Women in Toys Designs Their Virtual Events With

INDUSTRY FORUM WOMEN IN TOYS

WiT Designs Their Virtual Events With Purpose, and So Can You!

by Shannon Vacroe

Over the past two years, virtual gatherings have become our new normal for just about everything — sta meetings, hangouts with friends and family, and all kinds of other events. We may be used to it now, but initially, the pivot to virtual was challenging for many of us. In 2020, I was hired as the Program Manager for Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment, to help nd ways for the women of our industry to engage with one another in meaningful and authentic ways, even when we couldn’t see each other face-to-face. But of course, that was easier said than done. Prior to the pandemic, like so many other organizations, WiT primarily hosted in-person events. e pivot to virtual events presented us with an opportunity to rethink how we’ve engaged members in the past and assess the needs of women in the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries. From always focusing on our “why,” to taking a human-centered approach, to being intentional with our programming every step of the way — it continues to be my goal to nd ways to create the transformative and impactful virtual programs our community wants and needs. Here’s a peek into the process we use at WiT, with some questions that will help you design your next virtual event or program for your audiences.

1. What is your “why?”

When it comes to planning our events and programs at WiT, we do our best to carefully consider the “why” behind every opportunity we create. Is the purpose for attendees to learn something speci c? Meet someone new? Share an idea? Share a story? Make a friend? Feel less alone? Each event’s purpose is unique and speci c and helps us to make decisions on how we design the experience. is approach is inspired by Priya Parker and her book, “ e Art of Gathering.” Priya says “ e rst step to creating more meaningful transformative gatherings is to just pause and say what is the purpose of this gathering?” She urges readers to get really speci c about what they want to accomplish and achieve through a gathering. For example, when WiT was planning our Virtual Recess event series last summer, our purpose was to create a gathering where all attendees would smile, laugh, and press pause on their workday to-dos to fully engage in a “play break” activity. ese events, therefore, became less about learning how to be an expert juggler, and more about giving it a go and enjoying the process of learning and playing along.

2. What do your attendees actually want?

Let’s face it, virtual events and in-person events are just not created equal. They each have their pros and cons, and require very different design needs when considering the experience of attendees. For example, a 3-4 hour in-person event with an evening cocktail hour, dinner, and dessert just can’t translate minute for minute to virtual. We have to entirely rethink the experience when designing for the virtual space, but this isn’t necessarily a negative thing! Think of it as an opportunity to practice human-centered design. Give yourself the chance to brainstorm and think outside the box about how your event might be structured, and how attendees might engage with one another or with the content in new and unique ways. Consider what constraints you might be able to reconsider such as the date or time of an event. Perhaps an event can span the course of a week or month in bite-sized pieces, or maybe there isn’t a live virtual event at all and individuals engage at their own pace. The important piece here is to always think like an attendee — what would you want if you were attending this event? What do your attendees want to learn? Who do they want to interact with? What do they need right now that you might be able to provide? And always remember to keep the “why” you identified above in mind. At WiT, this past year we had to reinvent our annual Empowerment Day pitch event for women inventors – which is usually held in-person with inventors pitching their ideas to toy companies in private sessions throughout a day-long event in Dallas. With the move to virtual, we were able to host a newly imagined Empower Days experience utilizing breakout rooms to make over 400 unique conversations happen between inventors, toy companies, and industry mentors in two evening sessions. We provided pitch opportunities to women inventors who would have otherwise not been able to travel and participate in person, even if the event were held in person.. The energy in the virtual room was incredible, attendees were buzzing with excitement and passion as they connected in a warm and welcoming environment built specifically with new inventors in mind.

3. What experience are you creating?

You have your “why.” Your attendees are top-ofmind. Now it’s time to develop your event’s agenda and what participants will actually experience. This starts with the invitation or registration page for your event and ends with the ways you engage with participants even after the event is over. When planning WiT’s events, I often consider the 5 E’s of Experience Design: Entice, Enter, Engage, Exit, Extend. Entice - When crafting the messaging of your event invitation, make your event’s purpose clear and concise. This is a chance to share the “why” of your event and set the tone for what they will experience when they log on. Enter - At WiT, we do our best to create an inviting atmosphere for all attendees at our events. This starts with a warm welcome from the host and an invitation to interact. We will often ask a question and encourage attendees to share their responses in the chat. Starting with a simple interaction leads to stronger participation from individuals throughout the event. Engage - This should be the main attraction of your virtual event or program — the name of the game for bringing your event’s purpose to life. Whatever your goal is, it’s important to continue thinking through how attendees will be interacting with the content. Consider utilizing polls, encouraging attendees to ask questions in the chat, or including a segment for conversation and connection in breakout rooms. Exit - Before your attendees log off, it’s important to finish strong and neatly wrap up your event. My favorite thing to do in the final minutes of an event is to give space for reflection. I’ll often ask attendees to share their biggest takeaway in the chat or share something they will implement in their life as a result of attending the event. This gives attendees the chance to pause and consider what they’ve experienced and gives you as the host great insight into if you’ve achieved your purpose. Extend - Just because an event is over doesn’t mean it actually has to end there! How might you invite attendees to continue to reflect or share their experiences after they log off. At WiT, we encourage members to connect and continue their conversations in our Slack workspace after each virtual event. We will also share recordings and snippets of wisdom from speakers or attendees for participants who might not have been able to join live. As a facilitator and program manager, I love when moments of joy, connection, creativity, and laughter are present in the experiences I design. At WiT I am lucky enough to work with creators, marketers, and leaders of all levels at the center of the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries and am constantly inspired to find new ways to play, design, and produce virtual events in new and innovative ways. It’s not always easy, but it’s always rewarding to see attendees connect and collaborate with one another even when we are miles apart.