Teams receive a box of simple craft materials and a ludicrous problem, then construct a nonworking prototype. The goal is clarity and comic ingenuity—not power tools or real engineering.
Before guests arrive
- Write absurd problems that can be represented without a working mechanism.
- Sort safe craft materials into equal team kits.
- Set up an expo table with product-name cards and visitor voting dots.
The three moments
Assign needless problems
Try prompts like keeping one sock warm, applauding silently, or transporting exactly three grapes.
Build the prototype
Limit teams to the shared material table and forty minutes. No blades, heat, or working electronics required.
Open the expo floor
Teams demonstrate their models while visitors leave investment dots and one-sentence product reviews.
Host-ready schedule
Your run of show
Form teams, draw problems, and review the safe-material boundary.
Give teams forty minutes to build and prepare a demonstration.
Open the expo for rotating pitches and visitor questions.
Count investment dots and read the best one-sentence product reviews.