life, she walked away asking herself why she bothered.

But we did see John Sabastian do the most beautiful guitar playing. So that was something...
 
Timjag said:
I went to the Orange County one to support a friend with his guitar building, what I saw digusted me. Some old fogey offer my partner $50 for sex when I wasn't around, and one of the guitar stall hired aging strippers to walk around in high heels and thongs, we vowed then we would not return.

Some people I know from a very famous international  pro audio company offered to take me to a brothel if I lost the missus.

I dunno, people who I thought were decent turned into football numbnutz little boys out on the town, it appeared to be actively encouraged.

I can't do that. My partner has had to fight to be taken seriously as a musician and songwriter all her life, she walked away asking herself why she bothered.

But we did see John Sabastian do the most beautiful guitar playing. So that was something...
I always though Anaheim was more like disneyland than the seedier parts of Frankfurt....    (how would I know?  ::) )

Hint: Don't go to the NAMM show to get discovered, while I did find a talented young drummer in my sound room at one...  but he still is working at grabbing the brass ring....

JR

 
Timjag said:
I went to the Orange County one to support a friend with his guitar building, what I saw digusted me. Some old fogey offer my partner $50 for sex when I wasn't around, and one of the guitar stall hired aging strippers to walk around in high heels and thongs, we vowed then we would not return.

Some people I know from a very famous international  pro audio company offered to take me to a brothel if I lost the missus.

I dunno, people who I thought were decent turned into football numbnutz little boys out on the town, it appeared to be actively encouraged.

I can't do that. My partner has had to fight to be taken seriously as a musician and songwriter all her life, she walked away asking herself why she bothered.

But we did see John Sabastian do the most beautiful guitar playing. So that was something...

Yes, that sounds like humans to me, particularly the male variety.

This will be my 8th NAMM at Anaheim and it doesn't seem any more amoral or debauched than any other large conference/gig/sports event I've been to.  I'm sorry that your partner was demeaned in that way.

 
The thing with NAMM is you had to be a member or given a badge by a member and or exhibitor to get in.  A few things in the last few years or as far back as  I know on namm is they do an open to the public day and getting badges, is quite easy these days.  2018 in Anaheim will be a combo of namm + AES. A new hing they are trying out.
For those working the show,  you really got to be ready to deal  with all of the folks.  I have a namm Kit I always take with me,  it includes minor toiletries so I can be fresh as needed, snacks so I can avoid the greasy food, basic meds for throat and pain, ear plugs and drinks to say hydrated and caffeinated.  Despite working  the show some 20 years now,  I still loose my voice but with the kit, it is not as bad.  The kit keeps me from getting the nammthrax(cold and other common sicknesses) and help maintain some level od healthy.
I have had my share of run ins with famous folks and non famous alike. There comes to a point that it is all a blur. 

As for the eye candy at booths, it usually happens in instrument land and DJ land. Most audio companies do no participate in that from what I have seen.  Then again I don't leave the booth much, heaven forbid they let me out of my cage.
 
pucho812 said:
As for the eye candy at booths, it usually happens in instrument land and DJ land. Most audio companies do no participate in that from what I have seen. 

C'mon Pucho, are you trying to tell me that we were not hired for our good looks?  :)
 
I´m not going but my company will have a booth there. Darkglass Electronics, if you want to check cool bass distortions and amplifiers.
 
pucho812 said:
The thing with NAMM is you had to be a member or given a badge by a member and or exhibitor to get in.  A few things in the last few years or as far back as  I know on namm is they do an open to the public day and getting badges, is quite easy these days. 
They copied that from Frankfurt musik messe, who had  a consumer day on the last day of the show.... They raise extra money from selling attendance to the public, and many manufacturers sell off their show stock at end of the show.  Most years we were sent home from Frankfurt a day early and local German reps worked the last day. The one year I worked a public day I repeated "I don't understand German" too many times to count.
2018 in Anaheim will be a combo of namm + AES. A new hing they are trying out.
I vaguely recall AES doing a show in Anaheim (disneyland hotel?) one year...  It's all about the benjamins and they raise revenue from renting booth space at these shows.
For those working the show,  you really got to be ready to deal  with all of the folks.
At NAMM the "civiliams" were usually pretty easy to pick out... by the questions they asked. They were constantly trying to find out the dealer price on SKUs and it was amusing to tell them the list price and whether it was an "A" mark or "B" mark, because they had no idea what "mark" meant.  ;D
I have a namm Kit I always take with me,  it includes minor toiletries so I can be fresh as needed, snacks so I can avoid the greasy food, basic meds for throat and pain, ear plugs and drinks to say hydrated and caffeinated. 
we would have a small kitchen upstairs in the office area, but we would have to leave the booth to pee....
Despite working  the show some 20 years now,
I have been avoiding trade shows for almost 20 years now...  8)
I still loose my voice but with the kit, it is not as bad.  The kit keeps me from getting the nammthrax(cold and other common sicknesses) and help maintain some level od healthy.
My main trade show problem was from constantly standing. After several days I would find blood pooling in my ankles. I had one really painful flight back from Germany when I wasn't able to put my feet up.  :'(  Doctor told me it was caused by varicose veins in my legs, and I needed to wear compression stockings. I discovered that if I got up early and ran a few miles in the morning, the blood would behave stay where it belongs.
I have had my share of run ins with famous folks and non famous alike. There comes to a point that it is all a blur. 
About the only thing I miss, it seeing industry friends and sharing jokes. After the show sitting in some hotel bar, we would start telling jokes, and every joke you hear reminds you of another old one you forgot... A good way to make the hours go by. 
As for the eye candy at booths, it usually happens in instrument land and DJ land. Most audio companies do no participate in that from what I have seen.
We brought our own home grown talent. Sales girls from MS would work the booth, and dealers would love to hear their accents and talk with our pretty southern belles.  Not one of them was an aging stripper.  ::)
Then again I don't leave the booth much, heaven forbid they let me out of my cage.
Yup, I would have to make an effort to walk the show on sunday, after all the serious dealers had already returned home so there was little business going on. Over the course of the show, reps and dealers would bring me literature and tell me what new products I needed to check out. One year I used a disguise and carried some drumsticks with me. Surprisingly it worked in a few booths, but most of the majors knew who I was, or were reflexively unfriendly to anyone wearing a red Peavey badge.

JR

PS: Years when we had some major talent performing in the booth, it was remarkable how many people wanted to get in....Best performance I remember was Z (Frank's kid's band).  Some great musicianship and fun music.  EVH probably drew the biggest crowd. I would have a separate sound room adjacent to the performance space, with a recording console and a split from the stage mics, so I could roll my own mix, and had the best seat in the house, without all the excessive SPL.  8)
 
Ah yes the jokes.

Some I can't repeat online for diplomatic reasons. 

We  run a small booth so no kitchen for us.  Yes gotta step outside to use the loo.

My most favorable name moment to date was last year a vendor came by to talk switches with us and left immediately telling us afterwards "the booth was full" The better part was the booth was full with audio engineers from the famous geoff emrick to non famous all talking shop. We had this 13 year old wonder kid talking about 35MM classical recordings from yesteryear and geoff emrick hanging on to every word.  The amount of good energy and information  shared that afternoon was impactful for sure.
 
So I will be there.  What would be a good day for a meet-up?

Also I might need a pass for a friend, so if anyone has extra would be much appreciated.  Can buy some beer or return the favor next year.  :)
 
it is passed the deadline for free passes.

You can buy a pass for around 50.00(USD) What you will need to do, is find a vendor displaying at the show.  Have them meet you at badge pick up and they can add you onto  their list. This is regardless of how many they have already handed out and even if their allotted is full, they can still get some like this. Name will take your info and the company info. From there you pay and boom pass for four days.
 
I think the free pass deadline is Jan  10 this year (Wed). Exceeding the badge allotment for a fee might be vendor dependent, not sure if the smaller guys get this by default.
 
john12ax7 said:
I think the free pass deadline is Jan  10 this year (Wed). Exceeding the badge allotment for a fee might be vendor dependent, not sure if the smaller guys get this by default.

They must be hurting for spectators then....  :(
 
We will be in booth 16112, with Bock audio and Soundelux.

Probably bringing only a small stack of the newest ones - G23-G24 - and maybe a G21.

Jakob E.
 
gyraf said:
We will be in booth 16112, with Bock audio and Soundelux.

Probably bringing only a small stack of the newest ones - G23-G24 - and maybe a G21.

Jakob E.

I'll stop by, also if you want espresso, we will be bringing the espresso machine like last year :)
 

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