Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) announced that registration is now open for the 2019 WIT Empowerment Day. The event will be held at Dallas Market Center on Tuesday, October 1 during Toy Fair Dallas.
Held in collaboration with Walmart, WIT Empowerment Day gives women entrepreneurs a unique once-a-year opportunity to pitch products, get one-on-one mentoring, and make valuable connections with expert toy industry veterans—who volunteer their time and talent to help women take their businesses, products, and careers to the next level.
Empowerment Day is a free event for WIT members, and is designed to help female entrepreneurs, inventors, startups, small manufacturers and business owners grow their business or catapult their career in the areas of toys, games, licensing, and entertainment.
Participants can participate in private product pitch sessions with Walmart buyers, and pitch products and concepts to top toy companies for licensing, guidance and feedback, including Hasbro, Spin Master, PlayMonster, Wicked Cool Toys, Basic Fun!, Jazwares, and Goliath Games.
Mentoring Sessions on a variety of specialty areas include:
- Product & Packaging Design
- Product Cost & Margins
- Product Testing & Safety
- Licensing, Deals & Negotiation
- Sales & Distribution
- Social Media
- Public Relations
- Digital Ads
- Kickstarter
- E-Commerce
- Financing
- Market Research
- Trade Associations
A special keynote speaker and a variety of educational panels including a Walmart Buyer Panel and Be an Inventor Panel with product acquisition executives will round out the day.
To prepare participants, WIT provides its Empowerment Day Webinar Series, including Empowerment Day 101 – an overview of the day’s activities, tips on preparing pitches, and qualifications for pitching Walmart buyers.
WIT President Ashley Mady also detailed Empowerment Day and the tools it offers entrepreneurs earlier this year during an episode of aNb Media’s ShopTalk. Watch the clip below:
Advance registration for WIT Empowerment day is required. Pitch sessions are limited and scheduled on a first-come basis. Those wishing to pitch Walmart buyers must prequalify and be a women-owned or women-led business. Click here for more information and to register.
All participants must register for a Toy Fair Dallas badge. Click here to join WIT, and Click here to register for Toy Fair Dallas.
Immediately following Empowerment Day, WIT will host its annual Cocktails & Connections party, held in the Atrium at Dallas Market Center on October 1 at 5:30 p.m. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.