Covetrus – Virtual Conference
Annual conference turned virtual with an emphasis on human connection.
Project Brief
Each year, Covetrus, a global supplier of products and services for veterinarians, hosts an annual multi-day conference called VetSummit -- bringing together their clients, vendors, and colleagues for inspiring sessions, education, and networking. This annual event is a sought out opportunity to learn the future of veterinary science and hear from the industry’s thought leaders. It also has an important continuing education piece attendees rely on each year.
Strategies
SOLUTION
In the world of virtual events, by now, many of us can agree we are feeling a great deal of screen fatigue and are desperate for personal connections and face-to-face interactions. When our team collaborated with Covetrus to develop the solution for Virtual VetSummit, we created opportunities for attendees to connect and infused moments of delight.
With the goal for a positive attendee experience top of mind, we created wireframes and storyboards to map out the various journeys attendees would take during the event.
We were able to reinvent the way Covetrus engages with their audiences at VetSummit. The virtual conference platform incorporated:
A convention center lobby welcomed all attendees as the gateway for participants to begin interacting with content and colleagues. The lobby featured a genius bar for face-to-face inquiries, an exhibit hall entrance, speaker promotions, and prominently displayed the sponsors that were key to making the event the success it was.
User-friendly navigation tabs and opportunities to talk to an expert live, face to face, or using instant messaging functions.
Keynote speakers and educational sessions to inform industry leaders of the future of veterinary science. These sessions also provided attendees the opportunity to gain continuing education credits.
An exhibit hall for customers to feature their brand messaging, downloadable content, videos, and host live discussions with attendees.
While not visible to the attendee, what was key to the virtual event’s success was the platform’s green room feature. Before the event launched, our project managers, the speakers, and Covetrus team members joined in the green room to do rehearsals and tech checks so the day-of would run smoothly. During the event, the virtual green room allowed all of us to meet behind the scenes prior to speakers going “on stage”, discuss real-time questions coming through the platform, and troubleshoot as necessary. Without knowing it, this functionality provided the attendees a positive and seamless user experience.
Understanding the desire to connect in-person, the speakers carried energy throughout their sessions and made it a priority to engage with their virtual audience. By bringing their audience on camera, having one-on-one discussions with attendees, and even a cross-continental dance off(!), the speakers were successful in humanizing the virtual event.
