FIVE-DAY FORECAST
There’s more to take in at the NAMM Show than just the latest equipment that will make your life easier—and that’s by design. Last year saw the show move to a unique five-day format to provide more of what the industry craves most in a post-pandemic world: in-person experiences that provide education, networking and more. With that in mind, Tuesday, January 20, is the NAMM organization’s Day of Service (as it been for years), but the day is also used for brand education seminars, workshops and the like. Wednesday, January 21, serves up Global Media Day along with more educational Summits and sessions, and then the exhibits open, running Thursday through Saturday.
The new format was a hit last year, Mlynczak reports: “One of the amazing things was that on Tuesday and Wednesday, we put up a healthy number of sessions, but we figured we’d get lower attendance and it would ramp up to exhibit days. That didn’t happen—our team had to run and grab video cameras and set up satellite rooms because we were at capacity in all the rooms by mid-first day.”
The takeaway was clear: Give the people what they want. “We have increased the sessions and experiences on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we’ve added some more networking receptions, particularly with all our international attendees because…all the international communities come to NAMM to see each other.”
Also expanded this year are the Studio Summit and other pro-audio educational offerings. “On top of all the additional education that’s happening in very specific tracks for every sector of industry, we’ve added longer Summits as this year’s experiment,” he says. “We have a Live Event Summit, a Women of NAMM Summit, music education leaders—half-day and full-day Summits that are longer form and more in-depth with high-level speakers. We’re bringing in lunch, the production value is higher and we’re ensuring that every sector has its opportunity to really dive into a topic.”
While both free and paid educational sessions are offered throughout the show, attendance is highest before the exhibit floor opens. “We found that manufacturers are taking advantage of sending employees to get education on Tuesday and Wednesday, because Thursday, Friday, Saturday, they’re working the exhibit booth,” Mlynczak observes.
INFLUENCING THE INFLUENCERS
To paraphrase the old saying, if a NAMM Show is held in the woods and no one’s there to hear it, did it make a sound? We’ll never know, because not only do thousands of people attend in person every year, but millions more around the world discover what happened and which products were announced through traditional media, content creators, influencers and other outlets. According to Mlynczak, online coverage of the NAMM Show garnered 25 million views in 2024, and thanks to fostering a media-friendly environment at the convention, that number skyrocketed to 39.4 million views in 2025.
The result is that exhibitors are increasingly coming to the show to get in front of not only attendees but the world at large. “Brands realize that they’re not just talking to one person doing a story; they’re talking to thousands of readers and subscribers, and we’re really working to capture the power of that for brands,” Mlynczak explained.
Part of that is reflected in the registration process to attend the NAMM Show, as attendees have to explain their roles in the industry. In the past, such questions might have been seen as a way to reject registrations (cue visions of a guard at a velvet rope, sneering, ‘You’re not a retailer or manufacturer, so you can’t come in!’). Now those questions ensure that producers, engineers and the like are welcomed with open arms.
“We ask exhibitors and it’s who they want to see,” says Mlynczak, “so that’s what has driven us to have 70 roles [that attendees can identify themselves from]. We look at it after the show, and our post-show re-port is very clear with ‘This is how many people said they’re a sound designer; this is how many people said they’re an engineer.’ We get a lot of data, which drives what brands want.”
Discover more great stories—get a free Mix SmartBrief subscription!
And that really gets to the heart of what the NAMM Show is and has always been about for 125 years: Connecting audio and music manufacturers with the people who use their products every day. “The brands are there and not just to educate about their products,” said Mlynczak. “They really want to see engineers and producers [because it helps with] product development. They want people to come to the booth and say, ‘Hey, I mix with this console all the time; have you ever thought of…’ or maybe ‘This workflow takes me three steps, and I wish it only took one.’
“We really encourage folks to come, take advantage of the NAMM Show and just remember that it’s not just about you as an audio engineer geeking out on cool stuff. You’re the valued one that the brands want to see—you. Take advantage of that! Introduce yourself and talk to the companies, because they’re waiting for you.”