Electronic Retailing Association Panel to Present at INPEX® Inventors University
On Thursday, June 9th from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon as part of INPEX Inventors University, Eileen Simms, U.S. Chair of the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) New Product Showcase Committee, and President of Infotainment Media, will present her seminar "How to Pitch Your Product to Electronic Retailers".
During her seminar, Simms will teach inventors how to prepare for the ERA's Product Review Seminar, share the three key elements to making a presentation and discuss the New Product Showcase. Simms has been involved with the ERA for the past 11 years and in addition to being chair of the New Product Showcase, she has been chair of their Media Council Steering Committee. With over fifteen years experience in advertising, Simms has a wealth of knowledge, contacts, and expertise in the areas of media buying, media planning, ad sales and product placement.
Simms' seminar is a good way to prepare for its companion session, ERA's Product Review Seminar, which will be held Friday, June 10th, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The Product Review will give exhibitors the opportunity to actually present their ideas to a panel of industry professionals for comments and feedback. "Since the inception of the program, we have educated hundreds of inventors and exposed them to [numerous] opportunities," says Simms.
The ERA is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for major companies who use the power of electronic media to sell goods and services to the public. "Our membership consists of the 'who's who' in electronic retailing and direct response advertising, such as QVC, HSN, ShopNBC, Guthy Renker, American Telecast and Fitness Quest," says Simms.
The ERA panel is made up of judges with experience in the fields of infomercials and home shopping. These judges will give exhibitors feedback on their ideas and a chance to exhibit at the invitation-only ERA New Product Showcase in Las Vegas. This pavilion is part of the larger ERA Annual Conference & Exposition. Held in Las Vegas in September, it is the only trade show and exhibition devoted exclusively to direct response retail sales.
Former INPEX exhibitor, Kurt Kirckoff, met with the ERA Product Review Panel when he exhibited his invention, a children's game called "Going-Going Crazy" in 2001. He was surprised to hear what they thought of his idea. "They told me the colors were all wrong for children — that they needed to be softer," he said. Still, he was given an invitation to attend the Showcase in Las Vegas, and he changed the colors before he attended. "I won the Best Short Form product award, and that really gave me the confidence to keep going," he said. "I left the ERA's Annual Conference armed with the right information." Going-Going Crazy is currently being sold in 46 Wal-Marts and specialty stores in 17 states and Canada, as well as toysRus.com.
While most inventors attending the panel may not have the same experience as Kirckoff, attending the seminars can be useful to anyone considering using electronic retailing to market their products.
Simms' seminar "How to Pitch Your Product to Electronic Retailers" will be held Thursday, June 9th from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon. The ERA's Product Review Seminar will be held Friday, June 10th, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Both seminars are being offered as a part of INPEX Inventors University. For more information, call (888) 54-INPEX.
