How Harvard HSCRB Used SpatialChat to Host a 400+ Person Virtual Reception That Felt Like a Live Campus
Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology (HSCRB) used SpatialChat to turn a post-lecture social reception into an interactive virtual experience. The platform preserved the informal, conversational energy of academic gatherings while supporting larger participation online.
About Harvard University — Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)
Harvard’s Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology (HSCRB) department convenes researchers, students, and visiting scientists for high-profile lectures and research talks. Post-lecture receptions are a key part of these events, offering space for follow-up discussion, networking, and informal exchange.
These receptions often generate new research connections and collaborative ideas. Replicating that social dynamic in a virtual format required more than a standard video call.
The Challenge: Recreating an Academic Reception Online
The HSCRB team planned a post-lecture virtual reception advertised to more than 400 participants. The event needed to feel open and social, allowing attendees to mingle, form small conversation clusters, and move naturally between groups.
Traditional video conferencing platforms were too rigid. They limited free movement, constrained parallel conversations, and lacked the flexibility to design a space that resembled an in-person reception. The department required a format that could handle high attendance while maintaining a sense of informality and ease.
The Solution: A Customizable Virtual Reception Space
SpatialChat enabled the team to design a multi-room virtual reception environment tailored to the event.
Organizers were able to:
- Prepare themed rooms and table-style layouts in advance
- Support up to ~400 attendees in the same event
- Allow participants to move organically between conversations
- Create multiple discussion areas for parallel networking
The spatial interface mirrored the flow of an on-campus reception, where attendees circulate freely and join conversations based on interest.
The Results: Scalable Attendance with Social Energy Intact
Harvard successfully hosted the virtual post-lecture reception on SpatialChat, with participants moving intuitively between discussion areas and engaging in small-group conversations.
Organizers described the platform as “intuitive and easy to navigate” and identified it as a format they would consider again for future department events. The event supported high-volume participation while preserving the informal, community-building dynamics that are critical after scientific lectures and research talks.
Bring Informal Academic Gatherings Online
Post-lecture receptions and research socials depend on conversation, not structure. SpatialChat enables departments to host large-scale virtual gatherings that feel open, flexible, and social, without sacrificing ease of use or scale.