NAMM 2012: Industry gears up for California trade show

Thursday January 19th sees the great and good from the pro audio world set their sights on the Anaheim Convention Centre, California, as the much-anticipated NAMM 2012 trade show opens its doors for four days of exhibitions, performances, networking and educational sessions.

This year’s NAMM show will see more than 90,000 people from almost 100 countries take to the exhibition floor, as companies look to launch and showcase their best and latest products, connect with potential and familiar buyers alike. The diverse selection of products on display are mirrored by the wide range of buyers in attendance at the show, with independent retailers, major retail chain reps, buyer groups, corporate buyers, music educators, house of worship reps, and pro light and sound professionals all looking to c capitalise on the NAMM platform.

Earlier this year, organisers of the event also announced that it will add new mini-conference-style presentation sessions to its Hands-On Training (HOT) Zone for the 2012 show. The HOT Zone, which serves as an education centre for pro audio, entertainment technologies and music business operations, will now offer keynotes, master classes and panel discussions covering topics such as audio recording technology and studio engineering.

“Most people attending the NAMM Show have a long list of things to do, manufacturers to see, or meetings to attend,” said David Schwartz, producer, NAMM Show HOT Zone. “We wanted to evolve this area in a way that values the time constraints of the attendees and allows for a deep understanding of the topics they want to master through a very concentrated and effective format.”

Some of the topics being developed into mini-conferences, as well as panels and master classes, include: Live Sound Engineering, Audio Recording Technologies, Studio Engineering, Social Media Marketing, Media Technology for Worship, DJ Operations, Audio Mastering, and Future Trends in the Business and Technology of Music Making.
Organisations that have signed on to present sessions and mini-conferences include: Berkleemusic.com, SAE Institute, Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, USC Thornton School, MIDI Manufacturers’ Association, Scratch DJ Academy, The Music Player Network (Mix, Pro Sound News and Electronic Musician magazines), SPARS, Worship Musician magazine, Glow Marketing, Studioexpresso.com, TEC Foundation and the Moses Avalon Company.

 “Providing relevant and high-value education programs to the thousands of pro-audio and live sound members of NAMM is one of our key objectives,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. “The role of technology continues to expand and we believe that this unique educational opportunity at the 2012 NAMM Show makes attendance a must for anyone working in this important segment.”