How Pavilion improved NPS with Hivebrite

From local supper club to buzzing international community

Pavilion’s story began in 2016 as a simple supper club in New York City, where heads of sales could gather, share experiences, and support each other in navigating the complex challenges of their roles. This informal setup quickly revealed a significant gap in the professional world—a lack of dedicated spaces where high-level executives could connect, learn, and grow together.

As the supper club evolved, it became clear that the value of these shared experiences and peer support reached far beyond just casual dinners. The challenges these leaders faced weren’t confined to New York or even the sales function; they were common across various roles and regions. With this realization, Pavilion broadened its mission to include a wider range of go-to-market leaders, such as those in marketing, customer success, and revenue operations, at different stages of their careers.

Since then, the community has flourished, driven by the belief that the best professional development happens when it’s continuous, collaborative, and supported by a strong network of peers. This approach has allowed Pavilion to create a vibrant ecosystem where leaders can truly thrive.

Beyond build vs. buy: The smart path to community platform success

Initially, Pavilion was committed to building its own community platform from the ground up. This approach was driven by a desire for complete control over the user experience and the belief that a custom-built solution could be perfectly tailored to meet their unique needs. The vision was to create a platform that encapsulated all of Pavilion’s offerings into one seamless, integrated system, providing unparalleled value to its members.

However, as the development process unfolded, Pavilion encountered significant challenges. The time, cost, and resources required to build a platform from scratch quickly became apparent. Despite two years of effort and substantial financial investment, the platform still fell short of expectations, lacking the robust features and functionality needed to deliver the intended member experience.

Faced with these obstacles, Pavilion began exploring alternative solutions and discovered Hivebrite. Hivebrite offered a flexible and customizable platform that could be tailored to Pavilion’s specific requirements without the need for extensive in-house development. This discovery was pivotal, as it allowed Pavilion to achieve the best of both worlds: the complete control and customization akin to a bespoke solution, combined with the efficiency and reliability of a SaaS platform.

Hivebrite stood out due to its extensive feature set and its ability to integrate seamlessly with Pavilion’s existing systems like Salesforce and ChargeBee. This integration capability was crucial for Pavilion, as it ensured a smooth transition and maintained the continuity of their operations. Additionally, Hivebrite’s flexibility allowed Pavilion to quickly implement a unified community platform that integrated all key features such as member directories, educational resources, and career services.

“Thanks to the bidirectional sync of Hivebrite data in Salesforce, we gained valuable insights into our members’ engagement patterns.” Tom Andrews, VP of Technology and Operations at Pavilion. 

Furthermore, Pavilion chose Orbiit to complement Hivebrite, leveraging its ability to create meaningful, personalized connections at scale. This combination of Hivebrite and Orbiit empowered Pavilion to provide a comprehensive and engaging member experience, fostering deeper connections and enhancing member satisfaction.