Toon Torfs - Participant 2020-2021
“This project soon proved to be the ideal learning environment.”
Role
Toon was tasked to create a franchising and licensing value proposition for The Park Playground, a virtual reality (VR) park, and to enter the US market with this new VR entertainment concept.
Responsibilities
Toon started by scanning the existing competitive landscape. He supplemented his market analysis with desk research and interviews with industry professionals. He also selected potential sales and marketing channels and developed a lead generation and marketing strategy.
Registering the Park as an official franchisor gave him an opportunity to explore the legal framework. Finally, he negotiated licensing deals with different leads.
How he benefited
Given his background in product management and finance, Toon had little experience when it came to engaging with customers. Working for this start-up enabled him to discover his more extraverted side, while also gaining maturity when it came to presenting his results to the board of directors. “The fierce discussions and team creation with my CEO and the rest of management helped me become a more grateful, self-aware, confident multifaceted adult”, he explains.
The company – The Park Playground
The Park Playground was founded in early 2018 by Telenet and Magnitude 9.5, to shake up the virtual reality entertainment market. Currently the company has 6 venues in Flanders and 2 in The Netherlands, proving that this is a viable business model.
“Toon mainly created added value by setting up the playing field, taking care of our license to operate and establishing a product pricing model. We will definitely not give up on the US market, a step we could take thanks to the Prince Albert Fund.”