MiniMeets : Building a Stronger Vet Community, One MiniMeet at a Time.
MiniMeets are casual, local gatherings of 5 to 10 veterinarians designed to reconnect our profession—one conversation at a time. Whether it’s over coffee, a walk, or dinner, MiniMeets create space for real, face-to-face connection without presentations or pressure.
Host your own. We will help you every step of the way.
MiniMeets: Small Gatherings. Big Impact
Rebuilding Our Community—One Conversation at a Time
In veterinary medicine, things have changed. Between shift work, rising pressures, and post-pandemic disconnection, many of us have lost something essential: a sense of community.
MiniMeets are here to bring it back.
MiniMeets are small, local get-togethers for 5 to 10 veterinarians—just a chance to connect with peers over coffee, a walk, dinner, or whatever fits your vibe. No lectures. No CE credits. Just real conversation with people who understand what this work really feels like.
Why Host a MiniMeet?
Because someone needs to go first.
By hosting a MiniMeet, you’re making space—for honesty, for camaraderie, for laughter, and maybe even for mentorship. You don’t need to be an extrovert or a community leader. You just need to care.
And we’ll help you every step of the way.
What You’ll Get as a Host:
✅ A quick-start host toolkit with sample invites, tips, and conversation ideas
✅ Help with identifying who to invite, and even sending out the invitations.
✅ Access to NYSVMS staff for support and guidance
✅ Optional listing on our MiniMeet map to help others find your event
✅ A chance to be featured in NYSVMS newsletters and social media
See where MiniMeets have been held
Take a look at our map, and don’t forget to add any events that you organize.
Step by step guide to getting started and getting help from us
We will help you every step of the way to host your own MiniMeet
We would love you to host a vet mini-meetup for local vets, and we will help you make it happen. Just call us on (518) 869 7867 or use the online form to get started.
Find a co-host
Try and see if you can team up with one other person so you have a co-host. That will make everything easier, and may make it easier for people to accept an invitation if they see more than one person involved.
Decide - Dinner, walk or...?
Decide on what type of Meetup you would like to arrange, A dinner, a walk in the park, coffee, drinks..it’s your choice.
Who to invite
Who do you invite? We can help put together a list. Maybe its vets from local hospitals. Or perhaps you need to throw the net a bit wider – but no more than an hour away.
Set the date
2 to 3 weeks ahead is best. Have an initial date when you ask people. If someone can’t make that date you could always keep them in mind for if you have so much fun you do it again. Of course if the date really becomes a problem you can change it.
Choose a restaurant - or location
It’s best to choose a restaurant you know, that does reasonably priced food, and is able to accommodate a group of 6 to 12. If you are meeting mid-week the restaurant is likely to be quieter and be flexible with numbers. Provisionally book a table for 8, you can always change it, but check to see how many they could add.
Let us know at NYSVMS
Don’t miss this step! We want to be able to track these dinners and publicize them. And people might call the office to check if it is legit. So let us know. We have provided an online form for that, and while you complete it you can also say what other help you need.
Send invitations - or have us do it
We have provided an online form that you can fill in, and we will create and send you an invitation pdf and image for an email.
You can use our online form to let us know how you want invitations sent, or if you are going to do it yourself. You might even just drop by nearby animal hospitals to invite people in-person.
After the event
Let us know how it went – and who came, and any suggestions you have for making the process better.
Let us know if anyone who came is interested in hosting their own mini meetup, so we can offer support.
MiniMeet FAQ
How to host your own Vet MiniMeet
Anyone can host a “Vet Mini Meetup.” Dinners are one option for a MiniMeet. ! If you have connections, simply send out invites. Need assistance? NYSVMS is here to help you reach out to local veterinarians. Choose a cozy restaurant and set a date in 2-3 weeks. You can always adjust the date later! Aim to invite about 12 people, ensuring a great time even if a few can’t make it. Use our invitation templates or personalize your own to get the party started. Let’s build those connections! Consider co-hosting with a friend, so you aren’t alone while you plan the party.
What do we talk about?
When veterinarians gather, the conversation flows easily, but having some icebreakers ready can spark even more engaging discussions! Check out our list for fun starters, like, “If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?” We also offer a variety of conversation topics, such as sharing ways to unwind from work stresses. Let the connections thrive!
How does it fit in with my local region?
In the past, our regional groups thrived on in-person CE meetings and family picnics, fostering strong connections among members. While interest in these large events has shifted, we believe that building a professional community remains essential for success.
Enter MiniMeets—a fresh approach to networking that encourages smaller gatherings. As these dinners take off, we anticipate potential for larger events in the future, bringing together all the new connections made.
We hope that enjoying these gatherings will inspire veterinarians to host their own, further expanding our network. Together, let’s discuss and shape the events that will create the veterinary community of tomorrow. We’re starting small, but the sky’s the limit!
One-off, or regular?
You can approach your first event as a one-off. But if you all enjoy getting together, you can just agree on the next date and maybe invite some others to join you. Hopefully you can take turns organizing the MiniMeets, and build a local community around it.
Icebreakers
You’ve finally got there. You are sitting at a restaurant table with 5 people you don’t know well, and they all came because of you. How do you start the conversation. (Assuming you need to – it might just flow from the start!)
Here’s some links to icebreakers that you can use as part of the introductions:
200 conversation starters – Conversation starters world
The only list of icebreaker questions you will ever need
