Small Inventions from the Fair to the World

The Milan Fair was conceived as a world stage for showcasing Italian goods. A place in which to bring together supply and demand, and spotlight the technological progress being made in every field of industry and within the production line itself, from semi-finished goods to final products. Exhibiting at the fair was the crowning moment of a long process—a fortnight in which exhibitors of all walks, from the big industrial manufacturer to the small family-owned business, could showcase a sample of their hard work. Thus the fair was a platform for launching market previews.

All the previews presented at the fair would go on to shape an era. The 1950s were particularly significant in this sense, when the fair, in those years of the Italian economic miracle, dedicated an entire pavilion to Small Inventions. At stands provided by the fair, young and not so young pioneers could present their inventions, register them with the patents office, and look for a partner to start up a viable business.