JEMSMART recently took part in the 2023 Great Lakes Design and Construction Expo held at the Novi Suburban Showplace on February 15, 2023. This was our first trade show as a new company and the first opportunity for us to show and demonstrate the Potty Sniffer toilet ventilation system to the public. In fact, our participation in this show happened with very short notice as we were only made aware of it while visiting the Novi Winter Home Show two weeks prior on a scouting mission for the spring event. We worked hard in the time that we had and managed to build our display, product demos, new prototype sample designs, and all marketing materials that would be needed.
The show itself went great! We had a running demonstration toilet built which included a toilet bowl mist generator which allowed the sniffing action of the Potty Sniffer system to be visualized by our visitors. Needless to say, everyone was drawn in by the spectacle of a smoking toilet and it was great starting point for explaining how the system works, how to install it, and why it is the best solution for eliminating embarrassing toilet odor at the source. Our main objective for this trade event was to present the product and confirm that it passes the “smell test” with our potential customers and also to gain insight from our future customers on how to further develop the product for new construction projects. Everyone came away impressed with the design and engineering behind the system as well as the price point that we are able to deliver this solution at. We also noticed visitors who were clearly wowed by what they had just seen and were happy to grab one of our info sheets to take with them for additional follow-up and perhaps to share with someone else. Several visitors would actually return later on in the day with a workmate or acquaintance in tow and have us repeat the demonstration and how-it-works presentation with them.
As entrepreneurs bringing a brand new product to market, our biggest unknown up to this point has been whether or not the product would be received well by our potential customers. Would they see the value that we’ve strived to impart into the product design and would they see this solution as something they would want to have in their own home at the price point that we are able to deliver it at? The response we received at the GLDC expo has certainly increased our confidence that we are on the right track with the Potty Sniffer system design and its market viability. We simply need to continue working hard to get the product out there for people to see and experience in person, make the right connections, continue to improve the product, and trust that the everything else will follow in due time.
See you all again in a few weeks at the Novi Home and Garden Show, March 31 – April 2 at the Novi Suburban Showplace.
