The Mother of Invention Conventions

The “Jeopardy”-style answer is: The pop-up camper, the shopping cart, and the wheelchair brake system.

The question: What are common products that were first introduced at the Minnesota Inventors Congress?

For 50 years inventors from across the country have been flocking to Redwood Falls, Minn., to display their wares at the MIC, the world's oldest invention convention.

“It gives inventors a place to test-market their products,” says Deb Hess, executive director of the nonprofit association and planner of the annual convention. She generally gets between 50 and 200 exhibitors — that is, inventors — who come to show off their handiwork. The three-day event usually attracts more than 2,000 attendees.

What started 50 years ago as a way to bring new products and manufacturing to the area has grown into one of the most prestigious events in the country for inventors — it was even featured on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” last year.

Other inventions introduced at the MIC over the years include The Gripper, which is used to tie down boats; the quad-cane, a four-pronged cane; the Bedfan, a cooling system that attaches to the bed; and an ice-fishing vehicle (see photo). For more information on the 50th anniversary event next June, go to www.inventhelper.org.

RSS Share

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.


Acceptable Use Policy
blog comments powered by Disqus

Search 125,000+ Venues

Search Meeting Space

Find Event Venues with Cvent

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Sign Up for Our Free E-Newsletters

Meetings Collaborative

Rate your experience with meeting venues and suppliers.

Facility / Hotel

 
Powered by: Meetings Collaborative
Aega Awards

Latest Webinar

Global Meetings: Risk Management A to Z
February 28 | 2p.m. EST

Organizations take on more risk than usual when booking meetings outside the U.S. Join our expert panelists and learn how to assess your overall risk, write contracts that protect your organization, manage currency exchange rate fluctuations, keep your travelers safe, and much more. View it on-demand now!

VIEW ALL ARCHIVED WEBINARS

Recent Comments

Powered by Disqus

Back to Top

Explore Our Newsletters


Meeting Planner Survival Guide

Whether you're a novice planner or a veteran, this compilation of must-read articles is your meeting planning resource.

Must-See Meeting Files

Visit the MeetingsNet expert-advice site, where we’ve got top meeting pros on camera answering a variety of your questions as well as a collection of educational—and sometimes offbeat—editors’ pick lists — from the top tech tools to the best books for meeting professionals.

Pharma Meeting Management Forum

8th Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum
March 25-28, 2012 in Orlando, Fl
Register now!
Learn more about how healthcare reform will affect medical meetings.

Both forums are co-sponsored by Medical Meetings and The Center for Business Intelligence.

Suppliers/
Facilities/CVBs

MeetingsNet makes it easy to find the CVBs, tourist boards, and facilities you need for your next meeting.

Deal Finder

Special offers brought to you by MeetingsNet.

Find A Job

Targeted to all aspects of the hospitality and special events industry.

SMM PORTAL

Your source for Strategic Meetings Management info and intelligence

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS Feed

Inside Current Issue

December AM

December 2011

October AM

October 2011

August AM

August 2011

April 2011

Feb 2011 AM

February 2011

Browse Back Issues