Episode #99: How This Toy and Game Pitch Event Advances Women In Toys
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Finding the courage to pitch your toy or game idea can be challenging, so that’s where important industry events like the one covered in today’s episode come in. Today on The Toy Coach podcast you’ll discover yet another in-person pitch event turned virtual for 2021 because of the pandemic. What we’ll learn in this week’s episode is that there is a huge benefit to going virtual for toy industry pitch events.
Could the new norm be turning away from in person pitches to virtual? It seems that toy companies, industry professionals, and inventors are growing accustomed to this new method of pitching toy games and toy ideas even in a speed pitch format. Is it easier to make your voice heard on a virtual platform rather than a conference room? That’s what we’ll explore in today’s episode.
The Women in Toys Empowerment Day helped connect over 80 women inventors and entrepreneurs to decision makers and professionals in the toy industry. In this episode you’ll learn what this event is, who it’s for, and how you can make the most of the incredible opportunities It creates.
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To learn more about WIT Empowerment Day click here.
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[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You are listening to making it in the toy industry episode number 99.
[00:00:04] Hey there toy people, Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of the toy coach podcast, making it in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com. Okay, so Q4 is a very busy time of the year in the toy industry. It's the time of the year, but we typically see 70% of retail sales come through. And it's the time of the year when we're getting final shipments before the holidays. And many factors are preparing for upcoming trade shows and are most interested and ready to receive inventor pitches. Because of that, the end of the year is pitch season for inventors and entrepreneurs.
[00:00:58] And there are so many incredible pitch events happening right now. Back in may of 2021, I hosted my very first TCA virtual pitch event, which is my exclusive pitch event for students of toy creators academy, but in looking to hold another virtual pitch event right now, I found there were too many other incredible pitch events. So I thought instead of relaunching mine in the midst of all those, I would cover them on this podcast and offer support for all of the toy people who were pitching. In last week's episode, I told you all about an upcoming pitch event that you should be preparing for right now, that's going to be happening as part of a people of play or pop week.
[00:01:42] And if you don't know about that upcoming pitch event, I want you to head over to thetoycoach.com/98 and give that episode a listen because in this episode, I will be sharing information about another annual pitch event that just recently passed where a number of toy creators academy students and alumni showed up in full force and met with companies, including spin master, Melissa and Doug, Mattel, Jazwares, and so many more. Now you may be wondering what's the point of talking about a pitch event that has come and gone Azhelle? Well, here's why the page event covered in last week's episode and today's episode are both annual events they happen every year.
[00:02:28] So if you have an amazing idea for a toy or a game right now, I want you working on it, developing it, maybe even joining me in toy creators academy to get you ready for these same pitch events when they come around next year, okay? So let's get to it. What pitch event are we going to be talking about today? Well, it's the women in toys, empowerment day of course. Now the women and toys empowerment day is an event organized by the women and toys organization. So you're going to be hearing me call it the wit empowerment day and it's a whole day designed to empower women in the toy industry. In the past wit empowerment day was held in person. But this year it was held virtually in the first week of November.
[00:03:15] Now by the end of this episode, you will know what wit empowerment date is. You'll hear from people who attended the event this year learn why you might want to attend and what you should come prepared with to make the most of this incredible opportunity. Let's start off with a, what is wit empowerment day Azhelle. So WIT empowerment day is a day designed to advance women in the toy industry. As I said, the event is organized by the women and toys organization to be an opportunity to connect inventors entrepreneurs with toy manufacturers, retailers, and mentors who can offer advice and opportunity for their ideas to grow. The wit empowerment day event usually takes place as part of toy fair Dallas, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled last year and went completely virtual this year.
[00:04:09] So this year the event was held in November 2nd and third from three to 6:00 PM Eastern time. And during the two day virtual event, inventors and entrepreneurs were paired up either to pitch, to toy companies or to be mentored by toy experts. Inventors and entrepreneurs that attended this event to pitch we're given up to 15 minute meetings with toy industry professionals to either pitch their ideas or to get feedback. Over 80 women in the toy industry, either pitch their ideas to toy companies or received mentorship from experienced toy professionals. Now you might be wondering, oh, that sounds interesting. What was the event really like Azhelle? Well, the WIT empowerment event kicked off with a welcome session in which the WIT staff welcomed and thanked everyone for attending and then broke all the attendees off into zoom breakout rooms.
[00:05:05] So it was the job of the inventors and entrepreneurs to pop in and out of the breakout rooms, according to the schedule that they were provided that let them know where they needed to be. And when, so they can meet with the toy companies and with the mentors that they were scheduled to meet with. Now, one of the listeners of this podcast, Stacy Lewis attended wit empowerment day as both a mentor and an inventor. Now Stacy said she spent one day mentoring giving back after her extensive career in the toy industry. And then another day pitching her own idea. Stacy shared that if the advent had been in Dallas as previous event were, if it had been in Dallas this year, she probably wouldn't have been able to go. So it being on zoom was actually a really great benefit for her.
[00:05:58] Stacy said, thanks to the WIT dream team. These two days were awesome. Those zooms seem so impersonal it does allow each person to share their thoughts one at a time. Everyone is on equal ground and when one chooses to speak, they will be heard. This is something that does not always happen in person around an office table or at a trade. That was Stacy's quote and I have to say, what I love about the success of this virtual wit empowerment day is how it's really helping to normalize and uplift virtual pitch events in the toy industry. Now I remember back in may of 2021, when I first launched the TCA virtual pitch event, I was so scared. I was so worried that the idea of a virtual pitch event just wouldn't be well received. That toy companies would say, what kind of madness is she trying to put on right now?
[00:06:55] I remember emailing major toy companies. And just being so worried that they wouldn't get back to me, or just simply wouldn't know what to make of the idea of a virtual pitch. How is this going to be handled? How will we get our NDA sign, all that. So if you don't already know the TCA virtual pitch event that I'm referencing, it stands for the toy creators academy virtual pitch event. So I hold it after every group of toy creators academy, students kind of graduates and I invite toy companies and studios, book publishers, distributors and retailers to review product pitches that are completed by students of toy creators academy. And that entire event was held on zoom. Utilizing breakout rooms, just like this wit and Powerment day to keep innovation secure for every inventor, so they could have their own individual private meetings. If you'd like to pitch at the TCA virtual pitch event, head over to toy creators, academy.com to learn more.
[00:07:55] So I've got to say seeing the success of a virtual version of a popular well-known industry event, like wit empowerment day is just such a huge encouragement to me that we can continue doing virtual pitches even once we returned back to normal-ish. Okay, Stacey's comment just further underscores the importance of having virtual pitches and how important it is that this pitching is accessible to those who just can't travel for a variety of reasons. She said to herself, if it had been in Dallas, she may not have been able to attend. So what else did Stacy say about what empowerment day? Well, she also mentioned that she was able to make new connections and mentor lots of inventors as well as pitch her own inventions directly to the people who can make things happen at toy companies. And when we say make things happen here, we mean people that have the ability to get these products seen and potentially licensed and bring it into the fold at their companies.
[00:09:00] Now we asked Stacy how she felt after the event and she said, I now feel invigorated and got that much needed kick of energy to keep me motivated. I absolutely loved that. I absolutely had a great time at the wit empowerment day. And at this point you might be wondering if this event is for you so that's what we're going to dive into next, who is this event really for? This event is particularly good for female entrepreneurs, someone who has come up with a toy idea and maybe has manufactured it and is looking to sell it. You could meet with a mentor at an event like this and get strategic advice on next steps you should take to sell your product. It's also great for inventors, people who have toy ideas or game ideas and have made samples and mock-ups, and sizzle videos and PowerPoint presentations to explain their ideas and are looking for a toy company who is interested in licensing or paying for those ideas to manufacture them.
[00:10:08] Now you may be wondering, is this for me if I already have experience in the industry? Well yes. It's useful to attend whether you're an industry vet with a new idea or just a woman who's just starting in this industry who's just breaking in for the first time. Now I do want to highlight another listener and former guests of this podcast so she's been on the podcast as a guest and she found success following a wit empowerment day. Now this listener actually went to Wit empowerment day when it was still in person but she attended the most recent event and just express so much appreciation for the event. Now, the listeners name I'm talking about is Marjorie Spitalnick creator of little rebels. Marjorie met her mentor at this event, and then went on to launch a successful Kickstarter campaign for her little rebels doll line, featuring plush versions of historic female figures like Malala Yousafzai and Marie Curie.
[00:11:10] If you want to learn more about Marjorie's journey when she launched her Kickstarter and making that a success, I want to direct you over to episode 15 of this podcast, where I interviewed her, just head over to thetoycoach.com/15. There you can listen to our interview, but you can also gain links to check out her little rebels website which is just fantastic. Now you might be wondering why should I attend? Okay. I have an idea Azhelle of maybe I'm right for this event, but why should I really put this on my calendar for next year? Well, the mentorship opportunities here are pretty amazing. And if you are a member of women and toys, then this event is free. So, if you attend this event, you'll get paired with someone to pitch your idea to, and you can get paired with a mentor. And whoever you get paired with, they're going to be a toy industry expert they might be working professionally full-time in the industry if they work for a toy company.
[00:12:12] And whoever they are, they will give you valuable feedback based on their own expertise and experiences in the industry, which honestly is priceless. Part of the joy of this event is that the mentors are all really encouraging and they're there to give you constructive feedback and they might give you advice on your marketing strategy, on your production and many facturing plan. They might review your pitch materials, or just give you advice on your pitch in general, it's really up to you how you want to utilize that mentorship session. Now, best of all, if you really connect with a mentor, you could end up connecting with them and chatting with them. Be on this event for further mentorship. Now this year I attended as a mentor and I have to say wit goes above and beyond in gathering specific feedback from not only the mentors, but the toy industry executives that hear pitches, they give a full detailed form that is making sure that we're giving clear and helpful feedback for each participant.
[00:13:22] So I would advise in the future, as long as you keep your pitch within like the seven to 10 minute window, you'll leave at least a five minutes left. So you can get real time in person feedback with the person that you're meeting with, but just know you'll also be provided with some written feedback that WIT is gathering and organizing on your behalf from each of the people that you pitch to. And finally to wrap up this episode, I really want to give some focus on what you should prepare, because I know this event has passed, but as I said, it's annual, right? So it's coming back next year. So having attended this event, having been present for many a pitch, I really want to give you some specific tips on what and how you should prepare to make the most of it. Now the very first thing I want you to do to make sure you're doing is introducing yourself. I know it seems small, but it's so easy to get caught up in the moment and mumble your name or just kind of brush it off or not say your whole name, but for this virtual event in particular, it is extremely important and helpful if clearly introduce yourself.
[00:14:34] And if possible, not just introduce yourself, but have the first slide of your PowerPoint or the first frame of your sizzle video to actually show your name. Why is that? Well, I say that because at the end of this event, every person that has reviewed your pitch. Is going to be providing feedback and in the feedback form the person that is providing the feedback has to choose your name from a long list of names. Right? So it doesn't hurt to make sure that the person that you're meeting is very clear on what your name is and how your name is spelled. And I guess being, you know, me having the name of Azhelle, I'm even more sensitive to this, but you want to make sure that they know exactly who you are so they can make sure they select you correctly off of this list and don't mix your name up with someone else.
[00:15:27] In fact, honestly, it probably wouldn't hurt to just type your name in the chat because it is zoom. So you could type your name in the chat because at the end of the day, all of the chat information will be stored in the box. So if the person you're meeting with needs it, it's super helpful for them to have your name there so that they can match it up with what's available on the form. And it will make it even easier for the person you're pitching to, to give you feedback directly on that Google form. Okay. So I know in that whole explanation, I mentioned two things that you may have a kind of thought, wait, what, you're going too fast. I don't know what that is. And those two things that I mentioned were a PowerPoint and a sizzle video.
[00:16:07] So if you don't know what those are, a PowerPoint and a sizzle video are two presentation tools that you might use to present your toy idea. You don't need both for this pitch situation, but you do need at least one. Since this event is all virtual the best way to pitch your product is either with a PowerPoint or a sizzle video. You don't want to be there holding up a sample and explaining your idea. It's not going to be as crisp and clear and easy to see. And if you're lighting is not perfect it's not going to be shown in the best light. So these are the two different form of pitch materials that are most standard in the industry. The PowerPoint and the sizzle video, and both of these work to explain who you are, what your product is, how it works and why it's a perfect idea for the company that you're pitching to.
[00:16:55] Now, if you want a more in-depth lesson on preparing for your virtual toy pitch, I am really gonna direct you to another episode of this podcast and that's episode number 70. So when you're done with this episode, if you want a more in-depth lesson on preparing your virtual toy pitch, head over to thetoycoach.com/70, to give that episode a listen. Now the final thing, I want to make sure that you come prepared with for the next wit Powerment day or any of your next pitch opportunities is to come prepared with questions. It's not that you have to ask every single one of the questions that you have, but you do want to come prepared with smart, carefully curated questions, not just simple questions that you could find answers for if you did a Google search, but questions that will push your relationship with this person that you're meeting forward.
[00:17:51] So an example of a question for a toy company might be, do you share wishlists with inventors? Or you might ask, is there a process that you typically use to work with inventors long-term? Now both of those questions are going to open up a conversation and a path that will lead to future conversations down the line if they see potential in you as an inventor. So that's why you want to curate questions that are not just, you know, should I sell this product on Amazon? Yes. You know, that's not the kind of question you want to ask. You want to ask questions that are going to really further your relationship, if at all. Now if you're meeting with a mentor, because at this particular event they divided the people you would meet with between toy companies and mentors.
[00:18:38] So if you're meeting with a mentor, you're going to want to come prepared to talk about your toy goals. If you're a student of mine, if you've ever booked a one-on-one with me, you already know I use the term toy goals a lot. So you're gonna write come prepared with your toy goals and toy goals are, you know, what your plan is for this product, what your dream is for this product. And I want you to just show your product and say, you know, what should I do with this? You want to be a more strategic than that. You want to show your product and you want to tell the mentor what you would like to do with this product. You want to tell you have already done what you've already tried.
[00:19:15] You want to tell them what your skills are, what connections you have that helped you build this product. And then you want to ask them for their advice on how to go after what you would like to do with the product, the thing you open the conversation with your toy goals. So you're going to get clear on what your goal is for this product. Do you want to sell a certain number? Where do you want to sell them, online? In store? What store? So that you can outline a clear path of what you're looking to achieve, what your abilities are, what you've done in the past. And then ask a clear question for the mentor. Okay. How do I go from point a to point B? What's my next step? And that's where you're going to get a really clear answer. And often if you come with such clear goals and a clear understanding of your capabilities and, and proof that you've made effort in the past to move forward often, you'll be able to find a mentor who is excited to work alongside and with you.
[00:20:16] They might not be available to you 24 7, but people tend to get excited by drive and passion. So if you can show you have drive passion and maybe a, a bright future in the toy industry, you could attract an ongoing mentorship relationship. Okay before I jump into my summary of today's episode. I'd like to take a quick break and give a shout out to listeners, Cheyenne. She went and pitched at the women empowerment day and had a fantastic pitch experience. And I have to say she in my eyes is a rising star in this industry and I'm super excited to see what kind of things you do, Cheyenne. So I'm so happy to know you and work with you. And I'm excited to see where you go in this industry.
[00:21:03] Okay to conclude what we've learned today. Today, I told you all about the women in toys, empowerment day. Okay. We talked about how this in-person event turned into a virtual event, and honestly how that has benefited so many people in this industry, because it's making pitching even more accessible. At this event, you can pitch to top toy company executives, but also find mentors in the toy space. We talked about some success stories, like the founder of little rebels, Marjorie Spitalnick, who met her mentor at this event. We learned who this event is for what you can expect when you attend. And finally, I told you what you should do to prepare for this event next year.
[00:21:53] So I want to make sure that you listen to this episode now. And if you have an idea for a toy or a game that you want to pitch at this event next year, that you're going to listen to episodes number 70 and you're going to do your homework to prepare for this event as best as you can. If you want to learn even more about the WIT Empowerment Day, head over to the toy coach.com forward slash 99. And I'll give you the links there. As always thank you so much for spending time with me today. I know your time is valuable and there are a ton of podcasts out there. So it means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next week, I'll see you later toy people.
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🎓Learn more about how you can develop and pitch your toy idea with Toy Creators Academy® by clicking here to visit toycreatorsacademy.com and join the waitlist.