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April 2008
Best Practies: Unlikely collaborators
INPEX hosts an inventors’ pavilion at Housewares show for exhibitors from its event
By Heather Kirkwood
Where some might have seen competition, the INPEX Invention and New Products Exposition and the International Home and Housewares Show saw compatibility and partnership. And what started seven years ago as a large booth purchased by INPEX, has blossomed into a pavilion where more than 40 inventors of housewares products gather to show off their genius and their gadgets to the home and housewares market. For the inventors, it means exposure. For the International Home and Housewares Show, produced by the International Housewares Association at McCormick Place in Chicago, it’s a way to promote innovation, generate excitement and capture media interest.
“This really is a win, win deal for both shows,” says Jennifer Lawlor, Director of Corporate Development with The Invention Companies — INPEX, InventHelp and Intromark. “Our average inventor wouldn’t be able to afford a booth at the show, and if they did, they’d likely get lost amid all the other exhibitors.” This way, Lawlor says, she can help INPEX customers access a new market and learn whether they’re really ready to sell their products at this level.
INPEX purchases the exhibit space from the Housewares Show — about 3,000 square feet — then resells it to exhibitors from its show. To reduce the cost for smaller inventors, INPEX sells half booths, or 5 X 10s. “Our exhibitors are everyday people. We can’t charge an unreasonable price. But we make enough to cover our expenses.”
The pavilion is completely managed by INPEX. Carpet, tables and chairs are provided — exhibitors are responsible for ordering anything beyond that.
INPEX offers a number of value-added benefits to participants in the Inventors Corner. One of them is the ability to participate in the “Inventors Review,” an American Idol-style competition held adjacent to the pavilion. Judges come from home shopping networks and infomercial and catalog companies. Each inventor gets five minutes to present their invention to the “experts,” and they’re given feedback about how they could either improve the product, or their presentation, to help the product find a market. INPEX offers exhibitors a course on site before the contest to hone their presentation skills. The contest is a popular attraction with Housewares attendees.
“I’ve really got to hand it to the Housewares Show for being so open-minded as to work with us on this pavilion. They could have seen us as competition, but instead, they’ve always been openminded, which has allowed us to create mutually beneficial opportunities,” says Lawlor.
Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator for the International Housewares Association, producers of the show, says that supporting the Inventors Corner is not only good for the show, it fits with the mission of the association. “It’s our job to promote innovation in our industry,” she says. “We have a number of design competitions, sessions on industrial design and academic contests for students studying design. This is just an extension of that.”
The show’s public relations team also enjoys promoting new inventors to the industry. “Everyone loves these stories — it’s the American dream — some mom and pop inventing something great in their basement. It has a lot of appeal,” says Matranga.
The 2008 Inventors Corner has a waiting list of 10, and Lawlor says the success of the program has spurred a similar pavilion launching with the Toy Industry Association’s Toy Fair. “It’s a concept that can extend to many industries,” she says.
Heather Kirkwood is Senior Editor of EXPO. She can be reached at 913-344-1376, or e-mail: hkirkwood@red7media.com.
Goal: Provide housewares inventors — INPEX exhibitors — with exposure for their ideas.
Objective: Create partnerships within other industries to provide inventors with opportunities beyond those available at INPEX’s own event.
Strategy: Launch a pavilion at the International Home and Housewares Show that would be economical for small inventors and group them together so they benefit from collective marketing efforts.
Tactics: Also hold the Inventors Review, an American Idol-style contest that not only allows inventors to get constructive feedback, but also generates a buzz for the pavilion.
Results: A successful pavilion with a wait list for participation, and plans for a second pavilion at the Toy Fair.
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