FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2016

NEW this Year! The CNE Innovation Garage

Calling all Start-Ups, Entrepreneurs, Mad Scientists & Inventors, Exhibitors,
Tech & Innovation Companies. The CNE wants you!
(Toronto, ON) -- The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) will launch its 138th season with a special threeday event introducing the latest in innovations to the public. The CNE Innovation Garage will take place
August 19 to 21 in Hall F in the Enercare Centre at Torontos Exhibition Place. The event is free with
admission to the CNE. Complete details are available at TheEx.com or join the conversation at
#cneinnovationgarage.
This all-new innovation hub will feature a three-day Emerging Innovators Pitch Competition where
Ontarios most imaginative and inspiring young inventors will compete for prize money including a
$25,000 grand prize. The space will also include an Innovation Playground, which will showcase current
innovations in consumer products, services and more; as well as inventor Meet & Greets, Maker Spaces,
and a talk series with industry vanguards and the Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The Emerging Innovators Pitch Competition

Drawing from Ontarios wealth of colleges and universities, the CNE will stage a Pitch Competition
involving 25 young inventors who will converge onstage to present their ideas. Each of five competitors
in five categories will have three minutes to sell their concept to a panel of judges and CNE visitors, as
they vie for the chance to take home a Best Category Prize of $5,000, the Grand Prize of $25,000 and
accelerate their career dreams. The five categories are:

Agri-tech & Food Tech (Friday, August 19 at 12:30 pm)

o Advancements in the agriculture field including everything from farm to table
Biotech (Friday, August 19 at 3 pm)
o Advancements in the biological and medical fields with an emphasis on health and
innovations that can benefit our aging society
Lifestyle Innovation (Saturday, August 20 at 2:30 pm)
o A broad overview of any and all innovation that make a mark on everyday life, from
automated cars and wearable technology and everything in between
Social Innovation (Saturday, August 20 at 3 pm)
o Explores innovation in education, philanthropy, and culture
Virtual/Augmented Reality (Sunday, August 21 at 12:30 pm)
o Features innovations that utilize virtual or augmented reality

/more

-2The competition culminates on Sunday, August 21 at 5:30 pm when the judging panel chooses the best
of the best in innovation, and the prizes are awarded.
To participate in the Pitch Competition:
University and college students should visit TheEx.com, where they can fill out and submit an
application form to participate in the competition

The Innovation Playground

In this fun and interactive space, people will have a chance to get up-close and experience the latest in
consumer services and products including wearable technology, 3D printers and more. The Playground
will be open all three days from 10 am to 10 pm.
To Participate in the Innovation Playground:
The CNE is inviting all start-ups, entrepreneurs, mad scientists, exhibitors and corporate tech &
innovation companies to participate. It is an opportunity to inspire a captive audience, connect
with motivated consumers and ignite passion for innovative brands. To learn more, click here.

The Canadian National Exhibition

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) was founded in 1879 for the purpose of fostering the
development of agriculture, industry and the arts. Originally called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, the
name was officially changed to the Canadian National Exhibition in 1912 to better represent what the fair
had become: "A Show Window of the Nation."
Over the years, the CNE became well known for showcasing exhibits that featured the latest technological
advances in industry and agriculture including:

Electric railway transportation in 1883

Edison's phonograph in 1888
Wireless telephone in the 1890s
Radio in 1922

Television in 1939
Plastics and synthetics in the 1940s & 1950s
Virtual Reality in 1992

Today, the Canadian National Exhibition is Canadas largest community celebration and the fifth largest
fair in North America. The 2015 CNE attracted 1.6 million people over 18 days. The CNE has an annual
economic impact of $102.3 million on the province of Ontario and $69.3 million on the city of Toronto.
The 2016 CNE takes place from August 19 to September 5 at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario. For
complete details, visit TheEx.com.
- 30 Media Contact:
Tran Nguyen
Holmes PR
416-628-5607
tnguyen@holmespr.com