Upskill with mentorship

Applications for our second Cohort of the NZEA Mentorship Programme have now closed. However we are accepting expressions of interest for the next cohort of the programme (approx. November 2021). Read on...

So if you're looking to give back or for one-on-one professional development - get in touch! We’ll do the legwork to match needs with experience. The programme is free for NZEA members.

Why become a Mentor?

• Contribute to your professional development
• Give back to the industry by sharing your skills and experience
• Help grow the next wave of event professionals
• Make a difference by helping others achieve their goals
• Develop your coaching and leadership skills
• Included in your member benefits

If you are an experienced event professional - from any aspect of our sector – and feel you have the time, energy and guidance to offer to up and coming colleagues, please read on!

Feedback from Cohort 1 Mentors:

"The programme structure and guidance provided by NZEA was great, it gave me the confidence to get stuck in and I have thoroughly enjoyed it." 

"I think it is a great initiative, certainly enjoying the ‘giving-back’ nature from a personal perspective and [my mentee] is taking away a couple of key thoughts or actions each time we catch up."

Why become a Mentee?

• Contribute to your Professional development
• Broaden your perspective and your network
• Identity and address gaps in your knowledge and skills base
• Receive timely feedback and advice from an impartial party vested in your success
• Receive encouragement and support for growth and improvement
• Included in your member benefits

If you’re in the starting or mid-phases of your career as an events professional and would appreciate the perspective of a mentor for one or many aspects of your career, we’d love to hear from you, too!

Feedback from Cohort 1 Mentees

"[My mentor] had great complementary experiences and was great to learn from...the programme was easy to join, easy to plan and simple to undertake."

"Honestly I have found [my mentor] to be a great sounding board, I will tell him a situation and he will just bring simple logic to it and it has really helped me to think about the situation completely differently."

What is the purpose of mentorship?

A mentor may share with a mentee information about his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modelling. A mentor may help with exploring careers, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources.

Fundamental expectations

Mentors and mentees are responsible for gaining each other’s trust and confidence by

• interacting morally, ethically, and collegially; and valuing each other’s time, professional and personal commitments.

The role of the mentor

• Commit to a minimum 6 x 1hr sessions over the programme duration
• Proactively maintain contact and encourage open communication
• Build confidence
• Coach and help problem-solve
• Share experiences as learning tools
• Encourage professionalism
• Admit when something is out of your area of expertise
• Offer constructive feedback
• Maintain privacy / confidentiality
• Provide feedback to NZEA on your mentor experience to help refine the programme

The role of the mentee

• Commit to a minimum 6 x 1hr sessions over the programme duration
• Take responsibility for scheduling the sessions at mutually convenient times
• Be clear on your goal/s for this mentor programme and communicate them openly
• Actively contribute to discussions
• Seek and accept constructive feedback
• Maintain privacy / confidentiality
• Provide feedback to NZEA on your mentee experience to help refine the programme

Feedback on the Mentorship Programme

As this programme grows, your feedback through debrief meetings and/or questionnaires will be crucial to the on-going success and improvement of the offering.

Timeline

Programme duration: 5 months

April 2021 – Recruitment of mentors & mentees for cohort 2

4 May 2021 - Applications for cohort 2 close

Early May 2021 – Matching and pre-briefing of each group (Zoom call plus supporting docs)

17 May 2021 – Cohort 2 starts

September 2021 – Cohort 2 concludes

October 2021 – Debrief participants and refine programme

TBC – Recruit Cohort 3

Application process

Applications for cohort 2 closed Tuesday 4 May 2021.

If you are interested in participating in future cohorts of the mentorship programme, please submit an expression of interest as follows:

To become a mentor

To register your interest in becoming a mentor, please complete and submit this Google form which will require responses to the following:

• Name
• Contacts (email / phone)
• Current organisation and role
• What do you feel are your particular strengths?
• What skills do you feel that you would bring to the relationship?

To become a mentee

To register your interest in becoming a mentee, please complete and submit this Google form which will require responses to the following:

• Name
• Contacts (email / phone)
• Current organisation and role
• What is your main objective in participating in our mentor programme?
• Are there particular skills or areas of expertise that you are seeking from a mentor?

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions about the programme: info@nzea.co