Loved meeting Stacey wish I had more time with her . Also met a old En friend that made a big effort to drive to Vegas to meet me . We Had food and had a real good chat.This person is a real inspiration to me and I feel I have made a real quality friend in the us. It’s no often you get to meet people that are real nice guys.

Had the pleasure to meet Michael at his boot I sayed do you like diving . He replyed yes . I saw the little cogs going round in his head and he sayed it’s David . Nice to meet you Michael . Good luck with the show. He was laughing at me because could not tell him my booth number. That’s me light on but no ones at home.

Eric I am not shaw how long you are in vegas for but it would be good to have a bear with you . You may understand me better with beer . I am a little zonked again need to get some zzzz I will try and call you.
Dave

I just spent time in David’s booth. We had a great conversation. He was a little hard to understand. He says he is from UK, but I think he is Australian (jk, David). While I was in his booth Home Depot visited and were asking a lot if questions…go David! He is the real thing…a regular guy working in a trade who has the knack to identify opportunities…with an inventive mind to create brilliant products to meet those needs. Keep up the hard work David and the whole US is not like Las Vegas.

That place is so big I was having a bit of a wander round after we had got set up and I got lost at one point I was within two stand off mine and I turned away . I have the choice of remembering my room number or stand number room number won . Thanks Kevin for the help.i spent half the time making the security gard laught . I think I need an interpreter as you guy think I am Australian . I told my partner that he can do the speaking part and I will be egor demo and say yes master that should work. I will be nice to see you Eric now I better iron my shirt 2.30 am lol sweet dreams guys.

Eric,this thread may be a good one to keep tabs on at the show, as well as David’s Making Things Happen…I think he said booth 6662 in this thread, but I committed it to memory before I started posting this reply so I can’t guarantee the accuracy.

http://www.edisonnation.com/forums/selling/topi...

David, what is your booth #?

The show looks fully book now i think i have a booth next to Willy Wonka . That candy smell should work to my advantage.
This month is flying.

This is starting to get interesting guys

O.K., very useful comments too Scott… if you’re going to take a booth then the expectation is that you have product to sell and licensing deals aren’t the first consideration… or you can walk the floor as an individual and try non-pressure networking as Eric suggested, seeking out those companies which might be interested in licensing.

I didn’t get a licensing deal out of it. Dorman, Blitz and Frost King were very interested and we talked quite a few times. Home Depot needed to sign on though for Dorman to pick it up. Bad year… and movin forward. I’m closer to distributing on a national level and the retailers like Costco, Big Lots, Home Hardware, big r, Burbank, Prager, Page, Jerry’s, Northern, SC Johnson, Summit, Sunbelt…. the list goes on, they all stopped and left their cards if I ever went national.

I dropped quite a few names, but the point being that inventors/entrepenuers with a good product and display will get the attention of buyers. Before attending a show like this, I strongly suggest that you have financial backers and an intent to go into business. I went there too soon and to go today would not be a good idea without being ready to sell large quantites and fulfill immediately.

Finding a licensor there… it could happen, but I think it’s a lot easier to find a customer.

Helpful replies Eric and David. I know when I imported products and had trade show booths as a wholesaler I was approached by a variety of people with all sorts of requests and I just rolled with it as part of the “trade show experience”. As an inventor now there’s that duality of putting yourself forward, but not wanting to annoy the key players in my product catagory.

Scott, were any of your products picked up for licensing deals at the ’09 NHS?

I attended the NHS in 2009. I set a booth in New Product World and the main booth (a double) in the Central hall. I made it clear that this was available for licensing on all the marketing material. I wanted to get over to the inventor section but they were sold out (plus they were less expensive to display there). I didn’t get any grief, but I also had a better looking booth than a lot of others. We had a great time, a great show, and because of a nice booth, a lot of the booths next to us appreciated the foot traffic that stopped.

Good approach Eric .

I do these shows all the time and have had good luck finding licensees. I rarely if ever speak about specifics to those in the booth. Rather I ask if they accept new product submissions from outside individuals and if so do they have a process in place to evaluate. I give them a card and ask for a person to contact a week or so after the show.

Some may react badly I did that once it did not go down well with some people. They have paid big bucks to have a booth and the right to pitch . Think they have a point but some people are more forgiving than others. Thiers a time and a place for everything .

Taking this thread back to the National Hardware Show, I wonder how people running the booths feel about inventors introducing themselves (and their products?) during the Show. Seems like a great opportunity to put a “name to an invention” as it were and meet upper management. Anyone have any experience or thoughts?

it’s a deal i am in the chair. Remember work hard play hard . I don’t drink much i normally spill most of it.

Thats me. This could be dangerous, Ive got lots of underwater stories and love beer. Oh yeah, its Vegas too. good thing I have to work.

Mike i like to make bubbles is that you on your avatar. Glad you are doing well Mike look forward to buying you a cold beer if we get time.

Yes David, you can still make in the USA with the right product. My masks are in a niche, and are so different than what is on the market that I dont have any real competition. Its when you have a commodity type item, or a common product that you really get so beat up on price. I love the responsiveness, ease of communication, quality, and low shipping charges that my USA manufacturer has!

Stop by the booth!

Eric – I’ll be busy setting up that day, youre right. Maybe that evening if I get a chance, I am a member. See you then.

Mike

Hi Michael
it’s a good feeling saying made in your country look forward to seeing you and your products.

I also look forward to meeting you. You may have a lot to do on exhibitor set-up day, but if you are able there is a great inventor day of activities on the Monday.

I look forward to meeting you Micheal at the Hardware show! There is quite a lot to learn about this business instead of sitting behind the computer all the time! Jerry

I have a booth there (#3846 – Made in USA section). It is for my core product, that I didn’t go the licensing route with – www.breathehealthy.com. I’d love to meet up with some EN’ers, since I wont know a soul there. Stop by the booth, I can tell you about the joys of bringing a product to market yourself!!!

Mike

Waved by by to my pallet today it’s on its way to the US to the NHS show. This month will fly i am Shaw.

David, I just sent you my personal contact info

Not got it Eric I also look forward to meeting a fellow inventor from the us. I also just found out that the inventor of the Thingamejig has a booth at the show. Now he is s perfectionist. I will after start practicing my ausi twang.

Betsy more the merrier throw a sicky. Tell them you have slipped and have got a broken flask .
Tea is very important to us British workers.

Wish I was going to be there!!!!

David, I just sent you my personal contact info. I look forward to meeting you.

Small world and a nice surprise
Just found out that i have a uk trading partner at the show. This man is a Great guy Eric you would like Neil he is a sound bloke and he is doing the Cologne show in Germany first .

That’s true Eric; In fact we have the inventor area in the show and host the FREE Inventor education seminar the day before the show starts. If you come to the seminar we will make sure you get a badge into the show. No worries.

Also, the Housewares show is only 6 weeks out – if you are attending any of the UIA product reviews (including the not even announced yet QVC buyers review…hint.. hint, wink, wink) or if you plan to attend the Q&A with Ron Popeil on that Sunday afternoon, you will need a badge so keep an eye out for UIA emails on how to get your name on that list.

Corey, I have always had a LLC company for my different business ventures. I never have trouble registering for trade-only shows using this. Are you a member of a local inventor’s group? I know of people who registered using this. You might also check with the United Inventors Association (UIA), they are usually very involved with this show.

How do I go about getting tickets? I’m not associated with a company or anything and last year when I tried to go they told me I had to be a vendor or a rep from some type of company. I would like to attend just to walk around and see what’s out there.

Great to see the UIA is presenting the seminar again. I found last year’s to be very informative, great speaker roster and incredible access to influential folks we need to know…I highly recommend attending.

If you are going to be at the NHS this year make sure you stop by and meet the 125 Inventors in the UIA Inventor Spotlight area. You can also attend the free UIA Inventor Education seminar the day before the show starts to listen, learn, and network.

Nice one Eric i look forward to Meeting you. I hope you like beer LOL

I registered for my show floor badge. Let’s try to meet up.

Hi Eric
Yes i am going to be there with a business partner. I hope to meet some interesting people. I just love tool and Tec shows i was blown away when i went to do the cologne tool show it was massive just like being a kid in a sweet shop. I was next to a British company called Everbuild that sold glues and sealants and met the MD also called David we got on and at the end they said if you want anything just take it . I never had to buy any sealants and glues for about a year. I also gave my products away. Great feeling and lots of card swopping.
Thanks for noticing my post Penster, I am telling a lot really and trying to protect myself at the same time, As Frank said allot of sharks out there and some people may mistake a dolphin for a shark .
Are you going to be their Eric!

Eric-

Depends on the outcome of one of my innovation submissions here: If EN doesn’t go with it than yes, I will most likely be there. I follow a few of the NHS scouts on Twitter and they have alot of contacts. Would be good to meet up with some fellow EN’rs as well!

Kelce I live in Pitt, I will be attending and walking around, I try to go every year. Good for you, I will try to stop in!

I’m not going to that one, but I am renting a booth at the INPEX invention exposition this June, in Pittsburg. I have reserved #444, which is right next to the Inventor Resource Center.

If anyone from here attends, please stop by my booth and identify yourself as someone from the EN community.

Hi Eric:

I think David Asgard is going. He posted in a topic “Making Things Happen” about a month ago. Maybe send him an email.

Just a little input for anyone interested i am coming over to do the Lass Vegas National Hardware show in May and I am looking forward to this and i have a lot to do in a short time as some products and props need to be shipped ahead of me. I am only in a small booth but if i get my pitching head on it will not matter. Not Shaw how many of my products i am bringing over yet but the Mg will be pitched the most. That debate will go on i feel if i am going to do the show i should take all the family. It’s only fair. It would be good to meet any one from EN if they are going to visit the show. I will be with a business partner so i hope he can keep up with my pace of adventure . Other things happening but i can only drip feed . Best wishes to all in 2012.