VirtualExpo continues to honor innovation!
Following their success with manufacturers, the innovation awards launched by VirtualExpo Group, known as the i-NOVO Awards, are making a comeback.
The i-NOVO Awards: A Closer Look at an Award for Excellence
VirtualExpo Group, the French company behind sector-specific professional marketplaces, created the i-NOVO Awards to identify, select, and reward the most avant-garde products. Introduced in 2015, these awards celebrate INNOVATION, excellence, and boldness in sustainability, design, and technology across six business sectors: • Aeronautics• Agriculture and Livestock • Architecture and Design • Industry • Medical Equipment • Boating and Maritime.
This sector-based approach ensures that each award reflects the inherent characteristics and challenges of its respective market.
With the i-NOVO Awards, VirtualExpo seeks to showcase the very best in creativity, functionality, and design, with the aim of raising standards in each industry. Now more than ever, we want to honor inspiring brands that have made significant breakthroughs, drive progress in their field, and contribute to building a future that benefits both society and the environment.
Vincent Gérard, CEO of VirtualExpo Group, explains:
"We are in constant contact with an international audience of manufacturers and distributors, and showcase a significant amount of quality products through our six B2B marketplaces. In this context, we aim to spread and foster a culture of innovation by supporting and encouraging forward-thinking projects. With the i-NOVO Awards, we wanted to reward innovators who embrace the future’s challenges and question existing methods in order to reinvent themselves. Our awards are also meant to inspire creativity among manufacturers and highlight companies that are now thinking about their products with sustainability in mind."
Selection Criteria: What You Need to Enter (and Win) the 2024 Competition
The i-NOVO Awards are open to all companies listed on at least one of VirtualExpo's six marketplaces: AeroExpo, AgriExpo, ArchiExpo, DirectIndustry, MedicalExpo, and NauticExpo. Each company can submit up to two innovative products per marketplace, and participation is completely free.
Competing products can stand out in the following areas:
➊ Sustainability, for example by having a minimal environmental impact, or by being the result of an eco-design approach.
➋ Design, by incorporating the most cutting-edge market trends, offering a unique visual appearance, exceptional ergonomics, or innovative solutions that address emerging needs or even new challenges in their sector.
➋ Technology, for instance by integrating groundbreaking, state-of-the-art technology, or applying existing technologies in novel ways to new fields.
Before being accepted into the competition, products will be evaluated in-house by our team of experts responsible for our web content. They will determine whether or not a product is eligible based on a list of well-defined criteria.
Our experts will draw up a list of 20 finalists for each sector. The six shortlists will then be opened to an online public vote on the i-NOVO website, which will determine the winners of the 2024 i-NOVO Awards.
Innovation Here We Come! Our Roadmap for the 2024 i-NOVO Awards
We’ve cleverly mapped out the awards process, which will officially begin in September. Entries will be accepted from September 16 until midnight, November 3, 2024.
There will be several stages along the way to the awards ceremony, the i-NOVO Awards’ grand destination:
- November 19, 2024: 20 finalists for each sector announce
- January 7, 2025: Public voting opens on https://www.i-novo-awards.com/
- January 19, 2025: Public voting closes
- January 21, 2025: Winners announced
Each stage of this journey will enable us to highlight the most remarkable innovations of 2024 in an effort to foster talent.
Recognition and a Vision for the Future: The Motivation Behind the Awards
An intensive multi-channel marketing campaign will run throughout the i-NOVO Awards period. By taking part in the selection process, finalists are guaranteed extensive media coverage and increased visibility among the millions of visitors to our six marketplaces.
But for these manufacturers, this is not just a unique opportunity to showcase their innovations to a large and influential audience; it’s also a chance to stand out on an international stage, attract attention from key players in their industry, and receive well-deserved and rewarding recognition from their peers. By drawing attention to ultra-innovative solutions, these awards support and align with the growth objectives of the most daring manufacturers. They provide finalists and winners a competitive edge by highlighting their pioneering spirit and the distinctiveness of their products.
Naturally, trophies will be awarded to honor these winners for their excellence. But that's not all—VirtualExpo and its brands—AeroExpo, AgriExpo, ArchiExpo, DirectIndustry, MedicalExpo, and NauticExpo—will also provide winners with strategic support through their digital marketing services to help them reach new markets. Each winning manufacturer will have the opportunity to strengthen its online presence through a sponsored article in one of VirtualExpo's e-magazines (ArchiExpo Emag, DirectIndustry Emag, or MedicalExpo Emag), a web banner, or even a targeted email featuring the winning product.
By spotlighting a community of innovators and reinforcing sustainability initiatives, the i-NOVO Awards play an important role in developing and dynamizing markets, undeniably accelerating future projects.
