NAMM 2018 WRAP-UP

NAMM is loud and busy and your feet hurt for a week afterwards, but it’s worth it for the friends you’ll make, the gear you’ll play, the shows you’ll see and the legends you’ll meet. With another year of the show done and dusted, let’s revisit all the highlights.

The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show is held every January in Anaheim, California. It’s where the musical instrument industry gathers to present their new offerings to dealers, distributors, media and artists.

It’s also one hell of a party, where your favourite artists are all in town to meet with their endorsement companies, play shows and just basically hang out. There are product demos in booths, signature model launches, press conferences, autograph signings, live Q&A sessions and more free promotional picks than you could lose in a year.

It’s also hard work: if you’re working at a booth, you’re on your feet from 9:30am to 6pm, all day for four days. If you’re there for meetings or as part of the media, you’re walking the length and breadth of the massive Anaheim Convention Centre and clocking up more than ten kilometres each day.

And it’s noisy, man. You’ve never heard anything like the din of the NAMM Show. Shredders. Cymbals. DJ equipment. People yelling over it all in order to be heard... It’s an assault on the senses, to say the least. But you have to go. If you ever get the opportunity, you have to go. NAMM is loud and busy and your feet hurt for a week afterwards, but it’s worth it for the friends you’ll make, the gear you’ll play, the shows you’ll see and all of the legends you’ll meet.