I’ve talked in the past about how much I love the many Sweet Suite events that I’ve attended throughout the years while traveling for conferences. This year, they were in-person in NYC for one day, and then went virtual for the rest of us {Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day} who couldn’t swing a trip to the east coast this summer. And, if you remember my post last year, even their virtual events are an amazingly good time.
It may not have been NYC, but it was pretty darn good. We’re talking all of my kids’ favorite brands: Nintendo, PLAYMOBIL, Schleich, Hasbro, TonieBox, and Schilling. It was as if my childhood toys all got together and designed a show just for me and my family.
This year, though, I let mey kids attend some of the Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day meetings with me. They were bummed last year that they missed all the Sweet Suite fun, so I was thrilled when they could participate with me this year. That turned out to be a very good choice, because it’s easier for brands to see how passionate you are about a brand when your kiddos are giving them a personalized tour of all their toys we own and love.
What is Sweet Suite?
Sweet Suite is the biggest toy party and it is hosted by The Toy Insider each year. The event is attended by the biggest names in play and covered by press and influencers all over the world. In the past, I have connected with some of my very favorite brands at their events, and this year’s Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day was no different.
This year, instead of being a stand-alone event in NYC, Sweet Suite took place in NYC, and then again in living rooms all around the world. Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day brought all the fun and excitement of Sweet Suite, without the need to travel or even leave your home.
If you’re picturing a trade show, you’ve got the wrong idea. Sweet Suite isn’t a stuffy showroom, it’s absolutely a party. The Toy Insider team of play experts presented toy trend roundups, live Q&A sessions, real-time giveaways, and other fun activities that made it even more fun. Want to see all the fun? Check out @thetoyinsider on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook or check out the hashtag #sweetsuite22
A new virtual experience, take 3
Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day was about as close to the full Sweet Suite experience as you can get, including the ability to explore the show floor, walk up to sponsors’ booths, and engage in live face-to-face toy demos via video chat. We had the ability to chat with more than 30 toy companies and get inspired for holiday gift guides, future toy reviews, and more.
I bet you’re still wondering how fun a virtual show could be, and I’ll admit I was right there with you until last year. I personally cannot wait to get back into in-person events, but in the meantime, I’m pretty darn excited that there are virtual options made just for me.
You could send instant messages to representatives in each booth you were interested in and the reps would reply almost immediately. This made it easy to let them know what interested you the most and make the most of your experience. Even if you “left” the booth, you could still see all your messages from reps wherever you virtual walk took you next.
You could also click on interactive brochures and flyers in the booths to learn more about the brands being shown and all their newest arrivals. From there, you could hop into prescheduled Zoom meetings or join in on meetings in progress for booths that were mostly stop-in. While I only scheduled about a dozen Zooms, I still ended up at over 20 Zoom meetings just by hanging out in booths and talking with reps.
I also loved that I could even send emails right from in the booth to let the brands know what I’d like to follow up about after the show.
There was also a virtual press lounge where I could visit to grab press kits and other information about exhibitors. I didn’t spend a ton of time here during the show, but after hours I checked out all the releases that went live during the event. There were some really cool resources and I ended up really appreciating all the links and info as I was talking with companies after the show ended.
Follow along with Sweet Suite 22 Virtual Day posts and see all the fun:
@TheToyInsider and #SweetSuite22