NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) opened its 2011 Summer NAMM music products trade show today at the Nashville Convention Center, welcoming more than 400 global music products manufacturers who will exhibit their newest products and latest innovations to retail buyers from all over the world today through Saturday.

More than 11,000 music products industry professionals from 30+ countries are expected to attend 2011 Summer NAMM to view the latest musical instruments and products from exhibiting companies.

The show is expected to generate an estimated $13 million in tourism revenue to the local economy.

The typically trade-only event is also opening its doors to the public for "Wanna Play Music Day" this Saturday, July 23 for the second year in a row, providing musicians and music buffs a rare opportunity to sneak a peak at the new instruments, music-making technologies, and pro audio and lighting equipment yet to hit retail stores. The day is also filled with valuable music-making workshops and education sessions for musicians, and a presentation and book signing by former N.Y. Yankee baseball legend and Latin-GRAMMY®-nominated guitarist Bernie Williams. Tickets to attend Saturday's "Wanna Play Music Day" are available for $20 at: http://www.namm.org/summer/2011/wannaplay.

Highlights of "Wanna Play Music Day" will include:

• An opportunity for musicians to bring in a CD of their best original song to have the Editor-In-Chief of Guitar Player magazine listen to it and consider the song for inclusion on a "Wanna Play Music Day" compilation CD produced by Guitar Player Records
• Guitar Player magazine's "Guitar Superstar" event featuring five Guitar Superstar finalists from this year's online competition who will battle it out in front of a panel of celebrity judges (tickets available onsite to attend this special event)
• Valuable workshops and educational sessions for musicians and promising musicians in the categories of Technology, Musicians and Pro Audio. Session topics include "Learning the Basics of Garage Band," "Get More Gigs!" and "Building the Professional Demo Studio"
• A master clinic with Dick Boak of Martin Guitars, who will present "The Evolution of the American Guitar"
• Exciting musical events including the eleventh annual World's Fastest Drummer competition and hands-on drum and ukulele circles
• A NAMM Foundation Lounge featuring live acoustic performances

To view a complete schedule of Saturday's sessions, visit: http://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/2011-summer-namm-public-day-session-schedule-annou.

Summer NAMM is dedicated to the local community music dealer and emphasizes educational sessions, which are tailored specifically to help them be more successful. The show also offers the opportunity for retailers to meet with their vendors in a more relaxed environment compared to the high-energy, global gathering of more than 90,000 at the NAMM Show, which is held in January at the Anaheim Convention Center.

NAMM will fill all three days of Summer NAMM with free, information-packed, how-to sessions held right on the show floor (booth #837) every 30 minutes. Taught by industry professionals who have first-hand knowledge about the challenges music products retailers face, the sessions will include how-to information on building buzz for businesses, creative ways to drive new customers into music stores, and how getting involved in community events can help businesses. For more information about the daily sessions, visit http://www.namm.org/summer/2011/namm-u-grid.

In addition, "House of Worship Sessions" will be presented on Thursday and Friday in room 102 in the convention center, catering to the musical needs of churches and houses of worship. For more information, visit: http://www.namm.org/summer/2011/how-sessions.

This year, the show will feature NAMM's inaugural "Top 100 Best Dealer Awards" event, honoring the nation's most progressive and innovative music product retailers. Through this program, NAMM encourages retailers to share best practices to help build businesses and grow the market of music makers. To view details about the event and a list of Top 100 Best Dealers, visit http://www.namm.org/summer/2011/articles/congratulations-top-100.

Each day, the show kicks off at 8 a.m. with an educational breakfast session at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel to offer attendees insightful information about the industry.

The show kicked off this morning with "The NAMM Retail Summit," featuring NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviewing Robin Lewis, co-author of the current best-selling book "The New Rules of Retail: Competing In the World's Toughest Marketplace," about the future of retailing. Following the interview, Lewis will offer real-world advice to a select group of NAMM Member retailers dealing with the rapid changes in music products retailing.

Friday's breakfast session will highlight "The Top 10 Web Marketing Trends and How to Use Them," and on Saturday morning attendees are invited to see the "Best In Show: This Year's Hottest Products," at the breakfast session hosted by Music Inc. publisher Frank Alkyer and a panel of retail buyers, media and gear enthusiasts. All of the best merchandise, ideas and trends at this year's show will be revealed to attendees.

"NAMM is looking forward to welcoming more than 1,000 Member companies from the global music products industry to Nashville," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. "Business in general, and retailing in particular is changing at a pace unheard of only a few short years ago, and we believe that by coming together for three days of networking, education and camaraderie NAMM Members will emerge stronger and better prepared to succeed in the future."

Independent retailers who continue to attend the annual summer event say they are using their connections and learning opportunities from the show to better their businesses.

"Summer NAMM 2011 will be our third NAMM show," said Scott Cook, owner of Sarasota Guitar Company in Florida.  "We are looking forward to reconnecting with vendors, sourcing new lines and, of course, taking advantage of the learning and networking opportunities that NAMM shows are famous for. Only two years in business, Sarasota Guitar Company has become the top-selling guitar store in southwest Florida with annual sales exceeding the $1 million mark. The vast resources we have enjoyed as a NAMM member have certainly contributed to our success."

This year's Summer NAMM event will feature more than 80 new exhibitors.

"We're looking forward to exhibiting with some of the most talented music product makers around the world at Summer NAMM, and showing folks what great styles and sounds we can produce using re-purposed woods," said "Boot" Arreola of first-time Summer NAMM exhibiting company B.A. Ferguson Guitars in South Carolina. "It's going to be a blast!"

Long-time Summer NAMM exhibitors are also gearing up to display their company's newest products.

"We're pleased to go to Summer NAMM to engage our dealers and to launch the Jupiter 80 and the Micro BR BR-80," said Paul Youngblood, vice president of BOSS and guitar products for Roland. "For Roland and BOSS, our specific focus at this show is guitar products. We are also looking forward to participating in Wanna Play Music Day."

In addition to the many industry activities at the show, there will also be scheduled artist appearances held at exhibitors' booths. To view a listing of daily appearances, visit http://www.namm.org/summer/2011/events/wednesday.

2011 Summer NAMM runs through Saturday, July 23, at the Nashville Convention Center. For more information on all of the events taking place at Summer NAMM, visit  http://www.namm.org/summer/2011.

About NAMM

NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

SOURCE National Association of Music Merchants