Hello!
Playground began as a dream when we first set-up at the Gladstone Hotel in 2011. Since that first event, Playground has grown tremendously and is now taking place at the Holiday Inn Downtown Centre, Toronto, Canada. We’ve featured local and international speakers, some of the best vendors out there, and great conversations around sexuality and relationships.
But selling people on the idea of sex and love education being an important part of a healthy life isn't always the easiest.
While Playground isn't set up to be an official non-profit event, we certainly don't make money on this event. We're lucky if we're able to cover our costs, never mind cover any of the (what feels like) zillions of hours spent working to produce it.
This event is my baby and I pour everything I have into it. For anyone who's ever had a passion project, I'm sure you understand what it's like to put your heart and soul into something and hope that it becomes successful.
Being unemployed this year has made planning Playground that much harder. Everything's going onto credit cards that may or may not be paid off, depending on how many tickets we sell and sponsors or exhibitors we get.
I understand how precious money is nowadays, but I also know that there are many of you that have expressed an interest in perhaps supporting the conference without wanting or needing to attend. (Though of course, we'd LOVE if you attended!)
Your contributions mean the absolute world to me, and I feel like a bit of a shmuck for asking, but we really need the help to continue bringing Playground to Toronto next year and into the future. I know our rewards aren't much, but I hope that you'll still find it in your heart, and let's be honest your wallet, to help out.
PLUS, WE'LL HOPEFULLY BE ADDING MORE REWARDS SOON! If you've got something to donate to our campaign in the form of goods and services, message me at frasersamantha@gmail.com!
With SO much love,
Samantha Fraser
Executive Producer
Playground Conferenc
What We Need & What You Get
Your funding is going to help us cover event costs such as mandatory catering and hotel room blocks that we're required to pay for (a mandatory $6k at least). Also, there's so many little things that go into a conference like this, from printing to decor, to advertising ... you name it, I've probably had to spend money on it!
Should we be able to cover all of our costs and have money left over, we'll make sure to treat our staff well, maybe even pay for a bit of our time, and help our speakers who require transportation assistance.
(Sex educators tend to travel around North America on their own dime ALL the time because they believe in the message they're putting out there, but we want to be able to help them with their plans as we value the work they're offering.)
Even if we don't reach our entire goal, your support will be helping covering some of our costs.
The Impact
In Year 1 we had approximately 85 attendees at Playground. In Year 2 we doubled and went to 160. The conversations that have happened at our events have helped people feel safer about their sexualities; they've educated attendees on how to better their sex lives and relationships, and they've helped create a community made up of so many other communities. To say we're proud of what we do, would be an understatement.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't help, perhaps you can share this link, like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/playgroundconf), tweet about us (@playgroundconf), and tell friends they can save 10% on tickets using the code 10smooches.
