High quality of innovations presented and a successful trade fair for attending inventors

The first inventors’ fair took place in Nuremberg in 1948. Since then, the iENA has developed into an international meeting place every year. After three exciting days at the fair, the organisers, Henning and Thilo Könicke – managing directors of AFAG Messen und Ausstellungen – were positive in their assessment: “We’re highly satisfied with the iENA 2023. We were able to showcase over 500 exciting ideas, inventions and new products in Nuremberg. Special thanks go to our partner China this year and the China Association of Inventions (CAI). The inventors who exhibited report excellent discussions and new prospects for their innovations. It was clearly noticeable that the quality of innovations on display has increased. As a result, the iENA was also a particularly attractive offering for investors and licensors”.

Not only investors, licensors and entrepreneurs used the trade fair to discover the world of tomorrow, as numerous interested visitors also came to the consumer trade fair, Consumenta, which ran in parallel. This gave inventors an initial opportunity to test the market for their products and innovations. An expert jury assessed all the inventions presented at the iENA. Chairman of the jury, Prof. Dr. Oliver Mayer (Bayern Innovativ), praised the inventions’ quality: “With over 500 inventions and innovations presented from every area of technology, the iENA offers a wonderful overview of the products of tomorrow.”

Successful trade fair for inventors

Participating inventors received a lot of media attention for their ideas at the iENA. The best inventions were honoured with medals at a festive ceremony on the fair’s final day. iENA exhibitors included individual inventors, inventor collectives and companies, as well as the German Patent & Trade Mark Office and its partners, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the European Union Intellectual Property Office and Bayern Innovativ. The German Inventors’ Association (DEV) also attended the iENA as a point of contact for inventors and offered initial information and networking opportunities. At the iENA Forum, topical issues and assistance for inventors were on the programme. The forum also offered inventors the opportunity to present their innovations.

For many inventors, attending this year’s iENA Nuremberg was very successful. Wolfgang Müller is Head of the Steinbeis Transfer Centre Infothek and was at the Steinbeis Lounge at the iENA with a number of inventors: “Overall, we can look back on a successful fair – our goals have been achieved. Many of the exhibitors found co-operation partners, with some receiving specific enquiries for quantities of their products in the five-digit range. The topic of product acceptance in particular was confirmed for many projects, and ideas from visitors taken on board. Negotiations with investors have been agreed for the period after the trade fair”.

Innovative students and young people

Numerous youth inventors presented their innovations at the iENA and impressed with their ideas. In addition to a number of national youth inventors and the “Jugend forscht” award winners, youth inventions from Angola, China, Korea, Croatia and Vietnam were also presented at the Nuremberg Inventors’ Fair.

Manuel Vogel, educational director at the Schülerforschungszentrum Südwürttemberg (SFZ), made it possible for student inventors to take part in the iENA and helped them prepare for their attendance: “The iENA was a complete success for our youth inventors again this year. Specialist discussions on an equal footing with experts from the relevant fields, a wide range of feedback from interested visitors and talking with youth inventors from all over the world in person once again provided a special setting. As in previous years, contact with an interested company might now form the basis for founding a start-up for a product presented by the youth inventors. That is of course a highlight”.

China – partner of iENA 2023

China was partner of iENA in 2023, with He Zhenfu, vice-president of the China Association of Inventions (CAI), attending Nuremberg in person. He opened the 2023 Inventors’ Fair 2023 with a welcoming address. He was very satisfied with how the anniversary trade fair went: “The 75th Nuremberg Trade Fair for Ideas, Inventions and Innovations (iENA) is a unique international event for inventions and innovations. China’s inventions were a fair highlight. As an official partner of the iENA 2023, China received high praise from the fair’s organisers and the public for 80 high-quality innovations from 15 universities, six research institutions and 25 companies. Some investors and companies have already shown great interest in various inventions and their commercial exploitation. In the future, the China Association of Inventions (CAI) will continue to promote cooperation with the iENA and provide high-quality inventions and innovations, commercialisation of achievements and international exchange services for innovation institutions, companies, universities and inventors in China and Germany. Congratulations on the great success of this exhibition!”

New approaches at the Nuremberg Innovation Congress

The Nuremberg Innovation Congress took place on Monday, 30 October in parallel with the iENA at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre and focused on the topics of innovation promotion, innovation management and industrial property rights. The congress was aimed at entrepreneurs, developers, creative minds and the curious who are keen to throw familiar thought patterns overboard. Around 70 participants took advantage of the first-rate information on offer to gather and exchange ideas.

Over three days for the first time, the creative and technology fair “Hack & Make” took place in parallel during the entire duration of the iENA. The introduction to technical processes through playful learning is great added value for the iENA, so cooperation between the two events is to be continued in the coming year.

iENA 2024 – save the date

Next year, the international trade fair “Ideas – Inventions – New Products” iENA Nuremberg will take place from Saturday, 26 to Monday, 28 October 2024. The Innovation Congress will accompany iENA on Monday, 28 October 2024.