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After a two-year hiatus and a subsequent delay in January of 2022, the NAMM Show will once again open its doors in Anaheim in early June. Word is that this will be a smaller event than in previous years, as many vendors have chosen to pass. For my own part, I am not attending due to health reasons, and only a handful of my Reflex Marketing suppliers will have booths. Our Contractor-A/V division manager will be heading up to Las Vegas to attend InfoComm, as this sector of our business is gaining steam, and we are both hoping this is a successful event. But this still begs the question, with such low reported attendance at CES and other shows – what does the future really look like for conventions? We’ve adapted during COVID to mostly live without them, and a host of key industry players have decided the investment is still not worth it for them to attend for a variety of reasons.
Arguments on Both Sides
I’ve spent most of my 42 years in the trade on the Musical Instrument side, and NAMM has always been an annual ritual. “Back in the Day” dealers would come to the show and place purchase orders, and salesmen were expected to write business. Then gradually with computerized inventory management systems, taking purchase orders at the show waned, and the ability for a company to gauge immediate ROI came into question. Still, the show remained popular for many years, only to be disrupted with the onset of the pandemic. Today, many vendors still have very large backorders and slow deliveries due to continuing supply chain issues, so have used that as a viable reason not to attend. Others have come to their own realization that business can be conducted without the annual confab, the significant costs incurred, and drain on company resources. But other manufacturers have taken a different approach, deciding that June NAMM is a must for them to attend. Meeting customers face-to-face still matters, and this appears to be the line of demarcation in the debate. Like the Clash song “Should I Stay, or Should I Go?”, I’m certain that some heated meetings have occurred in conference rooms around the country.
Relationships Will Always Matter in Sales
People do business with people. That is still a fact in business, and the day this does not matter or is not relevant spells the end of many jobs that deal with relationship management. NAMM was always a celebration of those personal connections, and a time to rekindle friendships. While we can certainly continue to conduct business via email, store and office visits, telephone calls, Zoom and Teams meetings, the bonds formed by person-to-person interaction are still an integral part of doing business. While the show in Anaheim may be smaller in terms of vendor booths and overall attendance, I’ve read that NAMM is touting this one as a stepping-stone towards normalcy, which includes scheduling April of 2023 for the next show, then back to January in 2024.
Will the Lights Go Out on Broadway?
Time will tell whether trade shows continue, or if they have become an anachronism. We all know that dealing with COVID has changed the way we work, and that some may feel that the show may be over, or on its last leg. I have mixed emotions on this topic, but for now will not make a prediction either way. The industry, economics and health concerns will ultimately decide the fate of collecting as a group for conferences and large gatherings such as industry trade shows. For those who are attending NAMM or InfoComm, I wish you a safe and successful show. We can revisit this topic in a later post, as we see how convention participation pans out, and whether the suppliers and dealers see real value in returning to the “old normal.” For this time the show must go on…
I think the Namm Show is kinda done as a place for us to do business . It’s a consumer show…which is fine but don’t try to make it “Trade Only” We as an industry have done pretty well adapting. Zoom etc…plus in person sales calls still. The cost and lack of ability to do actual business at Namm is verity prohibitive. I’m passing this year as I have almost no dealers and very few Vendors…so why am I going?….
Namm…in my opinion of course, needs to make up their minds what kind of convention they want. Info Com etc. are set up to actually make money sales and deal with who we all do business with. Maybe after 40 years in this crazy biz I’ve grown tired of dodging people in the aisles taking selfies…lol
Hope youre health is continuing to improve! That’s another reason I’m not attending ..not quite comfy with all the no mask wearing public.
Enjoy the newsletters as always! Keep up the good work
Leslie Butts
Hey Doug, I just did NAB, and it was half the size of normal years (about 52k “official” registrants, but it felt more like 30-35k actually there)…many vendors expressed happiness about the savings garnered over the past 2 years when the show was cancelled, and so I think shows will wane slowly as customers become happier to only see vendors in a way of their choosing. If they come, so will we…if they don’t then neither will we….customer first!
Great article. I fear we have seen the begging of the end or NEW Normal in regard to our Tribes meeting in mass. Wonderful memories were made and perhaps will Agin!
I am a small audio-focused manufacturer. In full disclosure, I have previously purchased >$3000 booth space and displayed at Winter NAMM in the past.
However, in 2022 I will not be renewing my decade-long NAMM “Manufacturer” membership.
This year, without prior notification, NAMM has chosen to charge manufacturer-members who are not displaying, just to attend the show. $695 per person —on top of membership dues— just to get a badge and walk the floor.
With this decision, NAMM has effectively cut-off small, emerging manufacturers from discovering (and re-discovering post-COVID!) the in-person benefits of buying a NAMM Show booth in Anaheim. It may be a small financial win for NAMM to sell a few $695 badges this year, but I personally think it is a long-term mistake to exclude hungry companies that don’t yet have tons of income to spend on a risky, shortened, 3-day COVID-impacted event.
In my personal situation, now that a $5000+ investment with NAMM for booth space, Union labor & facility fees, hotel, food, booth decorations, and travel costs are off-the-table for 2023 and beyond, I have discovered MANY other more attractive options for significantly less advertising money.
The future of small manufacturers is HUGE, because it is digital and remote: Promoting products through YouTube/Instagram/Facebook/Twitter “influencers” is significantly less expensive for emerging businesses, and has a highly-targeted, youthful reach that the increasingly geriatric NAMM show is simply unable to provide.
Sorry NAMM. Trying to generate $695 from me this year, you have instead lost tens of thousands of dollars of my future booth business.
Rick,
I have to admit, even as a former NAMM Chairman, that your post stopped me in my tracks. What you said that NAMM was offering sounded awful to me, so I went and did a tiny bit of research. What I discovered is that the “Networking Pass” gives you access to the show and the ability to bring product onto the show floor. In addition, you get a private meeting area and a bunch of other perks. The early bird price right now is $395. Details are here: https://www.namm.org/exhibit/wn22/access-package . I’m sure that’s not right for eveyone, and may well not be right for you. But I think it’s an interesting way of addressing the age-old problem of “suitcasers”… people who would come to a show understanding it’s value, but not willing to pay for a booth.