60 Years iENA Nuremberg

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For four days from October 30 to November 2, 2008, the 60th iENA will once again be functioning as a hub of international invention/ The organisers are again expecting around 800 new product ideas and artful solutions to be on show at this year's international trade fair 'Ideas-Invention-New Products' exhibition/ An important forum for enabling free inventors to get in contact with licensees and exploiters/ High international participation: joint national stands from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Hungary, Iran, Korea, Malaysia, Russia and Taiwan have already been confirmed/ German inventors and young inventors will be well represented/ The Inventors' Symposium will be discussing the burning issue of product piracy/ Since its premiere in 1948, the Nuremberg inventors' exhibition has undergone huge growth.

Nuremberg – With around 800 inventions and product innovations from 34 countries, and trade visitors from 40 countries, last year's international trade fair iENA Nuremberg "Ideas-Inventions-New Products" exhibition, set a new record, once underlining more its impressive lead among the world's exhibitions for inventors. This year will be the 60th anniversary of the iENA, and the level of demand from inventors, as well as inventors' associations and institutions, means that record numbers are again being expected in this special anniversary year. Between October 30 and November 2, 2008, the iENA will turn the Nuremberg exhibition centre (Hall 12) into an international platform of invention, for four days. The first two days will be reserved for trade visitors, while on the last two days, the exhibition will also be open to the general public.

Anyone who is at all interested in marketing inventions, solutions and new product ideas will quickly realise that the iENA Nuremberg is an essential marketplace. The highly internationalised exhibition offers inventors from all over the world an ideal platform for free inventors to establish contacts with idea exploiters and licensees. Throughout its 60-year history, the iENA has functioned as a springboard into the market for many inventions and new products; indeed, many innovations that were first presented to the general public at the iENA Nürnberg subsequently went on to become marketing success stories. Inline skates, wheeled suitcases and folding bicycles are just a few examples of inventions that were first unveiled at the iENA Nürnberg.

Exhibition steering a course of success
On the 60th anniversary of the exhibition, the event's organisers, 'AFAG Messen und Ausstellungen', can look back at a long period of successful growth for the iENA. First held in 1948 as a small, regional new products show in Nuremberg, by the early 1950s, it was organised simultaneously with the Nuremberg consumer exhibition, 'Die Einkaufstasche', meanwhile known as 'Consumenta', and both events continue to run in parallel to this day. The iENA has successfully continued to expand its international standing over the years, and the number of inventions that it has exhibited has increased steadily from one year to the next. On the occasion of the event's 40th anniversary in 1988, a total of 320 inventions were on display, while by 2007, the number had risen to 800.

For all the free inventors and associations and organisations all over the world, the iENA has over the years grown into the most important of all the similar-minded trade events throughout the world. The inventors who make use of the presentation platform are not just interested in successfully marketing their ideas and designs. Many stands are also organised by relevant inventors' associations and organisations, which are on hand to provide inventors with a wealth of specialist information and qualified advice, on all aspects of inventive activity.

An important contact point for inventors at the iENA is the International Patent Information Centre, in which the German Patent and Brand Name Agency, the European Patent Agency, and several patent agencies from other European countries are represented. Both German and international inventors' associations, institutes of higher education, and technical universities, as well as the VDE, IHK, SIGNO and many other national and international institutions are available at the iENA, to provide inventors with advice on important matters.

High level of international representation – joint national stands reflect the activities of inventors from all over the world Numerous joint national stands will be granting specialist visitors to the iENA an interesting insight into the state of invention in many parts of the world. The many official representations from abroad are an impressive demonstration of the considerable technical and creative potential that goes into the development of solutions and new products. Confirmations of participation have already been received for joint national stands from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Hungary, Iran, Korea, Malaysia, Russia and Taiwan, and the organisers are expecting more official stands to join them by the time the exhibition begins.

Strong presence maintained by German inventors: clever solutions by young inventors
This year, one of the biggest contributors to the iENA will again be the joint stand of the German inventors' clubs. German inventors have for years enjoyed a top position in terms of patent applications. However, unlike the development departments of large businesses, it is difficult for free inventors, under their own steam, to finance the protracted period of development that an invention necessitates, not to mention the attendant patent application and not least the marketing activities. No state support or official funding is available to assist them in their creative efforts. Yet free inventors make an important contribution not only to our national economy but also to our international competitiveness.

Moreover, inventions by young people and people in training will also be playing a major role in this year's event; these will be presented at the iENA in special displays. Young people are our future, and it is therefore particularly important to promote technical and scientific skills among young people. The iENA has been active in this area, even acting as a role model, for many years, offering young people a highly respected international platform within a leading specialist trade show for invention.

Among the organisations taking care of the needs of young inventors in Germany are the nationwide SIGNO inventors' clubs, which serve to assist the next generation of inventors in their activities. Pupils at the Maristengymnasium School in Fürstenzell (Lower Bavaria) are also given instruction in the field of invention. The 'Jugend kreativ' project has been running there for a number of years. The creative potential of young people at the school is systematically promoted, and pupils are given the chance to work on their own inventions. These have proven to be extremely fruitful, and have frequently amazed even seasoned experts for their smartness and originality. Another example is the 'Azubi forscht' project, which is run by the company, Pfleiderer AG, in which young trainees in the company become actively engaged in the field of invention. Some of the best ideas produced by trainees at Pfleiderer are on display at the iENA. Last but not least, prize-winners of the successful 'Jugend forscht' initiative will be presenting some of their best ideas at the iENA.

From Low Tech to High Tech
For the majority of the inventions presented at the iENA, this will be the first time anywhere in the world that they are on display to the general public. It is not least for this reason that the Nuremberg inventors' exhibition can always be guaranteed to generate considerable media interest, year in year out.

The range of the inventions presented stretches from low tech to high tech, and takes in product developments from such diverse fields as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, leisure activities, hobbies, sports, automobile engineering and accessories, medical engineering, medicines and cosmetics, environmental protection, office equipment, IT, electronics, communications engineering, chemicals, advertising and graphic design, and agriculture.

It is unfortunate that the work done by free inventors is rarely appreciated, and often underestimated, by the public at large. However, it is a fact that the technical understanding displayed by our inventors, coupled with creativity and a richness of ideas, plays an important role for the economy and international competitiveness of their home nations. In this sense, the iENA Nuremberg plays a highly important role in enhancing the public's perception of free inventors and the work they do, as well as broadening public awareness of their activities.

Inventors' Symposium on the Subject of Product Piracy
The inventors' symposium, which has meanwhile become an integral part of the iENA exhibition, will take place on the events stage in Hall 12, between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm on October 31. The focus of this year's symposium will be on the controversial topic of product piracy. The participation in it is free of charge, the language is only german.

Daily Programme of Lectures
After running with great success at last year's event, the iENA 2008 will again see a series of daily lectures on the iENA stage in Hall 12. These will comprise talks on a wide range of interesting topics in the field of invention, including ideas on how to market inventions successfully. The talks will also include presentations by both young and experienced inventors of their latest ideas.

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