Play isn’t just for kids. It’s crucial to the development and refinement of professional skills in adults as well. Engaging in play—whether through improvisation, collaborative games, creative exploration, or unstructured experimentation—fosters essential qualities such as adaptability, innovation, and emotional intelligence
That’s the spirit behind the Fun Track at West Slope Startup Week 2025, and we’re now accepting session submissions. If you use play to unlock creativity, foster connection, or fuel personal and business growth, we want to hear from you.
It’s Playtime at #WSSW25
All work and no play makes… entrepreneurship really dull. But the Fun Track isn’t just an opportunity to unwind; it’s an opportunity to engage our full selves. Play is not a distraction from professionalism—it is a foundation for it. When we bring play into professional development, we help people become more flexible, emotionally aware, and creative in how they approach real-world challenges.
We’re looking for session submissions that use play to build real-world skills and support personal and professional growth. Topics might include:
- Creative Risk-Taking and Problem-Solving
Sessions that help participants test ideas, try new approaches, and build comfort with failure in a low-stakes environment. - Cognitive Flexibility and Adaptability
Activities that encourage shifting perspectives, thinking outside the box, and staying responsive to change. - Interpersonal and Team Skills
Group play experiences like role-playing, storytelling, or collaborative challenges that strengthen communication, empathy, and collaboration. - Mental Well-Being and Engagement
Playful approaches that help reduce stress, increase motivation, and boost resilience at work. - Building Healthy Workplace Culture
How play contributes to more connected, dynamic, and human-centered organizations.
Sessions should be experiential, accessible, and designed to leave participants feeling both energized and equipped with takeaways they can apply in their work and daily lives.
Tips for Successful Submissions
The Fun Track is all about engagement, imagination, and meaningful connections, and in Durango, we get to take full advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces to make that happen. Whether your session works best in a park, on a trail, or in a flexible indoor setting, we encourage you to think beyond the typical conference room.
Here’s what makes a session stand out:
- Make it interactive.
We’re looking for experiences, not lectures. Think games, movement, storytelling, or purposeful networking that get people involved—indoors or out. - Connect it to real skills.
Sessions should be fun and useful. Show how play builds communication, resilience, creativity, or other workplace-ready tools. - Keep it grounded.
Avoid abstract concepts or theory-heavy content. Focus on things participants can try out, reflect on, and apply right away. - Be clear and specific.
Strong proposals spell out what people will do and what they’ll leave with—a new mindset, tool, or insight they can use.
Submit your session by June 18, 2025 at
👉 https://sessionize.com/wssw25
Questions? Reach out to our Fun Track Captain, Elizabeth Philbrick, co-founder of EsoTerra Ciderworks in Durango and Dolores.