The Winter NAMM show is one of the highlights of the year for us at Emery & Webb.  It’s a chance to see many of our clients from across the country, face to face.  It’s an opportunity to meet new people, hear new music, and see all the latest innovations in the music industry.

•  Plane tickets….check.
• Hotel reservation…check.
• Rental car….check.
• 1 packed suitcase….check (yes, I’m already packed – don’t judge me for being excited)
• 1 empty suitcase…check (to bring back all the treasures that I find at the NAMM show that I just can’t live without)
• Kazoo….check.  Although I play the piano, it’s not a terribly portable instrument.  So the kazoo it is.
• Insurance solutions….check.  We are proud to be the endorsed provider for business insurance for NAMM members.  We have an entire portfolio of insurance solutions for all kinds of music industry businesses.

So as we count down the days to the Winter NAMM show on January 23^rd, we’re celebrating the top 10  reasons why we look forward to the Winter NAMM show each year.

10.  Warm and sunny southern California in January.  Need I say more?  At Emery & Webb our offices span the Northeast corridor from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts.  We spend 40-50% of the year wearing overcoats and under-armor.  Heading to the city of eternal sunshine is a welcome relief from the winter doldrums.

9.  Technology.  Technology no longer increases by the decade or by the year.  It increases by the week and month.  There is always something new.  As soon as you purchase the latest gadget, the latest software, the latest piece of electronica – it’s depreciating in value and simultaneously being replaced by something newer and better, even as you’re walking out of the store.   The NAMM shows are a bi-annual opportunity to see the latest and greatest industry electronics and technology, all under one roof.  It’s the “World’s Fair” of the music industry.

8.  Energy.  With hundreds of musicians and thousands of music businesses represented, the energy and excitement is literally pulsing throughout the venue.  And it is sustained over the four days.  You can feel it and see it in the energetic performances, the excited vendors and the upbeat mood of the crowd.

7.  Concerts.  Musicians from across the country and around the world have the chance to showcase their talent to a broad audience.  Hidden talents are discovered.  Record labels are watching.  From acoustic guitar to jazz trumpets to metal rock bands, the entire gambit of the musical spectrum is represented.  With something for everyone, no one goes away disappointed.

6.  Education.  NAMM provides seminars and training for: growing your retail business, music educators, pro-audio and lighting technologies, and the future leaders of the music products industry.  At Emery & Webb, we believe in the power of education.  Educated consumers are excellent consumers.  Educated business men and women are excellent business men and women.  This is extremely important in the insurance industry.  And when the business demographic that we work with increases their business acumen and education, it benefits everyone – their clients, their business partners and their bottom line.

5.  Our mission.  Your passion is music.  Ours is protecting it.  The businesses that comprise the music industry are wide and varied.  Each has its own unique business and insurance needs.  Each requires individual attention and insurance experts who understand the many facets of the business and the challenges that owners face.  This is what we do, and we are experts at it.  The NAMM show gives us the opportunity to meet business and individuals that we can help with our expertise.  It’s what we love doing.

4.  The NAMM staff.  NAMM has some of the greatest people working and striving to push forward the causes of music education, music appreciation and music business opportunities for their members.  They work tirelessly on behalf of their members – developing training, building relationships to benefit music merchants across the country and increasing communication and opportunities both at home and around the world.  They are a unique group, who love music and use their own gifts and talents to bolster the music businesses of others.

3.  Meeting new people.  Walking through the vendor halls and rubbing shoulders with businesses from around the country doesn’t happen very often for most of us.  Winter NAMM provides one of our only opportunities during the year to meet new people, discover new businesses, and invest our resources into making the music industry a safer place.

2.  Seeing our clients from across the country.  Getting to shake the hand of the people that you talk to all the time, but never see, is one of the true highlights of the show for us.  We insure music businesses from coast to coast.  But I can’t tell you the last time that I went to Michigan or New Mexico to see a client.  Chances are, if they are NAMM members, they’ll be at the show.

1.  Music.  Folk bands.  DJ’s.  Jazz artists.  Metal rock bands.  Pianists. Guitarists. Drummers.  They all come to the NAMM show for various reasons.  Many come to be “discovered”.  Others come for the instruments.  Still others come for the technology – to see what’s new.  But they come.  And they perform. And they provide the magic that is music, for all of us.  Musicians are the heart and soul of our industry.  They are why retail stores and tech wholesalers and recording studios and music schools and even music business insurance exist.  Because of musicians.  Because of creativity.  Because of passion.  Because of a dream.  Because music speaks the language that we all understand.

 We look forward to seeing you there!  Stop by our booth in the NAMM member center.  Booth 168, Hall C, right next to the NAMM store.