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Summer NAMM or, uh, Bust?
published on 16.07.2009, 20:22:48. Category: no category
published on 16.07.2009, 20:22:48. Category: no category
It was an odd setup day at this year's Summer NAMM 2009 in Nashville, TN. The scene was busy and extremely hot. It seems the loading doors were open so there was no air conditioning throughout the show, which was, frankly, miserable. I'm hoping this show itself isn't miserable, or a bust, because so many vendors you'd normally find here are not at the show exhibiting, many for the first time in years, or ever since they started in business and there has been a Summer NAMM.
"Oh, but we have over 130 new exhibitors this year!" said the NAMM mid-wig who I spoke to as I entered the show floor, and was commenting on who wasn't here. Was that supposed to be good news? I don't know. The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs. Winter NAMM was almost a job fair as much as a show. I must have known a dozen people who were there to look for work. Sure, sales are down or way off, but some of these companies are just trying to protect their profit margins and not actually hurting. Its not that some of these companies are going upside down or in the red this year, its that their margin is off.
Some of these companies are saying, "Wow, we budgeted to take in a $9 million profit, but its looking like a $4 million dollar profit, so lets fire a bunch of people, cut marketing and trade shows out, and see if we can still make that margin." Yeah, nice. Screw the employees, right? I mean, why be satisfied in a down economy to make only $4 million when you could wreck people's lives and reward the owners and stock holders with a fatter number, and keep your bonuses to boot!" Of course, no bonuses for the rank and file who have to do the job of three people for the same pay, but that's just business, right? No one is forcing these ungrateful employees to come to work! Mercy, it's disgusting.
Trade shows are extremely expensive things for companies to take part in, and the Summer Show can run a company a good $50,000.00 in floor space, cartage, travel, and all other related expenses. Many companies said no to Summer NAMM. Noticeably absent as Fender, Gibson (who never did much here anyway), Peavey, Korg, Marshall, even accessories maker Jim Dunlop, although Jim was seen walking around Nashville today, just he came without his company having a booth.
We posted a story earlier about Native Instruments never again going to another trade show. They say, "Screw it!" in however you would say that in German, and won't even go to their own country's Musik Messe. Now, they've never been a huge presence at shows, even at AES in NY they tended to just get a hotel suite and get folks to visit the room when they were tired of walking around the show. But, what's this say about the future of trade shows in general, or even just the future of music industry related shows? I think it says a lot. I think a lot of companies are going to say screw it now that the economy is tough, and if they find out they are saving a lot of money, not losing a lot of business, and can afford to not be seen, they'll cut one show here, another there, until finally its, if anything the Winter NAMM show only, or Musik Messe only, or AES only in the USA, or their home country's nearest AES. I think trade shows are in trouble. I think music industry shows in particular are in trouble.
How do I feel about that? Hmmmm, well, having walked the floor at over 30 NAMM Shows, a dozen or so AES shows, and a myriad of other regional shows, even the big BEA Book Expo several times, frankly I'm tired of them. Maybe its because I'm getting older, in my 40's, the travel is not as much fun as it was a decade ago, and I'd just as soon stay at home. However, as long as they have them, I'm likely compelled to go to at least some of them each year. Would it hurt my feelings if NAMM went to one show a year? Nah, not at all. I would rather that they move that winter show to Orlando, 'cause I've done the tiny Disney World as a side distraction to NAMM so many times, and Orlando has more fun to offer than Anaheim, but I digress.
AppleProAudio.com will be at the show. We'll be walking around NAMM, making note of who was on the exhibitor list that showed up, who didn't show up, what the traffic is like on the floor and taking the temperature of the sure-to-be less exciting event this year versus some pretty darn good ones here in Nashville before the boneheads at NAMM decided to move the show to Indy and then two miserable years in Austin, TX. I say that based on reports, I didn't go to Austin, but I went to Indy, and you could throw a rock in any direction and not hit a person for 30'. Actually, Native Instruments was at the Summer NAMM in Indy, and maybe that added to their disgust with the whole trade show thing. I don't know, but I know this much, this show is going to be a shadow of its former self here in Music City, USA.
Views: 1861
"Oh, but we have over 130 new exhibitors this year!" said the NAMM mid-wig who I spoke to as I entered the show floor, and was commenting on who wasn't here. Was that supposed to be good news? I don't know. The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs. Winter NAMM was almost a job fair as much as a show. I must have known a dozen people who were there to look for work. Sure, sales are down or way off, but some of these companies are just trying to protect their profit margins and not actually hurting. Its not that some of these companies are going upside down or in the red this year, its that their margin is off.
Some of these companies are saying, "Wow, we budgeted to take in a $9 million profit, but its looking like a $4 million dollar profit, so lets fire a bunch of people, cut marketing and trade shows out, and see if we can still make that margin." Yeah, nice. Screw the employees, right? I mean, why be satisfied in a down economy to make only $4 million when you could wreck people's lives and reward the owners and stock holders with a fatter number, and keep your bonuses to boot!" Of course, no bonuses for the rank and file who have to do the job of three people for the same pay, but that's just business, right? No one is forcing these ungrateful employees to come to work! Mercy, it's disgusting.
Trade shows are extremely expensive things for companies to take part in, and the Summer Show can run a company a good $50,000.00 in floor space, cartage, travel, and all other related expenses. Many companies said no to Summer NAMM. Noticeably absent as Fender, Gibson (who never did much here anyway), Peavey, Korg, Marshall, even accessories maker Jim Dunlop, although Jim was seen walking around Nashville today, just he came without his company having a booth.
We posted a story earlier about Native Instruments never again going to another trade show. They say, "Screw it!" in however you would say that in German, and won't even go to their own country's Musik Messe. Now, they've never been a huge presence at shows, even at AES in NY they tended to just get a hotel suite and get folks to visit the room when they were tired of walking around the show. But, what's this say about the future of trade shows in general, or even just the future of music industry related shows? I think it says a lot. I think a lot of companies are going to say screw it now that the economy is tough, and if they find out they are saving a lot of money, not losing a lot of business, and can afford to not be seen, they'll cut one show here, another there, until finally its, if anything the Winter NAMM show only, or Musik Messe only, or AES only in the USA, or their home country's nearest AES. I think trade shows are in trouble. I think music industry shows in particular are in trouble.
How do I feel about that? Hmmmm, well, having walked the floor at over 30 NAMM Shows, a dozen or so AES shows, and a myriad of other regional shows, even the big BEA Book Expo several times, frankly I'm tired of them. Maybe its because I'm getting older, in my 40's, the travel is not as much fun as it was a decade ago, and I'd just as soon stay at home. However, as long as they have them, I'm likely compelled to go to at least some of them each year. Would it hurt my feelings if NAMM went to one show a year? Nah, not at all. I would rather that they move that winter show to Orlando, 'cause I've done the tiny Disney World as a side distraction to NAMM so many times, and Orlando has more fun to offer than Anaheim, but I digress.
AppleProAudio.com will be at the show. We'll be walking around NAMM, making note of who was on the exhibitor list that showed up, who didn't show up, what the traffic is like on the floor and taking the temperature of the sure-to-be less exciting event this year versus some pretty darn good ones here in Nashville before the boneheads at NAMM decided to move the show to Indy and then two miserable years in Austin, TX. I say that based on reports, I didn't go to Austin, but I went to Indy, and you could throw a rock in any direction and not hit a person for 30'. Actually, Native Instruments was at the Summer NAMM in Indy, and maybe that added to their disgust with the whole trade show thing. I don't know, but I know this much, this show is going to be a shadow of its former self here in Music City, USA.
Views: 1861
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