We had most of our crew with us for day 1. And I am so pumped for the rest of the weekend.
Today was going to be a great day.
I left my home with that thought and also vocalized it to Gaby. There was no reason for me to feel like it would be the opposite. Today was the first day of NAMM Show 2024. I was too excited. Finally the day had come where I could enter the Anaheim Convention Center as a Member of an organization that I had never thought I would ever be a part of. I would always read about NAMM in Modern Drummer magazines as a kid and teen. I would always hear about NAMM show from friends and colleagues who had never been to it as well. It was always a dream for any of us to be able to go and check out the latest gear. Years and years later, I was finally able to get access to the show after applying via GenNext as a student. It was awesome then, but now things have definitely turned for me: I am a member.
Because of my membership status, I’m able to send passes to people of my choosing. So it was natural for me to make sure that I sent passes to the people that worked hard in 2023 and helped us set the foundation for Stanford Sound and Stage. Our group of strong individuals: Chase, Michelle “Drastik”, Isaiah, Miguel (my big brother), Gaby (my wife), Jorge, Priscilla, Dan, and Ethan. All great people who have put in some time and effort to making sure things worked out for us in 2023.
Our primary focus is education and seminars. NAMM is awesome if you’re a musician. You get to check out some really cool new gear, meet like minded musicians, and also meet the people that are creating these products. But as a business owner, I know that the real benefit of being a member and going to the NAMM convention is in all the knowledge that is available. Today we spent all day in education sessions. There are so many to choose from but I think the best thing we did was sit down well before this first day and really think about the sessions that would apply to our current goals.
The first session we attended was about Leadership Strategies. This was so eye opening to me. I think I was able to get some great information on one of my main jobs, not only for Stanford Sound and Stage but for my full time job. It’s really important to lead people in the right direction, and this session helped me realize that I have a lot of work to do on this end. We also attended a session on “Clean Power,” finding and hiring the right people, trends in digital marketing, and the last one of the day focusing on google profile.
At the NAMM Show, you can check out the latest guitar pedals, drums, DJ equipment, lighting, etc., but ultimately this convention is mainly about business owners. It is after all he North American Music Merchants convention, so it’s highly important for NAMM to have these sessions so that the buyers are able to be educated on the new equipment along with providing information on how to successfully run a business in the music industry.
The last thing I did as a new NAMM member was to participate in their New NAMM Member Reception at the end of the first day. Here I was able to hear from the CEO of the organization and get some words of encouragement. I was also able to get more information on the initiatives they’re taking to make sure that all members receive the best value from their membership.
I will end this by saying that today was one of the best days I’ve ever had at a convention ever. I was also not super tired at the end of the day, which adds to the overall success of the day in my opinion. I feel like my excitement and positive attitude helped make this day a lot less stressful as it might sound on paper. It’s definitely one for the books and I’m hoping to pass some of this knowledge over to my colleagues as well. There is no doubt in my mind that tomorrow is going to be a day with the same result. I just have to make sure that I am able to cary the same great positive attitude onto the next day.
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