The NAMM show is a huge music industry convention that happens every year in Anaheim, and is one of the most important events a musician can attend, check out Part 1 of The Musician’s Guide to Taking Over NAMM for why you should attend. With almost 100,000 attendees over the four days in 2012, it can get a little crazy, the following are some tips to help you make it through the weekend and survive the convention!
Decide which days you are going to go in advance, the busiest day is always the Saturday, and Sundays are sometimes open to the public, the most signings and demos happen on the Saturday and the Friday so plan accordingly. If you are trying to set up meetings with people or companies at the convention, earlier in the week is probably better – say on the Thursday or Friday as everyone is more likely to have more time for you.
If you don’t live in the area, book a hotel room! Even if you live in LA, it’s quite a drive out to Anaheim, and you don’t want to be driving back and forth if you are planning on attending for a couple of the days, and a lot of the networking takes place at the parties and hotel lobbies and bars after the show closes each evening, so having a hotel room to go crash at afterwards helps prevent drink driving and will save you time and effort and give you somewhere to get ready. If you can, stay somewhere within walking distance of the convention center – there are many hotels and motels around for every price range as it is right near Disneyland. Try booking well in advance to get a cheap rate, investigating time shares, using hotel club rewards points or sites like hotels.com to find cheap rooms. See our travel hacking for musicians articles for more info on this.
Bring plenty of business cards, remember this is a convention, it’s about networking, people expect it, do not forget to give your cards to the people you meet, and make sure that you collect theirs! It may help to write a note on the cards so you remember who is who at the time, a note about what the person looks like, their job or how/ where you met might jog your memory as when you meet so many people at once all the names and faces can sometimes turn into a blur at a later date
Take breaks, with conventions in general, and especially NAMM, there is a lot of standing, walking around and a lot of talking to people. This can be very tiring, in order to save your feet and your sanity, take regular breaks, going outside for a breath of fresh air and a sit down can really make a difference to your energy level and your attitude.
Collect your NAMM directory! Your NAMM badge should have a coupon in it for this purpose, what you do is bring it up to the small desk inside the convention and give it to the clerk in exchange for your book. If you don’t have a coupon in your badge, see if you can get one off someone else, whatever you do, do not leave without a copy of the NAMM directory, this is the most important thing to take away with you from this convention as a musician, or as almost an professional in the industry.
Drink enough water and eat enough food – particularly if you have been consuming alcohol the night before or at the convention, you don’t want to get dehydrated or dizzy because you’re so busy you forget to eat. There are plenty of food stands and places to eat in the hotels though be prepared for long lines. You can also bring your own food. Just make sure you eat something – you want to be at the top of your game!
If there are specific artists you want to meet/ get pictures with/ autographs from, be sure to check ahead of time when/ where they are signing and get there early to avoid having to wait in line a long time. Also if there are specific seminars or product demos or performances that you wish to attend plan them ahead of time too as once you are inside the convention it is easy to get distracted. Make a schedule and do your best to stick to it while still allowing time to check out the exhibits and talk to people. You can find information on events and signings on the NAMM website closer to the time and on the websites of vendors and other companies and artists attending the show.
If you have an album, bring copies of your cd! Make custom cd copies just for the purpose of giving to the right people you meet at NAMM, whether potential endorsers, media or other music industry people, you probably want to have them in paper sleeves or printed jackets to make them more lightweight for you to carry around with you, also flyers or other promotional materials are good to have with you just in case! Though they usually do have a coat and bag check at NAMM if you end up bringing a large amount of materials with you and don’t want to lug them around with you all day.
Above all, enjoy yourself, check out everything that interests you, talk to people, network, try to make friends, take time out when you need to, and you will go far at not only surviving, but taking over at the NAMM show!
