The 2019 NAMM Show saw a slight increase of 216 registered attendees to 115,301, following a 9-percent increase in attendees when comparing 2018 to 2017.
The NAMM Show also welcomed more than 2,000 exhibiting member companies, representing 7,000 brands.
“We live in accelerated times in technological developments and global business and market conditions, and that can create unpredictability in any industry,” said Joe Lamond, NAMM President and CEO. “However, if you take a look around The NAMM Show, one could find many reasons to feel quite comfortable about the importance of music around the world and future of the music products industry. From the exciting innovations of our exhibiting members, the creativity of our retail members in finding enhanced ways to serve their communities, especially music educators, to the expanded live sound, lighting and event tech professionals and companies who made the trip to Anaheim, the connections, business opportunities, and education offered each the tools needed to succeed in the year ahead.”
Some NAMM exhibitors also shared their reactions to the 2019 NAMM Show.
“The NAMM vibe goes way beyond just presenting your product–it’s about creating energy and moments for our Gibson players,” said James “J.C.” Curleigh of Gibson. “You create the memories, and they stay with people forever. It’s pretty exciting.”
“NAMM 2019 was a landmark show for Yamaha. You could say it was a year of growth for us,” offered Tom Sumner, Yamaha Corporation of America. “After witnessing the excitement and energy in the audio-focused North Hall last year, we added a new booth this year dedicated to our Yamaha and Nexo Commercial Audio solutions. We met with lots of old friends and found some new ones at the North Hall booth. We also added a separate display for Ampeg bass amps. The crazy-big 14-foot tall SVT was a popular display in the Marriott lobby and the Ampeg booth was PACKED from opening to closing every day…. A big show for Yamaha indeed.”
“NAMM attracts elite musical instrument dealers and distributors from around the world. There is no better forum than The NAMM Show to tell the music making community about the innovation of our latest shape and sound,” added Monte Montefusco of Taylor Guitars.
Fred Poole of Peavey shared, “The new product launches went fantastic, we have a constant flow of traffic to the booth, there’s a lot more people this year, and we’re super excited. This has been a fantastic show.”
Fender CEO Andy Mooney spoke of the reception to one of the company’s newest products: “This is the first time in Fender history an acoustic guitar has taken top billing at NAMM. The overall reaction to the American Acoustasonic Telecaster has been overwhelmingly positive, and NAMM was the ideal forum to introduce it to retailers around the world.”