From January 25 through 28, a record-setting 115,000 attendees made the annual pilgrimage to Anaheim, CA for the Winter NAMM show but this year’s expo was a whole lot different than those of past years. First of all, and perhaps most noticeably, the exhibit space increased by some 20 percent, mostly due to the opening of the new, two-level Anaheim Convention Center North (ACC-N), which provided a home for a new wing dedicated to professional audio, lighting and event technologies.
Agreements with key partners within the production communities included A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange), Audinate (Dante Training and Certification);
Music Education Days; GenNext (career development and the Nonprofit Institute from The NAMM Foundation); AES@NAMM (Pro Sound Symposium Live and Studio, curated by the Audio Engineering Society); NAMM U; TEC Tracks; and event technology sessions curated by ESTA, The Pro Production Sessions (presented by FOH and PLSN magazines along with Lighting & Sound America/PLASA). This led to a whole lotta serious, pro-level content, which helped transform NAMM into a must-attend event for production pros.
From all accounts, the new exhibits and education format was an overwhelming success. NAMM’s adoption of the TEC Awards a few years back, and the arrival of the Parnelli Awards ceremony this year, made for a good time for all.
Meanwhile on the exhibitor side, manufacturers liked the new ACC-N space, which provided a more quiet, well-lit space that attracted serious customers in a more serious, businesslike environment. Having some 2,000 exhibitors representing 7,000 (or so) brands, there was a lot to see and hear. So here are a few of the highlights that caught our
attention.
To download a PDF of the FOH 2018 NAMM Show Report, CLICK HERE
