every day. Walk away with a roadmap for using AI with your specific use case. 3–4 p.m. How to Build a Financial Dashboard to Maximize Your Store’s Profitability Hilton California A, Level 2 Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. Join this session to understand and improve your store’s financial perfor - mance. Find out how to create a clear, easy-to-use dashboard that shows the health of a business at a glance. 4–5 p.m. Don’t Let Other Lesson Programs Eat Your Lunch Hilton California A, Level 2 Pete Gamber, Lessons Expert Join Pete Gamber and discover actionable ideas and strategies to apply right away to keep a program growing and competitive. 6–8:15 p.m. NAMM Retail Awards Hilton Pacific Ballroom, Level 2 Now in its 15th year, NAMM’s annual celebration of retail excellence has a new name: The NAMM Retail Awards. The NAMM Retail Awards spotlight the in - dustry’s very best music product retail - ers and their strategies for success. Nine will receive a “Best of” category award and one will take home the ul - timate honor: Retailer of the Year. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 8–9:30 a.m. Industry Insights (NAMM U Breakfast Session) Hilton Pacific Ballroom, Level 2 John Mlynczak, President & CEO of NAMM What makes some companies, products and ideas endure, withstanding the test of time to become part of the MI indus - try’s narrative? Find out as NAMM CEO John Mlynczak kicks off The 2026 NAMM Show with a dynamic discussion featur - ing industry leaders and special guests. 9:30–10 a.m. GenNext Plenary Session: 2026 NAMM Show Launch Hilton California D, Level 2 Eric Ebel of NAMM This high-energy kickoff features a quick dive into today’s music careers, and engaging activities to help attendees meet people, find their path, and get ready for three days of exploration and connection. 10–10:30 a.m. 3 Strategies to Make Your Store a Destination in a Digital World NAMM Idea Center Tim Pratt of Dietze Music Industry veteran Tim Pratt will reveal actionable ways to get buying customers into a music store, focusing on customer experience, layout and store design. 10–11 a.m. Women of NAMM First-Time
financial lifeline for both the store and teachers, as well as a recruitment tool that transitions students into private lessons. 1–1:30 p.m.
Attendee Meetup NAMM Member Center Are you a first-time Women of NAMM attendee? Stop by to network! 10:30–11 a.m. How to Lead with Confidence When the Future Is Unclear NAMM Idea Center Sarah Yule of Orange Amps Join Sarah Yule to explore practical strate - gies for navigating disruption, so when external forces challenge your plans, you can turn uncertainty into opportunity. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. How to Tell Your Brand Story on TikTok & Other Social Media (Double Session) NAMM Idea Center Taran Gray of SocialPlay In this special double session, Taran Gray, former creative director of TikTok at Yamaha Music and co-founder of SocialPlay, will walk attendees through the process of elevating a brand’s iden - tity on major social media platforms. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Trade, Tariffs & Compliance NAMM Member Center Navigate the complex world of interna - tional trade affecting the music industry in this compliance session. Find out how current tariff structures impact imported raw materials, musical instruments and components, from guitars and keyboards to pro-audio equipment and more. This expert panel will address compliance strate - gies and documentation requirements. 12–12:30 p.m. New Ways to Leverage AI Eric Thornton will explore the practical ap - plications of AI in small and medium-sized businesses, focusing on its role in SEO optimization, automated product descrip - tions and efficient order processing. 12–1 p.m. First-Call Session Legends: Building the Hits Hilton California C, Level 2 Thomas Claxton Top-name veteran studio musicians will share their stories of high-profile recording sessions and delve into topics including their individual journeys that led to them to become the iconic studio mainstays that defined multiple generations of music, how each approach their craft as it relates to the designated studio time, what it means to “serve the song” and what the current record industry can incorporate from the old-school sessions to offer a best-of-both- worlds approach to modern recording. 12:30–1 p.m. Strategies to Boost Lesson Sign-Ups in 2026 NAMM Idea Center Lindy Campbell of Music on the Hill Lindy Campbell explores how to harness summer music camps as an effective for Retail Growth NAMM Idea Center Eric Thornton of Quilt Software
How to Promote Events That Drive Real Results NAMM Idea Center Phil Mershon, Author
The author of “Unforgettable: The Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experi - ences,” will share a practical model for transforming digital buzz into real-world attendance and post-event loyalty. 1–2 p.m. How Learning Mastering Unlocks Your Creative Potential Hilton Laguna AB, Level 4 Dustin Speckman Targeted at engineers and self-recording artists, this session will dig into how adapting the objective technical skills and perspectives that a mastering engineer has can help people in all areas of the industry. 1:30–2 p.m. Mastering AI Prompting With ChatGPT & Other AI Tools NAMM Idea Center Dan Nestle of Inquisitive Communications The session, presented by market - ing expert Daniel Nestle, will include hands-on activities, real-world use cases and practical tips for integrating AI into tasks, such as writing, research, brainstorming and data analysis. 2–2:30 Do Look at the Comments: Unlocking Brand Awareness on TikTok & Instagram NAMM Idea Center Mallory Nees of Reverb Presented by social media expert Mal - lory Nees of Reverb, this session will show you how brands are using the comments section as a powerful tool to boost visibility, drive engage - ment and spark viral conversations. 2:30–3 p.m. New Ways to Increase School Music Revenue in 2026 NAMM Idea Center Chris Davis of First Note Music Supply & panel In this session, Chris Davis will moderate a panel of experts and dive into how music retailers can expand their school business by strategically offering products, services and solutions that go beyond instruments and extend into true partnerships. 3–4 p.m. Stephanie Lamond, Natalie Morrison & Julia Olsen of ReVoicing the Future The ReVoicing the Future team shares the most powerful lessons they’ve learned to help attendees develop as a leader. 4–4:30 p.m. How to Build an Unforgettable Brand Using Neuroscience The Future of Leadership: Next-Generation Strategies & Insights (Double Session) NAMM Idea Center
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