NAMM show 14 is less than two weeks away, and a few of you who read this might be going.
Before you go, you should go to NAMM’s web site and check out their Interactive Floor Plan.
Now I’ll be honest here, the interactive floor plan requires a relatively fast computer, probably won’t work on a smartphone at all, and there is a learning curve to figure out how to use this thing. But once you use it a little bit, it’s not too bad.
Bear in mind that NAMM is a huge event, and it’s nice that the event organizers do offer an online means of seeing what’s there before you go.
Here are a few tips to make the most out of the map.
Use the Exhibitor List first
The entire list of exhibitors is listed in alphabetical order and gives you all the information you need to know. Name of exhibitor, booth number and which hall they are located in.
Does double-clicking an exhibitor zoom in to their location? Yes, but there’s a catch. When you double-click, wait a few seconds because it will load the hall map and then zoom in. It does work, but it’s not instant.
Mark a few favorites, and print them
When you’re zoomed in, click the exhibitor, and another mini-window pops up. Click the star at top right to mark that exhibitor as a favorite.
Next to the favorites star icon is a print icon. When you’ve marked all the exhibitors you’re interested in checking out, just print the list.
Examine each hall
From the main page, each hall rotates around. Use your mouse to pick a hall and examine the one you want. Remember that each map has to load separately and it’s not instant. But once the map loads, you can browse around it normally.
NOT going to NAMM?
Even if you’re not going, I suggest checking out the map anyway and examining the exhibitor list. You’ll find many companies that make genuinely good stuff that you’ve probably never heard of before. Most if not all exhibitors do have their web site listed, so it’s worth checking out.
