The NAMM Show Takes Home the Gold at Trade Show Executive's 2025 Gold 100 Awards

The NAMM Show Receives the Highest Honors for Fastest-Growing Retail Show and Staying Connected Awards

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants), the largest global non-profit music trade organization, received the highest honors from the annual Trade Show Executive (TSE) Gold 100 Awards & Summit. The association won two highly competitive Grand Awards, the Fastest-Growing Gold 100 Retail Show in 2024 and Staying Connected Award, both highlighting shows that set the gold standard for the industry in 2024. 

Held Oct. 14-17 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and spotlighting the 100 largest and most distinguished trade shows of 2024 in the U.S., the Gold 100 brought together more than 200 show organizers and vendors to celebrate the successes of the last year and discuss the event industry's most significant trends. The TSE Gold 100 Awards & Summit culminated at the Awards Gala, where the coveted Grand Award winners were announced — with this year's winners representing the biggest and brightest shows that set the gold standard of excellence in a variety of categories. 

NAMM took home the gold for fastest-growing retail show, recognizing The NAMM Show as the largest bounce-back of a retail-focused event in the U.S.

Also, the influencer and content-creator community has been one of The NAMM Show's fastest-growing segments in the last two years. Receiving the TSE Staying Connected Award solidifies NAMM's commitment to this ever-growing segment of show attendees.

"The NAMM Show is dedicated to serving our global retail audience while creating massive brand demand with our influencer audience," said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. "Winning these awards for two incredibly vital audiences demonstrates that The NAMM Show is truly the leader and visionary in adding value to the industry we serve."

The 2026 NAMM Show will celebrate NAMM's 125th anniversary, along with 50 years in the city of Anaheim. Held January 20-24, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center, the world's largest music products trade show will feature five days of incredible education, live concerts and special events, alongside three days of extraordinary exhibits and brand activations from January 22-24. This 2026 event marks a historic milestone for the entire music products industry.

The NAMM Show gathers tens of thousands of professionals from more than 125 countries, including manufacturers, retailers, educators, artists, industry professionals and innovators across the musical spectrum. In 2026, attendees can expect expanded programming and immersive experiences as well as NAMM hosting the newly rebranded NAMM Retail Awards (formerly the NAMM Dealer Awards) which celebrate excellence in music retail from NAMM's global membership.

New this year, NAMM has launched an online dashboard to serve as the central hub for NAMM members and NAMM Show attendees to update their profiles and streamline the registration process. Get started at: dashboard.namm.org.

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)