From June 3-5, the NAMM Show returned for its first in-person outing since January 2022. And while attendance figures we predictably down due to the unusual timing of the show and ongoing Covid concerns, the newly released figures suggest 2022 represents the first big step on the industry’s road to recovery.
The number of registrants for NAMM 2022 reached 46,627, which is over 50% down on a record-breaking 2020, whereby an all-time high of 115,000 people registered for the annual Anaheim, California event. On the surface, this may look like a concerning statistic, but in context, it is very much in line with where NAMM expected this year’s show to be, given the extenuating circumstances, as NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond explained when speaking to Headliner ahead of the show.
Inevitably, there are still Covid concerns for a number of potential visitors, who will likely have taken the decision to sit the show out for another year, while the summer scheduling rendered the show an impossibility for many of those in the business of live music and events, with the festival and outdoor concert season returning to some semblance of normality.
Encouraging signs could be found in this year’s exhibitor figures, with more than 1,000 exhibiting members representing around 3,500 brands from 111 countries and territories turning out for the show. The volume of exhibitors reveals a healthy appetite from the industry to get back to in-person trade events, while the number of people and brands committing to overseas business travel also provides cause for optimism.
In total, international visitors accounted for 9.6% of NAMM 2022’s total attendance, with Europe accounting for 40.2% of that international attendance. Visitors from Mexico made up 12.8% of overseas visitors, followed by Canada at 12% and South America at 9.6%.
In addition to the physical element of NAMM 2022, this year’s show also saw an expansion of its digital offering. Dubbed NAMM+, the show’s digital platform provided opportunities for both in-person and online attendees to connect, watch livestreamed sessions and take part in special events. Nearly 100 sessions and events were livestreamed from across the campus.
The total number of exhibitors bookmarked via NAMM+ was 9,168, with 79,758 sessions bookmarked and 8,525 items bookmarked. The total number of contacts made between visitors was 40,428.
“Looking back to the 2020 NAMM Show, I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how transformative the start of this next decade would be,” said Lamond of the NAMM 2022 attendance figures. “But as we have weathered the uncertainty and loss over the past two years, we again stand at the crossroads of opportunity.
“The NAMM Show serves as that platform for the next generation of technologies, products and services, and sets the stage for NAMM members to discover their own opportunities to advance their businesses, skills, and market opportunities.”