NAMM

[VanguardAudioLabs]

Sunday was always a half day mostly for packing and had lower attendance even a long time ago so I see why they would do away with that. That was my favorite day though because I used to purchase floor models

yeah we'd usually sell off the floor models if we could. didn't really do that this year. Sunday was the "sell it cheap so we don't have to haul it back" day. Would usually pay for a good portion of the show with that, and sometimes i'd keep b-stock units behind the booth and sell those as well.

but NAMM is paying less for a 3 day show, but charging exhibitors more. none of the exhibitors really liked sundays, but the math doesn't add up for that.

 

[Matt Nolan]

The internet, among other things, has killed / is killing large international expos. Unless a product is totally tactile and haptic you don't have to travel anywhere to try it out in person. High sales of instruments and gear during the pandemic showed many manufacturers that paying out the huge expense of an expo booth and all the other show logistics was unnecessary. Frankfurt reacted to their decline by ramping up prices and closing out smaller operations (which is where your future expo growth comes from, no?) and so hastened their own death spiral. Less full exhibit halls lead to fewer visitors next year. NAMM appears to be doing the same.

On a more positive note: smaller, less grandly international, and more focused shows are on the rise.

 

[JohnRoberts]

yeah we'd usually sell off the floor models if we could. didn't really do that this year. Sunday was the "sell it cheap so we don't have to haul it back" day. Would usually pay for a good portion of the show with that, and sometimes i'd keep b-stock units behind the booth and sell those as well.

I haven't attended this century but we used to sell the show floor stock to a local dealer. On Sunday's you could just about roll a bowling ball down the show aisles and not hit anybody. I would use Sundays to kick the tires and visit competitor's booths. Sometimes as a disguise I would carry a pair of drumsticks.

IIRC the Franfurt Musik Messe had consumer day(s) at the very end of the show where the public was allowed in (after buying tickets) and they could be sold SKUs off the stand.

but NAMM is paying less for a 3 day show, but charging exhibitors more. none of the exhibitors really liked sundays, but the math doesn't add up for that.

NAMM stands for National Association of Music Merchants so music store owners. It seems like internet sales has pretty much decimated most small music stores.

One attraction of attending the NAMM show in southern California in January is a respite from cold winter weather.

I heard predictions about the WWW killing trade shows a couple decades ago when I was still attending.

The beat goes on...

JR

 

[snigglepit]

It would be interesting to know the true extent to which NAMM are propping up attendance figures by letting the general public in. This year I was told they were pretty much allowing entry to anyone willing to stump up $150. So although it seemed busy, especially on Friday, I don't know whether that would translate into healthy business activity.

Despite the much vaunted return of Fender, Marshall, Gibson and so on, it didn't seem a lot bigger than last year. I think most of the synth and electronic instrument community has given up on NAMM in favour of smaller specialist shows like Superbooth and the Buchla event. It wouldn't surprise me if the recording business goes the same way.

 

[VanguardAudioLabs]

It would be interesting to know the true extent to which NAMM are propping up attendance figures by letting the general public in. This year I was told they were pretty much allowing entry to anyone willing to stump up $150. So although it seemed busy, especially on Friday, I don't know whether that would translate into healthy business activity.

Despite the much vaunted return of Fender, Marshall, Gibson and so on, it didn't seem a lot bigger than last year. I think most of the synth and electronic instrument community has given up on NAMM in favour of smaller specialist shows like Superbooth and the Buchla event. It wouldn't surprise me if the recording business goes the same way.

Despite what NAMM said about Fender, they weren’t really there. They did dealer meetings upstairs and that was it IIRC. no big booth or anything else.

 

[micolas]

Despite what NAMM said about Fender, they weren’t really there. They did dealer meetings upstairs and that was it IIRC. no big booth or anything else.

But instead it was Gibson.
(sorry for my extreme humor!)

 

[JohnRoberts]

It would be interesting to know the true extent to which NAMM are propping up attendance figures by letting the general public in. This year I was told they were pretty much allowing entry to anyone willing to stump up $150. So although it seemed busy, especially on Friday, I don't know whether that would translate into healthy business activity.

NAMM always allowed civilians to buy badges for elevated prices, but nothing like Frankfurt Musik Messe that sold entrance to consumers at consumer prices (during consumer days). Historically musicians would beg NAMM show badges from music stores where they were such significant customers that the music stores wanted to keep them happy.

JR

Despite the much vaunted return of Fender, Marshall, Gibson and so on, it didn't seem a lot bigger than last year. I think most of the synth and electronic instrument community has given up on NAMM in favour of smaller specialist shows like Superbooth and the Buchla event. It wouldn't surprise me if the recording business goes the same way.

 

[VanguardAudioLabs]

The internet, among other things, has killed / is killing large international expos. Unless a product is totally tactile and haptic you don't have to travel anywhere to try it out in person. High sales of instruments and gear during the pandemic showed many manufacturers that paying out the huge expense of an expo booth and all the other show logistics was unnecessary. Frankfurt reacted to their decline by ramping up prices and closing out smaller operations (which is where your future expo growth comes from, no?) and so hastened their own death spiral. Less full exhibit halls lead to fewer visitors next year. NAMM appears to be doing the same.

On a more positive note: smaller, less grandly international, and more focused shows are on the rise.

I haven't done superbooth yet but i've heard it is certainly growing and more pro audio manufacturers are attending. i have an "in" with someone and may end up attending this year.

I know the local VO shows always do quite well, VO Atlanta maybe being the largest one. have yet to attend one of those, but all my VO clients rave about them. VO is such an odd duck though, and very different than the other pro audio spaces. I've been fortunate - everyone i've met in VO is extraordinarily kind as well.