How NAMM Hit 92% App Activation Running Its Fly-In Event on One Platform

When the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) brings its members to Washington for the annual Fly-In event, the stakes are high, and the margin for error is thin. Delegates travel in from across the country for a packed advocacy event built around Congressional meetings, a Hill Day photo on the Capitol steps, and a tightly run schedule.

This was NAMM's 5th year using Swapcard and its 2nd year running registration through the event app as one connected system. For NAMM, success comes down to operational ease: fewer logins, fewer handoffs between departments, and a platform one app manager could build, configure, and update. Meanwhile the broader NAMM operations and marketing teams focused on logistics, delegate support, and onsite execution.

Goal: Run a complex national advocacy event with a lean team, with the app as the operational backbone that provides support and stability.

The team focused on:

• Consolidating registration and the event app into one connected system
• Cutting down logins and cross-department handoffs
• Engaging delegates via the app before and during the event
• Making onsite operations like communications seamless

The Fly-In event is not a simple event to operate. It spans 9 ticket types, VIP delegates from all 50 states, and a full slate of Congressional meetings and special events to coordinate. As the lead, Claire Kreger-Boaz, NAMM’s Associate Director of Policy, is responsible for ensuring everything for the Fly-In runs smoothly, from registration to the post-event survey. On the Swapcard Platform, she built the event, set up registration in the app, monitored analytics, and managed most of the updates. For years, that complexity had meant juggling multiple platforms to keep everything aligned.

"All of those elements just make it really easy because you don't have several different logins that have to be cross-checked constantly. Swapcard made it really easy to be efficient and to remain connected to our delegates in real time."

Solution

Swapcard became the single system behind registration, content, communications, and onsite operations.

1. Registration was built directly into the app, so cancellations and ticket-type changes happened in one place with no separate tool to manage.
2. The 9 ticket types were mapped directly to the categories printed on badges, exporting cleanly with no manual re-import.
3. Claire was able to build the entire app setup, coordinating with NAMM's operations and marketing teams for the broader event. The framework carried over from year to year, making each cycle faster than the last.

Key initiatives

Registration and the event app in a single system

Registration set the operational foundation for the entire event. Consolidating everything into a single platform meant NAMM could build, manage, and update the experience without switching tools.

"Operationally, the biggest pro for Swapcard right now is the integration of paid registration with the content,the app, and the delegates, and having all that information connected in one place. It makes it a one-stop shop for all of the functions that we need for the event."

In-app registration was a deliberate choice.

"I love that registration was built directly into the app. It made managing various functions very easy. If people needed to add a guest, cancel their registration, or if I needed to send them a different registration type, it was all seamlessly possible."

That registration data flowed straight into onsite operations, with the 9 ticket types mapping directly to badge categories:

"These are literally the terms we use on our badges: NAMM Delegate, NAMM Guest, NAMM Speaker, NAMM Staff. So it makes that really easy when you export."

A communication engine, not just an inbox

With registration in place, NAMM used the platform as its primary communications channel, getting delegates comfortable with the app from the very first touchpoint.

"Instead of sending Outlook emails with information, we decided to do it through Swapcard so people would get in the habit of seeing and clicking whatever the call to action was. The goal was to get them familiar with and engaging frequently with the app."

The payoff showed up onsite for the Hill Day photo. It was raining on the day of the planned Capitol steps group photo, so a real-time push notification went out to delegates telling them where to go instead. Everybody got the message, regrouped indoors, and the photo still happened. Across the event, 14 push notifications kept a complex day on track.

Those communications, running through the platform rather than isolated inboxes, made the advocacy mission possible:

• 92% app activation across registered delegates
• Open rates of 72–85% across the email campaign
• A registration confirmation email had a 74% open rate, turning the first touchpoint into an app driver

Self-sufficient by design

For a lean team managing a multi-department event, operational independence in the platform was the biggest win.

"It enabled me to have more flexibility in my timeline because it was so user-friendly, and I could build and update very quickly because I was able to just duplicate the event settings over from last year."

Updates can be made quickly and directly, without added process or turnaround time. And because the framework carries over year to year: 

"We plan on using Swapcard again for the Fly-In. It's actually a benefit to the company overall that it's something I can manage that doesn't pull time from other people and departments."— Claire, Associate Director of Public Policy, NAMM

Results

The Fly-In numbers tell the story of a high-impact advocacy event run with remarkable simplicity by the team already in place.

Advocacy impact was the mission:

• Delegates from all 50 states mobilized through one connected platform
• 126 registrations across 9 ticket types, managed end-to-end by one app manager

Engagement ran high across every touchpoint:

• 92% app activation across registered delegates
• 72–85% open rates across the email campaign
• 74% open rate on the registration confirmation email

These metrics show one app manager successfully coordinating delegates from all 50 states, and a managing a live Hill Day pivot—all from a single platform.