brand count. We’re projecting an increase in registration. MI: Amazing. I know NAMM is planning on expanding on its Tuesday and Wednes- day education days from last year with paid tracks and more offerings. What can attendees expect here? JM: Last year was the first year we tried a five-day model, and we learned very quickly that by midday Tuesday we were racing to set up a video screen in a satellite room for overflow because we didn’t have enough room for people. That’s a great problem to have, but a lesson learned. So, the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday are drastically expanded this year. Every year, education at The NAMM Show is catered towards every segment of the industry and what’s hot. This year, we have more sessions Tuesday through Sat- urday focused on every industry segment. You can actually go on the app or online, it’s the same platform, and sort our education sessions by industry segment. If you select “live sound,” you’ll see a session just about every hour specifically for live sound, and they don’t really overlap. Same for retail, there’s a session every hour and they don’t overlap. All that’s intentional, so everyone can have their track catered to their needs. The Tuesday and Wednesday summits are new this year in the vein that we’re expand- ing on top of our education to add half-day and full-day summits catered to particular industry segments like live event, Women of NAMM, retail and marketing. These give us an opportunity to bring in heavier speakers, get everyone in the room for several hours and really do some more long-form learning and education before the show opens. Like you said, they’re paid summits. When you register for a badge, you can add $50 for a half day or $100 for a full day. The full-day summits include lunch. The half-day pricing helps us invest in more paid speakers and provide a better long-term experience with higher production value. We’re offering more freemium education and now including paid summits in addition. MI: NAMM turns 125 this year, which is kind of a big deal. Is NAMM planning anything special for the anniversary? JM: When it’s your birthday, especially one of those big fancy birthdays, you get to make a longer speech. People listen. The question for NAMM is: How do we use the 125th an- niversary platform to make a big statement to the industry? The past 125 days have felt
like 125 years to a lot of companies navigat- ing uncertainty. But where we’re going with the 125th-year celebration is that it’s not about NAMM, it’s about the industry. That’s really important. We’re using NAMM’s 125 years to recog- nize that our industry has chosen to stay together, work together and come together consistently through incredible challenges. It’s a good year to remind people that after 125 years, we’ve had much bigger challenges in the past than we have in the past four- to-six months. But we’ve always overcome them through resiliency, and we’ve always overcome them by coming together. The other big theme this year that you’ll see across The NAMM Show is “NAMM Gives Back,” reminding our industry that we’ve been here for 125 years because of our consistent dedication to reinvesting in the industry. Yes, it’s the 20th anniversary of the NAMM Foundation, but NAMM, for six decades before that, invested in the American Music Conference and NAMM was doing advocacy materials in the 1920s and 1930s. MI: Very cool. Any details you can share about the 125-year NAMM Anniversary Bash? What can people expect? JM: Last year, being the first year of a three- day show when exhibits closed on Saturday, we wanted to close with a bang. So, this year, for the anniversary, what we’re going to do is have a phenomenal band play on the main stage from 5–7 p.m. on Saturday, so when the exhibits close and people come out of the convention center, they’re going to see a rocking celebration with that big party vibe. Last year, we learned that without Sunday, we didn’t have that big musical event hap- pening, and we wanted to add that. It felt like the perfect time to end the show with a ton of energy seeing that it’s our 125th. MI: If there were two can’t-miss events at this year’s show, what would they be? JM: One would be the Saturday morning Grand Rally for Music Education. It’s a re- minder that on that perfect last morning, we’re all here to come together to support giving back. That’s a really special event. The other would be the Industry Tribute on Thursday. It’s a very special moment to just stand together and remember that we’ve been here for 125 years on the backs of people who have kept this organization and this industry going through incredible challenges. The Industry Tribute is one of the most special moments I have at The NAMM Show. It’s a really special event. MI
MUSIC INC.: After a successful 2025 show, what are you seeing for this year’s show? A similar vibe? JOHN MLYNCZAK : We’ve been seeing a lot of sign ups later this year, and I think it’s because it’s been a difficult six months for a lot of people and companies in our industry with tariffs and the economic strain. A lot of companies are seeing where Q4 takes them, but we’re seeing it be a very similar show to last year as far as exhibitor count and AGES
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