I’ve got some more good news on the media front for inventors who exhibited at InventHelp’s 2008 Invention Show:

As many of you may remember, at INPEX this year we had some unforeseen technical difficulties, and Scott Draughon from mytechnologylawyer.com was unable to broadcast his radio program from the show. Fortunately, Scott is a man of his word (and just a generally great guy) and he made it a point to conduct phone interviews with many of the exhibitors who were originally scheduled to appear on the program.

All in all, I think Scott interviewed over twenty different exhibitors, and the interviews are now posted on the MyTechnologyLaywer Web site (scroll down - interviews are spread out over multiple shows listed on the dates 6/24 & 6/25).

I listened to all the interviews, and I must say I was really impressed by how well all the exhibitors presented themselves and expressed their ideas. Hopefully your INPEX experience helped you all become media pros!! Anyway, kudos on a job well done. And hats off to Scott Draughon for going above and beyond to help a bunch of INPEX exhibitors get some nice Web exposure!

For those of you who missed it, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” aired footage from InventHelp’s INPEX Invention Show a couple weeks ago. The episode (which was broadcast on June 20, 2008) featured one of Jay’s famous “Pitch to America” segments – where INPEX exhibitors are shown demonstrating their inventions and the studio audience responds vocally rating the items as “sold” or “not sold”.

As usual, the segment was a lot of fun to watch. It’s always exciting to see INPEX exhibitors take the national television stage for a couple minutes – and it’s great publicity for their inventions!! Anyway, here is a list of the INPEX exhibitors who appeared in “The Tonight Show” segment. I’ve also provided a little information about each of their inventions:

Steve Baker, DUS-T™ - Protective mask and t-shirt combination; user would be protected from inhaling harmful germs, dust, chemicals, etc.; mask tucks into collar of t-shirt when not in use.

Oliver Scheib, BodyCrawler - Massager moves automatically over the whole body, gently kneading muscle tissue and helping an individual relax.

Tyrone Flower, Hidden Crystals - Interchangeable crystal jewelry affixes to women’s thong, intimate underwear or swimwear bottoms to add sophistication and sex appeal

Scott Bonge, The Goatee Saver - Adjustable accessory helps men make their goatees symmetrical when shaving; eliminates the hassle and frustrations to try to get a goatee right

Tsung-I Yu, Massage Bra - This bra purports to improve the size of breasts gradually.

Congrats to all of the inventors featured on the show! While a full clip of the segment is not currently posted online, a short clip of Oliver demonstrating the BodyCrawler can be viewed on “The Tonight Show” Web site. I’ll keep you updated should any more segments air!

Here are the Grand Prix award winners from INPEX 2008:

Our second runner-up (receiving $2,000) was Mitch Marcovici for his invention the ScrewMaster™. This enhanced tool enables a user to tighten or loosen a screw or nut twice or four times faster while applying the same amount of torque. In addition to his cash award, Mitch also won a gold medal in the Gadgets category, a silver medal in Hardware/Tools and the special award for Best Invention of the Americas.

Our Grand Prix first runner-up (receiving $3,000) was Chua Kek Heng from Malaysia for his invention, DiagnoCARD – a medical mutation/variation screening system. The invention also won a number of other INPEX awards, including a special award for Best Invention of the Pacific Rim and three gold medals (in the science, medical and biology categories).

The winners of our highest award, the Grand Prix, were Peter Reuss and Ferdinando Cona for their invention, the PCW - Portable Carpentry Workshop. The PCW is an all-in-one workshop that requires no set-up or dismantling for a table saw, miter saw and router, and also includes personal storage for other tools. For receiving the Grand Prix, Reuss and Cona were awarded a $7,000 prize.

Congratulations to all the inventors who took home INPEX awards! I’ll post more information about INPEX award winners in the coming weeks.

INPEX 2008 produced a number of memorable moments (who could forget keynote speaker Wally Amos leading a parade of inventors to the show floor?), and the feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive. Overall, I was really pleased with the way the show turned out and I think, more than anything, that’s a testament to all our amazing exhibitors.

The show floor with all the booths set up looked truly remarkable. I’ve been working with the show for more than five years now, and each and every year, I’m blown away by the creativity of our inventors. We really upped the ante by moving the show to the beautiful David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the world’s largest green facility. Looking down at the show from above, it really was a beautiful site. With row after row of new ideas and innovations, the sun was shining through the magnificent atrium onto our exhibitors in a sea of color and vitality. What a class-act!

Our inventors presented their products to representatives from companies like Hasbro, Everlast, Tupperware and Full Life Products with so much enthusiasm, and “The Tonight Show” demonstrations also were a lot of fun to watch. The trip to PNC Park on Wednesday and the fights on Friday night were really good times, and the awards dinner on Saturday night was the perfect way to end the week. It was great to see all the familiar faces of inventors that we got to know like family throughout the week, taking home awards!

Anyway, I really just want to thank everyone who exhibited at this year’s INPEX trade show. This show couldn’t go on every year without all the inventors who bring their ideas and so much energy and excitement. It was a pleasure meeting all of you, and I hope to see you back in Pittsburgh for INPEX 2009 – our 25th annual show!

Everlast will be holding a private panel review for inventors presenting their health and fitness inventions. The panel will be located on the show floor inside the boxing ring.

FullLife Products will be holding a private panel review for inventors presenting their new lifestyle inventions.

Hasbro will be holding day two of their private panel review for inventors presenting toy and game inventions.

The Response Magazine Panel will assess pre-qualified inventions for Direct TV potential.

If you have the time, remember to take advantage of the professionals we have available in the Pavilions located on the show floor and in the Resource Center.

And, don’t forget, INPEX® will be hosting the Everlast Black and Gold Boxing Invitational this evening, beginning at 7:30! To purchase tickets, visit Exhibitor Registration.

Hasbro will be holding a private panel review for inventors presenting their toy and game inventions.

Irwin Tools will be holding a private panel review for inventors presenting their hardware and tool inventions.

Tupperware will be holding a private panel review for inventors presenting their kitchen/dining inventions.

If you are an inventor with an assigned time for any of these reviews, please arrive at least 5 minutes early.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” crew also will be here for the second day filming inventors with assigned time slots.

Scott Draughon, the My Technology Lawyer, will be conducting his live online radio broadcast in the Concourse area.

Don’t forget to attend the University Seminars each morning. Also be sure to check out the Pavilions located on the show floor and meet with professionals in the Resource Center.

Along with our ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon, we also have a keynote speech from Famous Wally Amos. The Robert Bosch Tool Corporation will be on hand as exhibitors present their tool inventions, while “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” will film exhibitor demonstrations for a segment on the show. And, at night, exhibitors and attendees alike will head out to the ball park to watch the Pirates play at PNC Park!

On Thursday, exhibitors will be presenting their inventions to representatives from Hasbro, Irwin Tools and Tupperware in private product reviews. While “The Tonight Show” continues to film exhibitors, we’ll also welcome Scott Draughon – who will broadcast his MyTechnologyLawyer radio program LIVE from the INPEX show floor.

By Friday, things are in full swing. MyTechnologyLawyer will continue to interview inventors, and Hasbro’s search for toy and game products will resume. Friday also has scheduled new product searches from Response Magazine, Full Life Products and Everlast. And, Friday night marks the return of the 3rd annual Black & Gold Everlast Invitational Boxing Tournament – always a big hit with the crowd!

Saturday, the show opens to the general public from 11am to 3pm. And, after that, it’s off to the INPEX International Awards Dinner, where inventors will find out if they took home a gold, silver or bronze medal, or one of the top cash prizes!

We really have a fantastic show lined up this year and I thank everyone who helped us put it together!

The INPEX News Room has the latest press releases detailing events at the show and exhibitor information. Exhibitor press releases offer a glimpse of some of the products that will be on display at INPEX in only a few days! They tell you where an inventor is from, what his or her (or their) invention does and how they came up with the idea.

If you want the newest INPEX updates, or even if you just want to get a better idea of the scope of new products that will be on display at the show, be sure to visit the INPEX News Room! And, don’t forget, InventHelp’s INPEX Trade Show starts tomorrow (June 11th) at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh!

Don’t miss it!

The Andy Warhol Museum devotes seven floors to the work of the native Pittsburgher and pop-art icon. Located in an old warehouse on the North Shore, the Museum features extensive collections of art and archives on one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century.

Down the road from the Warhol (and right next to PNC Park) is Heinz Field, the home field of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pitt Panthers. Even in the off-season, this facility is worth strolling by just to see where the five-time Superbowl champs play.

Right next door to Heinz Field is The Carnegie Science Center. The award-winning Center has a planetarium, a World War II submarine, more than 250 hands-on science exhibits, and a four-story Omnimax theater.

To get a panoramic view of Pittsburgh, visitors can ride the Duquesne Incline. The Upper Station’s observation deck overlooks the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh, ranked the second most beautiful view in America by USA Weekend Magazine!

Not too far from the Incline are two great areas for entertainment – Station Square and Pittsburgh’s South Side. Both areas contain enough restaurants, bars, clubs and retailers to make your head spin!

Finally, you can’t leave Pittsburgh without eating a Primanti Brothers sandwich. The Primanti sandwich is a Pittsburgh institution - stuffed with sizzling meat, melted cheese, hand-cut fried potatoes, tomatoes and coleslaw between two slices of crusty Italian bread.

This year’s Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday, June 14th, at the Westin Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh (right across the street from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center). Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6:30pm, followed by a sit-down dinner and the presentation of awards.

All exhibitors who fill out the proper paper work are eligible to win INPEX awards. Gold, silver and bronze medals are handed out in a number of different categories, along with special awards and the announcement of our top three cash-prize winners. In addition to the prestige factor, winning an INPEX award is something you can use to help promote your product after the show.   

Our master of ceremonies for the Awards Dinner will be Pittsburgh television and radio personality Mike Pintek. Mike has hosted this event in the past, and he has a real passion for inventors that comes across in his presentation. He also has a good sense of humor that helps keep everyone entertained. 

Exhibitors get one free ticket to the INPEX International Awards Ceremony and Dinner. Additional tickets can be purchased at the show at Exhibitor Registration.