Labster: 1 Million & Beyond

It has been a huge year for Labster. With their virtual labs, science education can take place anywhere, anytime. An amazing democratic resource for students amidst a global pandemic. Labster enlisted the help of Forgather to celebrate their 1 million student milestone with a team get together – although by the time we got to celebrating they had hit 2 million!

The chance to gather together as a company was just not possible this year, so Forgather moved the festivities online. We brought together 157 Labster employees across 19 different countries together to celebrate their successes whilst enjoying cakes in Copenhagen, breakfast in Boston, dessert in Bali, and so on…sourced and sent by us.

Mindful that people were joining from many different time zones, we designed and delivered pacey and engaging content, keeping Labster people at the core of the programme. The continuous cheering and words of appreciation that zipped through the chat gave a real buzz to the event. Whether people were just waking up or ending their day, the enthusiasm was contagious.

Forgather managed crowd sourced videos (which made the client cry with pride!), combining footage from both bashful and boisterous Labsterians. We worked with Labster employees all over the world to deliver live panels where they shared stories and experiences from their Labster journeys. These panels, coupled with breakout lounges and speed networking opportunities, created a real sense of camaraderie and fun.

As our client noted, we made their HR team look like superheroes – job done!

Proud moments

Giving people the chance to meet and chat with someone they might not have otherwise – 147 connections were made during the speed networking rounds, or the “colleague raffle” as one person termed it.
Creating a strong sense of engagement and involvement – the energy and enthusiasm from employees was contagious, with over 500 comments cheering on the speakers, and people staying on the platform to chat, long after the event ended.
Sourcing and delivering 80 food hampers to employees across the globe, to be enjoyed during the event, a logistical challenge when there are multiple destinations and time zones involved.
Giving our HR client, the confidence to step up and share Labster’s diversity story, when she would usually take a behind the scenes role.
Mic’ing up a Lobster!

Praise

“In doing a little research (actually my CEO was the one who suggested reaching out to Forgather), I ended up speaking with Belinda, Rachel and Mollie at Forgather to review my super exciting thoughts on our virtual party. I had no idea what I was doing since this is not necessarily my wheelhouse, but I couldn't have imagined a better company with the kind and thoughtful and well executed team than Forgather. They knew what questions to ask and all of the planning that went into it. They also had a great understanding and sense of the best feel for the event and boy they blew it out of the water! They made the HR team look like superheroes, and I am still getting comments from team members on how epic this was! Not only were we celebrating reaching 2 million students and everyone's hard work and dedication in making that happen, but we also got to meet people across the globe for a 2-minute speed dating platform. I honestly can't thank you all enough and look forward to continued success as we think about our next event!

Thank you for making 2020 epic in Labster's eyes! We love you! 🙌🎇🎊” – Laura Babin, HR, Labster

“That was so fun! As a fairly new Labsterian, I loved getting to meet folks from across the world and the different circles.” - Peter Gemmelaro, Labster

“It's so cool hearing people's voices for the first time after seeing their profile pic everywhere!” – SJ Boulton, Labster