INPEX® Exhibitors Attend ERA Invention Showcase
This year, the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) launched a program called "Celebrating America's Inventiveness" at INPEX 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The goal of the program was to bring 75 new products from around the country to their annual convention and to educate inventors on how to patent, promote, present and try to find channels to bring their products to market.
All INPEX exhibitors and attendees were invited to attend a seminar titled, "How to Present Your Product to Electronic Retailers." Eileen Simms, President of Infotainment Media and Chair of the ERA's 2005 Invention Showcase Committee, led the seminar and offered advice to inventors seeking to present their ideas to the electronic retailing industry.
During the show, pre-selected inventors were invited by the ERA to present their ideas to a panel of TV marketing professionals who shared their insight and offered feedback. More than 20 INPEX inventors were then invited to attend the ERA Invention Showcase, which was held September 19-21 in Las Vegas. According to the ERA Web site, products were chosen based on overall presentation and feasibility relating to five categories: Long Form TV (infomercials), Short Form Spots (TV), Radio, Live Shopping and Print/Catalog. The ERA required that products selected either have a patent or be patent-pending; have a trademark for names. Also, the owners could not have any conflicting, pre-existing marketing relationships.
Terri Newton was one of the 20 INPEX exhibitors who was chosen to attend the ERA Invention Showcase. "INPEX was my first [trade] show. It really gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of different people and make a lot of contacts." One of the contacts Newton met at INPEX was Karen Hyman, president of Live Shop TV. "Karen reviewed my product and gave me some suggestions about how to improve it for the ERA show."
Newton implemented the changes and exhibited her product, the Purse Pleaser, in Las Vegas. "It was exciting to be there with the other inventors and have the chance to move my product into the next stage of development." Newton's product was one of 11 inventions accepted for programming. She also tied another INPEX exhibitor, Carrie Jeske, inventor of the Sport Shade, for the Best Potential Live Shopping Product Award.
QVC has ordered 3250 units of the Purse Pleaser, which will appear on the shopping channel in February or March of 2006.
Read more on the ERA New Product Showcase from Electronic Retailer Magazine.
2005 Invention Showcase Award Winners & Previous INPEX Exhibitors
Best Potential Print/Catalog Product
Sport Shade
Inventor: Carrie Jeske
Best Potential Radio Product
First Escape
Inventor: James Acevedo
Best Potential Live Shopping Product – Tie!
Purse Pleaser
Inventor: Terry Newton
Sport Shade
Inventor: Carrie Jeske
