What do you do if you're an event planning professional seeking a mentor with the right qualities?

Conducting a gap analysis is a powerful way of identifying any knowledge or experience gaps hindering your progress in your event planning career. What are you aiming to achieve? It's crucial to ask yourself if there are specific areas of event planning where you feel less confident or knowledgeable, and it's equally important to keep yourself updated with industry trends or technologies you need to learn more about to stay ahead of the game. Identifying these gaps will give you a clear idea of the qualities and expertise you require in a mentor, helping you achieve your goals with greater confidence and success.

Identify your career goals, where do you want to be in 6 months, a year, 5 years. What sort of events do you want to be delivering and in what capacity. What are your personal goals, are you a go getter that wants to work 7 days a week to advance you career or is work life balance more important to you. Consider your core values and beliefs. You need to find a mentor who will grow and nurture you so you need to understand who you are and who you want to be. Consider what you want from a mentor and what does that relationship look like.

As an event planning professional seeking a mentor, I realized the importance of identifying my specific needs and goals. I reflected on areas where I wanted to grow, such as honing my negotiation skills and expanding my network within the industry. With a clear understanding of what I was looking for, I was able to approach potential mentors with confidence and articulate how their guidance could help me achieve my aspirations. This proactive approach helped me find a mentor who provided invaluable support tailored to my individual needs, ultimately contributing to my professional development and success in the field.

Certainly explore your needs first. Then preview whom are possible matches based on your criteria, then set up three interviews with those possible choices; develop a point system from your criteria? Next, assess how those interviews went, i.e. did you make that emotional Connection: Was that person engaging in terms of what you needed? Did you measure your points vs. what actually happened in those interviews? Additionally, what did you learn from those interviews? Do you need to reassess your criteria? Did you omit something from your desired criteria? So assuming you performed everything correctly, What is it going to kick it out of the park for you? Did this person score all the points on your scorecard? So be calm & make that call!

As I sought a mentor in the event planning industry, I knew that finding the right match required a strategic outreach approach. I began by researching professionals whose expertise aligned with my goals and values. I then crafted personalized messages highlighting my admiration for their work and expressing my eagerness to learn from their experiences. By demonstrating genuine interest and sincerity, I successfully connected with several potential mentors who were receptive to sharing their insights and guidance. This proactive outreach strategy proved instrumental in building meaningful mentorship relationships that continue to enrich my career journey.

One thing that wasn't mentioned here is where to find mentors. If you are lucky to have one in your company, great! Go for it, but if there isn't? In my experience mentors are usually found close to us, so I`d suggest to seek for this person in your clients, suppliers or even competitors. People usually love to help other, that is why companies are able to do bench marketing surveys with competitors. In the end, don't be afraid to approach your mentor wherever he is working.

In my experience I would look for someone with experience, and a willingness to share knowledge. The ideal mentor offers guidance, provides constructive feedback, and helps navigate challenges. They should possess strong communication skills, be accessible, and demonstrate a genuine interest in my growth. A mentor with a diverse network can also open doors to valuable connections in the industry.