Transformative Business Knowledge and Fresh Inspiration Await at The 2018 NAMM Show

As the global crossroads of the music products, pro audio and event technology industries prepare to descend on The 2018 NAMM Show, a suite of professional development opportunities, transformative business know-how and fresh strategies await professionals. For NAMM members looking to re-energize their business, the Show’s NAMM U program will offer the opportunity to connect with top thought leaders and sessions designed to engage, inform and inspire with best practices in the industry today; and at TEC Tracks, a series of sessions designed for emerging sound, studio and stage professionals will deliver innovative ideas in recording, live sound, event tech and music business.

Before the show officially opens on Wednesday, January 24, retail business owners, managers, sales personnel, marketers and accountants can rev up their retail and financial know-how at Retail Boot Camp (RBC). Now in its sixth year, RBC at The NAMM Show will offer attendees two tracks to enhance their know-how: Sales, Marketing and Websites or Financial Management. Each track is designed to impart practical, easy-to-implement ideas and business strategies designed to impact the bottom line. Presenters include New York Times best-selling author and customer service expert Shep Hyken; digital marketing pioneer Larry Bailin; and financial experts Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. Learn more and register here: namm.org/RBC

The 2018 NAMM Show will officially open each day with a NAMM U Breakfast Session, and on Thursday morning with the annual favorite, “Breakfast of Champions”: an up-close look at the people changing the music products industry, their trials and successes, and the importance of risk in business, led by NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. On Friday, the show welcomes digital marketing visionary Mitch Joel as he espouses “Disrupting Disruption: Future-Proofing the Music Industry,” a look at the shifts in business models and culture. Saturday welcomes Marcus Sheridan, international marketing expert known as “The Sales Lion,” as he shares transformative strategies to meet the dramatic shift in the way consumers reach purchasing decisions in “The Digital Consumer: How Buyers Have Changed and What to Do About It.” On Sunday, “Best in Show,” led by Upbeat Daily and Music Inc. publisher Frank Alkyer, features a panel of retail owners and professionals who will present their product picks from the exhibit floor.

Following each Breakfast Session, the future-focused strategies continue at the NAMM Idea Center. Located in the lobby of the Anaheim Convention Center, NAMM U will offer nearly 50 sessions of thought-provoking ideas, tips, and tricks proving successful in retail today, and strategies designed to enhance the future course of retail business. A variety of industry peers and subject experts will cover a range of topics, including next-generation website design; social media optimization; mastering YouTube and building a loyal audience; opportunities and tactics to increase online sales; and driving traffic with in-store events, among others.

For emerging pro audio professionals, TEC Tracks brings more than 70 sessions featuring top names and hot topics each day of The NAMM Show. Kicking off Thursday, TEC welcomes keynote speaker and legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, as he shares his firsthand account of what made the Beatles’ sound so influential—the techniques and breakthroughs he, George Martin and the band developed that helped to shape the course of rock ’n’ roll history. On Friday, “How to Make a Hit Record” explores the necessary elements of a hit song with top producers, songwriters and industry leaders, including Bob Clearmountain, Tony Brown and Bob Lefsetz. Saturday welcomes record producer Michael Beinhorn, who will analyze his production techniques on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” and Avid CEO Louis Hernandez Jr. keynotes on the “Future of Content Development and Distribution.” Sessions continue on Sunday, with an emphasis on music business topics, including music contracts and licensing, plus a unique experience called the "Silent Jam" where the audience, via wireless headphones, will compare the different monitor mixes for the musicians performing onstage.

NAMM U and TEC Tracks are just two programs from the suite of professional education opportunities at The 2018 NAMM Show, which also includes A3E’s The Future of Audio program; Audinate’s Dante Certification Training; AES@NAMM: Pro Sound Symposium Live and Studio, curated by the Audio Engineering Society; Music Education Days, GenNext career development and the Nonprofit Institute from The NAMM Foundation; and event technology sessions, curated by ESTA (Entertainment Services and Technology Association), The Pro Production Sessions presented by Front of House and Projection Lights & Staging News magazines, and Lighting&Sound America/PLASA. These educational sessions will take place at the NAMM U Education Center at the Hilton Anaheim, located next door to the Anaheim Convention Center, and are open to NAMM members. Additional education schedules will be released shortly.

For additional information or to register for a badge to attend, please visit NAMM.org