NAMM NeXT Europe 2026 Gathers Industry Leaders in Amsterdam to Shape the Future of the Global Music Industry

Executive-Level Summit to Focus on Leadership, Strategy and Actionable Industry Growth

CARLSBAD, Calif., March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants), the largest global non-profit music trade organization, has announced the return of NAMM NeXT Europe, an exclusive executive-level summit designed to unite leaders across the European music products, pro audio and live event technology industries. The 2026 event will take place June 10–11 at the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

For further information regarding attending, event sponsorship or speaking appearances at NAMM NeXT Europe, please visit https://next.namm.org/

Building on the momentum of its inaugural European gathering in 2025, NAMM NeXT Europe 2026 will gather forward-thinking leaders from across the region to connect, collaborate and drive meaningful industry growth through leadership development, peer-to-peer exchange and strategic dialogue.

"NAMM NeXT Europe is designed to bring together the leaders who are shaping what's next for our industry," said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. "By creating a space for open dialogue, shared learning and actionable outcomes, we are strengthening the foundation for long-term growth across the European and global music ecosystems."

The two-day summit will feature a highly curated agenda focused on emerging opportunities and critical business challenges. Attendees will engage in expert-led sessions, collaborative working groups and executive discussions aimed at delivering practical insights and measurable outcomes.

The program will open with a welcome reception, offering networking opportunities alongside remarks from NAMM leadership and event sponsors, followed by opening keynote presentations addressing the global state of the industry and NAMM's vision for "What's NeXT."

Key sessions will include:

• Economics, Trade and Tariffs: A deep dive into global economic trends and policy impacts affecting the music products industry, featuring a leading international economist.

• The Customer Purchasing Journey in 2026 and Beyond: Insights from an outside-the-industry expert exploring evolving consumer behavior, digital commerce and marketing strategies.

A cornerstone of NAMM NeXT Europe is its interactive track-based working-group format, designed to generate actionable outcomes. Each track will include an anchor session, facilitated discussions and a full-group report-out. Tracks for 2026 include:

• Commercial / Channel Insights (Distribution + Manufacturer): Focused on strengthening the commercial ecosystem and identifying opportunities for collaboration.

• Retail / Customer Engagement + Marketing Execution: Exploring modern retail strategies, customer engagement and conversion in a rapidly changing landscape.

• Live Sound / Live Events / Touring Trends: Translating insights from large-scale live event operators into opportunities for the broader music industry.

Each working group will produce a structured output, including key challenges, opportunities and a 90-day action plan with defined ownership and timelines, ensuring continued momentum beyond the event.

Additional programming will spotlight music education advocacy in Europe, featuring perspectives from leading organizations and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to support future music makers.

The event will conclude with outlining next steps, including how insights and action plans will be carried forward to drive industry-wide impact.

NAMM NeXT Europe remains a strategic investment in the global music industry, designed to elevate leadership, strengthen partnerships and address the most pressing issues facing the business today.

Following the success of the 2025 Brussels event — which brought together more than 60 leaders from top companies and associations across Europe — NAMM continues to expand the NeXT platform as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation.

About NAMM 

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $19.5 billion music products industry. NAMM is comprised of 10,000 global member companies and individual professionals with a global workforce of over 475,000 employees. NAMM events and members fund The NAMM Foundation's efforts to promote the pleasures and benefits of music and advance active participation in music-making across the lifespan. For more information about NAMM, please visit www.namm.org. 

SOURCE NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)