For National Nail, the annual kickoff was more than a meeting.
It was a chance to bring the team together, align around the year ahead, and build momentum across the organization.
Traditionally hosted at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids, the event typically welcomed 100 to 200 attendees for an in-person experience rooted in connection, conversation, and collaboration. But in 2021, COVID-19 forced National Nail to rethink how that same energy could translate to a virtual environment.
They needed a solution that could support executive presentations, attendee interaction, breakout discussions, and a polished general session, all while making the experience feel like an event instead of another video call.
Through a mutual client introduction, National Nail connected with Bluewater to bring the kickoff to life through Parallel, Bluewater’s virtual and hybrid event platform designed to support more engaging, organized, and interactive online experiences.
The Solution: A Virtual Venue Designed for Connection
Parallel gave National Nail a centralized destination for the virtual kickoff, helping attendees access the event, follow the agenda, participate in sessions, and move between different parts of the experience.
Instead of relying on disconnected links or a basic meeting platform, Parallel helped create a more cohesive event environment. Attendees could engage with the general session, participate in breakout conversations, and feel like they were part of a larger shared experience, even while joining from different locations across the country. This gave National Nail the structure they needed to host a professional virtual event while giving attendees a more intuitive way to participate.
Bringing the Broadcast to Life
To make the event feel more elevated than a typical virtual meeting, Bluewater brought National Nail into its full production studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Presenters were able to use a professional studio environment equipped with premium audio, broadcast-quality video, lighting, and an LED backdrop that could display everything from presentation content to immersive branded visuals.
The studio gave presenters the confidence and energy of a live event, while Bluewater’s production team managed the technical execution behind the scenes, including show flow, presenter support, transitions, and the live broadcast experience within Parallel.
Making Virtual Feel Face-to-Face
One of the biggest opportunities was creating interaction between presenters and attendees.
Using Parallel and Bluewater’s production approach, the event included live two-way communication that allowed attendees and presenters to connect in real time. Rather than creating a one-way broadcast, the kickoff gave participants opportunities to be seen, heard, and involved.
Bluewater also created a studio experience where virtual attendees could appear within the presenter environment, helping recreate the feeling of a face-to-face conversation and making the virtual audience feel more present in the room.
Breakouts Without the Chaos
National Nail also needed a way to support smaller, topic-specific conversations throughout the event.
Through Parallel, Bluewater created virtual breakout rooms where attendees could join discussions based on the topics most relevant to them. These smaller sessions gave participants the chance to connect in focused groups before returning to the main general session.
The result was a smoother, more organized event flow that mirrored the rhythm of an in-person kickoff, without the confusion that often comes with managing multiple virtual meeting links.
A Virtual Kickoff That Still Felt Connected
The final result was a polished, interactive virtual kickoff that helped National Nail bring its team together during a time when gathering in person was not possible.
With Parallel serving as the central event platform and Bluewater’s production team managing the experience behind the scenes, National Nail was able to deliver a virtual kickoff that felt organized, engaging, and memorable.
Rather than settling for a standard online meeting, National Nail created a virtual experience that carried the energy, structure, and connection of their annual in-person event into a new format.
