Event Overview
AmeriVet, a company dedicated to supporting veterinary practices, held its New Team Onboarding and Networking event in September 2024, bringing together new team members from across the country. With the mission of assisting veterinarians by managing business operations to free up their time and improve their work-life balance, AmeriVet is constantly striving to create strong bonds within its team and foster a collaborative work environment. To achieve this, AmeriVet selected Gatherly, a virtual event platform designed to enable interactive and personalized experiences. The goal was to foster real-time interactions and build a solid foundation of connections between new members, enhancing a sense of unity and shared purpose across the team.
Event Goals and Objectives
The event’s main objectives were twofold:
1. Onboarding and Training: Familiarize new AmeriVet team members with the company’s values, mission, and support processes, as well as the tools and resources available to them.
2. Networking and Team Building: Facilitate authentic interactions that would lay the groundwork for meaningful relationships among team members, both new and existing.
The approach emphasized the importance of connections between veterinarians and support staff as a critical part of AmeriVet’s mission to empower veterinary practices. By managing operational challenges for these practices, AmeriVet strives to improve the quality of life for its team and provide higher-quality service to veterinary practices nationwide.
Choosing Gatherly for Enhanced Interaction
AmeriVet selected Gatherly to create a unique, immersive experience that was far more interactive than standard virtual meeting platforms. Known for simulating in-person interactions, Gatherly’s platform allowed AmeriVet to break out of the traditional mold of video conferencing, offering attendees a lifelike virtual space. Through Gatherly, participants could move freely within the virtual environment, engage in group or one-on-one conversations, and even join smaller, spontaneous gatherings, mirroring the organic networking moments of an in-person event.
Key Features Leveraged on Gatherly
During the event, AmeriVet utilized several of Gatherly’s features to create a dynamic and engaging experience:
1. Spatial Movement and Customizable Rooms: Attendees could navigate between various “rooms,” set up for different aspects of the training and networking sessions. This gave participants the freedom to engage with others based on interest, and it recreated a real-life conference hall experience.
2. Breakout Areas for Specialized Discussions: To facilitate knowledge-sharing and networking, breakout areas were available for attendees to join specific discussion groups. Each breakout session focused on different aspects of AmeriVet’s operations or industry insights, encouraging meaningful connections.
3. Seamless Transitions for Greater Interaction: Unlike traditional platforms that rely heavily on structured, linear communication, Gatherly allowed attendees to engage in spontaneous conversations, making it easy for them to drift in and out of discussions, replicating the flow of real-life interactions.
4. Interactive Chat and Polling: Real-time chat and polling capabilities enabled participants to express themselves, share feedback instantly, and actively engage in the onboarding process. This helped keep energy levels high and ensured that everyone felt involved.
Event Execution and Outcome
The event drew approximately 75 attendees, including new team members, department heads, and AmeriVet executives, who came together in an atmosphere of learning and camaraderie. The agenda began with an introduction to AmeriVet’s core values and an overview of its operations. After the main presentation, participants were divided into smaller breakout rooms, each with a unique focus area: business operations, work-life balance, and growth strategies. This allowed AmeriVet leaders to delve deeper into their strategies for empowering veterinary practices and answering any questions from new team members.
One of the highlights of the event was the open networking session, where participants could explore Gatherly’s virtual environment and strike up conversations organically. Attendees reported that this portion of the event allowed them to connect with more people and establish meaningful relationships, feeling almost as if they were physically present with colleagues.
Impact and Feedback
The event was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, who found the platform to be intuitive and engaging. Many appreciated the lifelike interactions Gatherly enabled, which helped them feel more connected to their peers and comfortable in their new roles.
Some specific benefits noted by attendees included:
● Increased Comfort in Engaging with Colleagues: By replicating real-life movement and spatial interactions, Gatherly allowed for natural, fluid conversations that made networking feel less forced.
● Enhanced Knowledge Transfer: The use of breakout rooms made it easier for AmeriVet leaders to address specific questions and for new team members to absorb important information.
● A Stronger Sense of Team Unity: Many attendees remarked on how much more connected they felt after the event, emphasizing the importance of establishing such relationships early on in their tenure with AmeriVet.
Conclusion and Looking Ahead
The AmeriVet New Team Onboarding and Networking event on Gatherly exemplified the company’s commitment to supporting its team members through innovative solutions and a people-first approach. By leveraging a platform that provided lifelike interactions, AmeriVet successfully fostered relationships and created a collaborative atmosphere that resonated well with new team members. Going forward, AmeriVet plans to continue utilizing Gatherly for future events to maintain this sense of connectivity and ensure that its growing team remains unified and motivated.
In a world where virtual onboarding and remote events are becoming the norm, AmeriVet’s success with this event highlights the value of selecting platforms like Gatherly that prioritize human connection and meaningful interactions.
