Some companies actively look for new products, and they host new vendor days, have contests and travel around the country. Keep track of companies looking for new products in your industry to get the product in front of new buyers.
Contests
Inventor Contests are an avenue for inventors to expose their product without the big expense of a major trade show. NBC’s Today Show along with QVC is sponsoring the Next Big Thing Contest every January and February. http://submitmyinvention.com/submit1b/qvc-sprouts. The Small Business Administration runs the Innovate a contest for innovative products and services that help impact and empower the lives of women and families. https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/2017-innovateher-innovating-for-women-business-challenge/. These contests come and go, Companies like Wal-Mart, Staples, Hammacher Schlemmer have all had contests in the past. Do a google search for invention contests, then hit the news button. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the button for create alert. This will deliver to your email news of invention contests as they open up.
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Retailers, Home Shopping Networks,, Mail Order Catalogs and members of the Direct Response industry frequently call for new products to review. For example Pets at Home has announced that it is to hold two “Innovation Speed Dating” sdays in 2017. One day focused on on food and treat innovations and the second day focused on non-food and accessory innovations. https://onestopinventionshop.net/blog/2017/01/pet-retailer-looking-inventor-products/
 QVC has program, QVC Sprouts, www.qvcsprouts.com/, where you can post submit your invention at no charge, viewers then vote on which idea they like best and QVC outs the most popular program on TV.
The Direct Response TV companies are always looking for new products. An example is Telebrands, which has an active program that actively seeks new products from inventors. www.telebrands.com/inventors/. You’ll find many of the other major companies have similar programs. Response Magazine www.responsemagazine.com, is the industry’s major trade magazine and you can get information about many of the programs from their web site.
The best way to find out what companies have contests are or looking for product is through industry trade magazines, which are magazines targeted generally at industry retailers and suppliers, which includes manufacturers and distributors. One web site that offers trade magazines is http://www.webwire.com/IndustryList. A much better source is Gale’s Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, which is not available free on the Internet, but the reference can be accessed through larger libraries. Gale’s is by far the most complete list of trade magazines available.