Material handling is simpler for 2027: NAMM has dropped warehouse receiving, overtime, special handling and freight target fees, and freight over your allowance is $1.55 a pound. source
The Percussion Showcase is new, in Hall C, with live demos on the hour. source
Education summits now run on three days, Tuesday to Thursday, with first-time summits on music education advocacy, sync and Latin America. source
The Bass Magazine Awards move to the ACC Arena on January 28, as an official on-campus NAMM event. source
The NAMM Show 2027, day by day
1
Friday to Wednesday, January 22–27 — exhibitor move-in
Move-in hours are 1 to 5 PM on Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday, 8 AM to 6 PM on Monday, 7 AM to 6 PM on Tuesday and 7 AM to 8 PM on Wednesday, with 6:30 to 10 AM on Thursday morning. Check your freight target first: it is the time your truck can check in at the marshaling yard, not the time it unloads.
2
Tuesday, January 26 — NAMM week begins
Events and education run 9 AM to 5 PM, and badge will call opens at 8 AM. There is no exhibit floor yet. The paid summits start here: the Succession Summit in the morning, then the Financial Summit and the first Music Education Advocacy Summit, each 1 to 4 PM.
3
Wednesday, January 27 — summits, Global Media Day and the Retail Awards
Events and education run 9 AM to 8 PM. Most of the summits fall on this day, including AI Marketing, TEC Tracks Studio, TEC Tracks Live Sound, Entertainment Technology and the NAMM LATAM Summit. Global Media Day brings product and business announcements in the afternoon, and the NAMM Retail Awards are also on this day. Exhibitors can still move in until 8 PM.
4
Thursday, January 28 — the floor opens, 10 AM to 6 PM
John Mlynczak's Industry Insights session comes first, then the exhibit halls open. The TEC Tracks Sync Summit runs 1 to 4 PM. Yamaha's Night of Worship is on the Grand Plaza stage at 6 PM, and the evening also has the TEC Awards, the Backline Talk Awards and the Bass Magazine Awards in the ACC Arena.
5
Friday, January 29 — the floor, 10 AM to 6 PM
Exhibitors may escort buyers onto the floor from 8 to 10 AM. The day starts with the Grand Rally for Music Education. Yamaha is back on the Grand Plaza stage at 6 PM, and the Parnelli Awards for live event production are at the Hilton Anaheim that evening.
6
Saturday, January 30 — closes at 5 PM
Exhibitors may escort buyers on from 8 to 10 AM again, and the floor is open 10 AM to 5 PM. Best in Show recognizes the year's products, and the She Rocks Awards close the week that evening. Move-out starts at 5 PM and runs until 9 PM; Freeman services that night are by appointment only.
7
Sunday to Tuesday, January 31 – February 2 — move-out
Move-out runs 8 AM to 5 PM on Sunday and Monday and 8 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday. Everything must be out of the building by 2 PM on Tuesday, and NAMM's checklist has freight carriers checking in at the marshaling yard by 10 AM that day.
The NAMM Show is a business-to-business trade event for qualified professionals, and every registration is subject to verification. It is not a public consumer show. Each person registers individually, and government photo ID may be required when you collect or use your badge. Badges and purchased sessions are non-refundable and non-transferable.
There are three ways in:
Invited by a member company. Log in to the NAMM Dashboard with the email address the invitation went to, update your profile, and go through badging. You get a QR code to collect your badge at the show. Invitations sent by January 6 can be redeemed at the complimentary or discounted rate any time before the show; after that they are $75 each.
Self-registering. Fill in your NAMM Dashboard profile, then self-register under Badge Registration. Individual membership is $150 a year and includes a show badge. General attendees must fit one of NAMM's categories, such as pro audio engineer, live sound or entertainment technology professional, touring and staging professional, venue or studio representative, house of worship representative, educator, student, or buyer of music, sound and event technology products. Member companies, and companies registering for trade business, have to join NAMM and use the invitation route.
Media, influencers and content creators. NAMM verifies your work first. The badge covers the Media Center, the Creator Lounge and Production Studios, and Global Media Day on January 27.
Your NAMM membership has to be valid through January 30, 2027. Paid summits are added during registration, or later through the link in your badge confirmation email: half-day summits are $60 and full-day summits $120, rising to $75 and $150 after November 13, 2026.
Picking up your badge. Badge Will Call is in Hall E and the Arena, 8 AM to 6 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 AM to 6 PM on Thursday and Friday, and 7 AM to 4 PM on Saturday. A third location in Car Park 1 opens on Thursday at 7 AM. Exhibitors collect theirs at the ACC Box Office C/D, in front of the building, Monday 1 to 5 PM, Tuesday 8 AM to 6 PM and Wednesday 8 AM to 7 PM. Media pick up on Level 4 of the Hilton.
Bags and children. Bags can be up to 17 x 12 x 8 inches; anything larger goes to the hotel or to bag check. A parent or guardian must add anyone under 18 during their own registration and accept a waiver, and childcare is not provided.
NAMM's official housing partner is EventSphere, and you sign in on NAMM's hotel page to book. NAMM suggests booking January 26 to 30 if you want the education and events as well as the exhibits; housing opened to all attendees on September 16, 2026.
Rates. Starting rates for a standard king run from $189 at the Best Western Plus Stovall's Inn and the Four Points to $357 at the Anaheim Marriott. NAMM lists 39 hotels, and the nearest on its distance column are the Hilton Anaheim at $325, the Anaheim Marriott at $357 and the Westin Anaheim at $329.
Cancelling. Your hotel charges a nonrefundable two-night room and tax deposit on January 8, 2027. To avoid losing it, cancel by 11:59 PM on January 7. One-night stays pay a one-night deposit.
Waitlist. Rooms are first-come, first-served. If your preferred hotel is full, book an available one first, then use the waitlist link near the bottom of your acknowledgement email. NAMM does not guarantee it.
Poachers. NAMM warns that hotel scammers pose as its housing partner and sell reservations that turn out not to exist. If anyone other than EventSphere contacts you, report it to thenammshow@eventsphere.com.
Suitcasing. NAMM can cancel a reservation in its block if a guest is showing or handing out products outside designated exhibit space, and cancellation penalties apply.
The Anaheim Convention Center's glass facade and fountain in 2021. Photo: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Anaheim Convention Center is at 800 W. Katella Ave, Anaheim. NAMM's travel page lists partner rates with United, Delta and Enterprise, and with Karmel Shuttle Service for airport transfers to the convention hotels from LAX, SNA and LGB.
Parking is $25 per entry at every lot, and nothing can stay overnight: cars left after 2 AM are cited or towed. On show days the choices are:
Car Park 1, from Katella, and Car Parks 4 and 5, from West Street: 6 AM to 6 PM on Thursday and Friday, 6 AM to 9 PM on Saturday. Car Park 4 is the closest structure to Hall E, and NAMM says it fills up quickly.
Toy Story, from Harbor Blvd: 7 AM to 4 PM on the three show days.
Garden Walk, from Katella Ave and Disney Way: 10 AM to 4 PM on the three show days. You need a validation for the $25 rate, from Badge Will Call in Hall E or the Arena, or from the Lobby C help desk.
Exhibitors can re-enter the ACC structures with a paid receipt and an exhibitor badge, subject to availability. Retail members' NVP badge includes parking, based on availability.
Accessibility. The building is fully ADA compliant and service animals are allowed. Scooters come from OC Medical at 800-593-4942 or 714-956-4690, with pick-up in Hall E. ADA service requests are due by Thursday, January 14, and you can ask for a companion badge when you register.
Coming from abroad. NAMM issues letters of invitation through a form on its show information page. That is all it can do for a visa application, so talk to your embassy or consulate about the rest.
Exhibits fill Halls A to E of the convention center and ACC North, with exhibitor meeting rooms on Levels 2 and 3. The Arena, the Grand Plaza and the Arena Plaza carry stages and events, and the plazas open at 7 AM on all three show days, closing at 8 PM on Thursday and Friday and 5 PM on Saturday. The Hilton Anaheim hosts some events too, and the Member Center is in Lobby A.
The floor carries instruments, audio equipment, technology and lighting. NAMM also groups exhibitors into showcases: Boutique Guitar, Entertainment Technology, MIDI, Percussion, Piano, Software.NAMM, Synth and Silent Pedal. If your interest is narrow, look those up first.
The show map and exhibitor list are on NAMM's Map Your Show site and in the NAMM Show App. The app builds a personal schedule, saves booths and sessions, and has real-time updates, and NAMM Show Connect can recommend schedules and exhibitors from your interests. Building your list before you travel is worth doing: in 2026, attendees added more than 87,000 exhibitors to their planners before the show opened.
Expect noise, though NAMM caps booths at 85 decibels and demonstrations at three minutes. Ear plugs are handed out at Badge Will Call and the Info Spots. Filming or photographing products or demos needs the exhibitor's permission.
Freight is the first thing to get right. Your target time is when the truck can check in at the marshaling yard, 1629 S. Claudia Way, Anaheim, not when it unloads. NAMM says to allow 4 to 6 hours from check-in until labor can start in Halls A to D, and 8 hours for ACC Levels 2 and 3 and ACC North. You can work past published move-in hours if you stay inside; security will not let you back in once you leave.
Every paid booth comes with 1,000 pounds of free material handling per 100 square feet, or 500 pounds for a 5 x 10. Freeman is the official general contractor. If you use anyone else to build or service your booth, file an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor form for each by December 1, 2026.
Your booth is the only place you can sell. NAMM prohibits soliciting in aisles, lobbies and other booths, and using hotel rooms, suites or restaurants to show product or take orders unless show management has sanctioned the location; badges are revoked with no refund. Over-the-counter sales with immediate delivery need authorization, and off-site events need an approved request. A sound violation can close your booth after two warnings.
Give staff the right badge: red Exhibitor/Booth Staff for anyone who needs early or after-hours access or moves product, and yellow Employee for those who do not. Exhibitors may escort buyers onto the floor from 8 to 10 AM on Friday and Saturday.
Lead retrieval is Maritz's SWAP. The app package, with three activations on your own devices, and the handheld rental are $549 through November 17, $579 through December 15 and $599 after that; devices are picked up from January 26 at the desk at the back of Hall B. NAMM treats the checklist dates below as tentative, so watch the revision date on its own list.
When a visitor lets you scan a badge, that releases their registration information to you. It does not record what they asked you for unless someone stops to type a note, and that is what the follow-up has to say.
Dates tagged From the organizer come from the show's own site (click the tag for the page). The rest are our suggestions, counted back from the opening day. Download it as a PDF.
Have your Registration Admin add the booth team in the NAMM Dashboard and send badge invitations. The complimentary ones must go out by January 6. Suggested
The buyers you meet at The NAMM Show will meet dozens of other booths. The one whose email arrives first, with what they asked for, gets the reply. This is what that looks like in MeetDrop. The rest of the app is on one page.
MeetDrop
Filing under The NAMM Show 2027 · change
Their business card read
Natalie Vega
Owner
Copper Hollow Music
Company found
Music retail · 3 stores · Ohio
What you said
“Natalie from Copper Hollow Music, three stores in Ohio. Wants dealer pricing on the travel amp and two demo units for the lesson rooms before their spring order closes March 5.”
Saved · 0:09
On the floorTheir card for the spelling, one sentence for the rest. About ten seconds, then back to the aisle.
MeetDrop
What Natalie gets
Dealer pricing on the travel amp, as promised at NAMM
Hi Natalie,
Good to meet you at the booth this morning. Dealer pricing on the travel amp is attached, for all three stores.
I've put two demo units aside for your lesson rooms. Where should they ship so they land before your March 5 order?
Sam
EditSend
Before they reach the next boothThe email Natalie gets is written from what you said. It waits for your OK, or goes on its own if you switch that on.
MeetDrop
The NAMM Show 2027
Leads by show day
Thu28Fri29Sat30
Call them today
Natalie VegaCopper Hollow Music94
Owen PruittEastgate Worship Audio83
Walt SimmonsSimmons Lesson Studio76
The recap you fly home withLeads by show day, on The NAMM Show's own days, and who to call first.
Example screens. Natalie and the companies are invented; the show name and its days are The NAMM Show’s own.
6 facts about The NAMM Show, each with where it came from.
The 2027 NAMM Show lists Events January 26-30, 2027 and Exhibits January 28-30, 2027 at the Anaheim Convention Center.source
Exhibit hours are 10 am–6 pm on Thursday, January 28 and Friday, January 29, and 10 am–5 pm on Saturday, January 30.source
The NAMM Show is a business-to-business trade event for qualified professionals, and registration is subject to verification of eligibility.source
The 2026 edition had 1,650+ exhibitors representing 5,400+ brands.source
The 2026 edition had 60,000+ show attendees, including 8,670+ international attendees from 122 countries, regions and territories.source
New for 2027, the Percussion Showcase features top brands with live demos on the hour in Hall C.source
The NAMM Show 2027: questions people ask
When and where is The NAMM Show 2027?
The exhibits are January 28 – 30, 2027, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Exhibit hours: 10 am – 6 pm Thursday and Friday, 10 am – 5 pm Saturday. NAMM week starts earlier: education and events run January 26 to 30, so the Tuesday and Wednesday have summits and events but no exhibit floor.
Is The NAMM Show open to the public?
No. It is a business-to-business trade event for qualified professionals in music products, pro audio, entertainment technology, live event production, music education and related fields, and registration is verified. The She Rocks Awards on January 30 are a separate ticketed event, and NAMM says that one is open to the public.
How much does a NAMM Show badge cost?
It depends how you come in. Member companies get a badge allotment, set by membership tier or booth size, and invite staff and guests, free or discounted if the invitations go out by January 6, and $75 each after that. An individual membership is $150 a year and includes a badge. Badges are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Where do I pick up my NAMM Show badge?
Badge Will Call is in Hall E and the Arena from Tuesday, January 26, and in Car Park 1 from 7 AM on Thursday, January 28. Exhibitors use the ACC Box Office C/D in front of the building, from 1 PM on Monday, January 25, until Wednesday evening. Media pick up on Level 4 of the Hilton.
Where should I stay for The NAMM Show?
In NAMM's official block, booked through EventSphere. Starting rates run from $189 to $357, and the nearest hotels on its list are the Hilton Anaheim, the Anaheim Marriott and the Westin Anaheim. To avoid losing a two-night deposit, cancel by 11:59 PM on January 7, 2027.
How much is parking at The NAMM Show?
$25 per entry at every lot: Car Parks 1, 4 and 5 at the convention center, Toy Story, and Garden Walk, where you need a validation to get that rate. Overnight parking is not allowed, and cars left after 2 AM are cited or towed.
How big is The NAMM Show?
NAMM counted 60,000+ attendees at the 2026 edition, including 8,670+ international attendees from 122 countries, regions and territories, and 1,650+ exhibitors representing 5,400+ brands. Exhibitors and brands are different counts: one exhibitor can carry many brands.
How should exhibitors follow up with buyers after The NAMM Show?
The same day, with what each buyer asked for. A badge scan hands you their registration details, not the dealer pricing or the demo unit you promised them. MeetDrop writes the email from one sentence you say after the visitor walks away, and it waits for your OK before it goes.
