ANAHEIM – It’s the place where rock stars can just be musicians.

They’ll wander the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center starting Thursday unfettered by their celebrity, checking out the latest custom-made instruments, synthesizers and other music-making equipment along with the other 96,000 invitees to the industry-exclusive NAMM Show.

“This is probably the one event where celebrities show up and don’t expect to be photographed because they’re here to check out the gear,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of the National Association of Music Merchants, which has gathered in Anaheim since 1978. “Many of them think of themselves as journeymen musicians who have studied their craft and just want to find that perfect instrument or piece of equipment to take them to the next stage of their career.”

Even though the general public isn’t allowed to slip past the velvet rope into the NAMM Show, the event’s presence is widely felt by generating about $91.5 million in annual economic impact from attendees who dine, shop and stay at hotels that tend to sell out in Anaheim, organizers said.

“People from around the world are here to do business,” Lamond said.

“Our attendees may dress a little different and look a little different, but at the end of the day they’re music-loving people,” he said. “We need to make sure that we provide a really good platform, and Anaheim does that by welcoming us.”

Among the diverse lineup of celebrities planning to show up is Stevie Wonder, who was dubbed the official mayor of the NAMM Show three years ago.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will discuss music and technology with Lamond during a session set for Saturday morning. That night, iconic guitarist Slash from Guns N’ Roses will be honored for his contributions to audio technology and production.

Others expected to make an appearance include funk legend George Clinton, electronica musician Moby, record producer Quincy Jones, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.

The NAMM Show is the largest event held every year at the Anaheim Convention Center, with 1,500 music-product exhibitors taking up nearly all 1.6million square feet of the facility’s available space.

And it’s poised to grow even more.

Construction is expected to begin in April on a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Convention Center, largely driven by supporters who said that mega-events and trade shows, such as the NAMM Show, needed more room to grow.

The $180million project, funded by lease revenue bonds sold by the city, will be completed by May 2017. Lamond said that the extra space will likely mean even more vendors, while also allowing NAMM to expand the trade show to include more music educators and instructors.

“NAMM already utilizes every square inch we have now and they’ve been ready to grow for several years,” said Jay Burress, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau.

“It’s nice to be able to tout that we’re the center of the music world for a week,” Burress said “It also lets us show off our capabilities as a convention destination.”

Along with filled hotel rooms, bustling restaurants and increased traffic anticipated around the Convention Center this week, NAMM is also making its presence felt in Anaheim by completing a day of service at the newly rebuilt John Marshall Elementary School.

Students will get to learn how to play guitars, drums and ukeleles from about 60 trade show attendees, culminating in an on-campus concert. The NAMM Foundation will also donate $5,000 and 12 guitars to the Anaheim City School District, which hired three full-time music instructors in 2014 for the first time in 20 years.

“This gives us an opportunity to visit music in a powerful way,” said Louie Magdaleno, principal at John Marshall Elementary.

“We know that music and performance really provides an exceptional learning avenue for our second-language learners and an opportunity for leadership development with our students,” Magdaleno said. “To see the students express themselves with something other than a pen or a pencil is a joy to watch.”

Contact the writer: 74-704-3769 or amarroquin@ocregister.com