A Guide to the UIA’s Inventor’s Spotlight
National Hardware Show
May 4 – 6, Las Vegas

By Patrick Raymond

UIALogoNewAs the Great Recession continues, changes continue apace at retailers and manufacturers. You’ve probably noticed it, and I call it the Great Revamp, whereby entire product categories and lines are retooled and rethought … usually toward smaller, simpler, more ecological and more valuable items better suited to today’s economic realities. As an inventor, I’ve never been more optimistic, because this is our time!

The United Inventors Association considers industry trade shows to be a superb way to get into the often impenetrable world of manufacturing and retail.

So, the UIA has renewed and deepened its partnership with the National Hardware Show, one of the biggest annual trade shows in the world, gathering more than 2,800 consumer products companies at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Inventor’s Spotlight is for inventors with products that bring new, unique and original solutions to today’s homeowner. This year, the UIA focused the program to reward innovation and get inventors ready for retail.

5 Award Categories

The UIA’s judging panel will once again recognize merit in five categories. Retail buyers and licensing executives often give a closer look if an inventor has earned special merit:

Best New Product

Most Eco-Friendly

Best Business Potential

Best for Simplicity

Best Booth Presentation

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Pitch to Faultless, makers of the Garden Weasel

The Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company is seeking new inventions for the mass market. As the Inventor’s Spotlight sponsor, Faultless will visit each exhibitor and film footage that will be shown privately to their top product-development executives. They’ve been working with inventors for more than 30 years, after discovering Garden Weasel in the mid 1970s. Since then, Faultless has sold millions of lawn and garden tools and other hardware products.

If you feel ready to exhibit at the 2010 Inventor’s Spotlight here are some simple tips:

–       Register early. Floor space is scarce. Get a good spot.

–       Be prepared. Have at least patent-pending status with a working prototype or demo.

–       Be professional. Try to have market research and plenty of business cards. Dress up.

–       Be open. Don’t ask visitors to sign an NDA. If you are ready for retail, then securing your IP rights is something you did well beforehand.

–       Use the buddy system. Never leave your booth unattended. Some retail buyers operate incognito, and you never know who will stop by, or when.

–       Plan to walk the floor. Whether you want to license your invention, or manufacture it yourself, you need to know your industry – potential competition, category specifics, new trends in design and shifting consumer tastes. So walk and learn. It’s worth it.

–       Accept feedback. Most industry experts, salespeople and fellow inventors — not to mention the retail buyers themselves – genuinely want to help you succeed. Their feedback belongs to you. Take it. Use it. Improve your invention. It’s real advice.

–       Have fun. Stay positive. Make contacts. Be patient. Don’t expect instant success. Collect business cards. Smile. And follow-up after the show. The best inventors are the most focused and perseverant.

If you are not quite ready to exhibit yet, the UIA has something new for you: Get Ready for Retail” … a pre-show seminar on May 3. This new program is for all levels. For first-time inventors especially, don’t let you invention stay stuck in the “idea-only” phase. The UIA has tapped its network of Certified Pros to find inventor-friendly experts for a full-day educational seminar. It’s free for all Inventor’s Spotlight exhibitors, and only $295 for the general public. Representatives from top national retailers and manufacturers will also be on hand to offer simple, practical advice on what it takes to get ready for retail. Remember … it takes more than a sellsheet. The UIA created “Get Ready for Retail” to encourage everyday inventors and help get serious consideration by retailers and manufacturers.

To book a booth at the Inventor’s Spotlight ($1,995) or to buy a badge for Get Ready for Retail seminar by the UIA ($295), contact John Lederer at [email protected] or (203) 840-5381

Patrick Raymond is an inventor, executive director of the United Inventors Association (www.uiausa.org) and founder of the Inventors Association of Manhattan (www.Manhattan-Inventors.org).

Editor’s note: This article appears in the April 2010 print edition.