Mentorship in Action: Real Connections, Career Growth, and What Comes Next
Inside the 2026 EPN Mentorship Program – and how to get ahead for Spring 2027.
The 2026 EPN Mentorship Program brought event professionals together to share knowledge, navigate career challenges, and help one another grow – one honest conversation at a time.
From April through the first week of July, mentors and mentees met for just one hour each month. There was no formal curriculum or required homework. Instead, each pair shaped the experience around the mentee’s goals, questions, and next steps.
What happened in those conversations went far beyond career advice.
Participants explored new career paths, strengthened their professional stories, built confidence, expanded their networks, and found the kind of support that can be difficult to access in a fast-moving industry.
Because connections may be the spark – but mentorship is the fuel.
Built for Real Event Professionals – and Real Schedules
The EPN Mentorship Program was created to make meaningful mentorship accessible, even during a busy event season.
The commitment was intentionally simple:
One meeting per month
Three meetings total
Flexible, participant-led conversations
No set curriculum
No cost to participate
Mentees were encouraged to arrive with specific questions, challenges, or goals. Mentors brought their real-world experience – not polished textbook answers, but honest stories about what worked, what did not, and what they learned along the way.
That simple structure gave every pair the freedom to focus on what mattered most to them.
For some, that meant preparing for a career move. For others, it meant navigating leadership, finding a niche, setting stronger boundaries, or simply having a trusted person outside their organization to talk things through with.
What Mentorship Looked Like Behind the Scenes
Throughout the cohort, participants shared updates that showed just how much can happen when the right two people connect.
Finding Your Niche – and Sharing the Journey
Exploring a specialized path such as sustainable event planning can feel daunting, especially when there is no clear roadmap.
In one mentorship pairing, the conversations focused on building an authentic personal brand and sharing the learning process along the way. Rather than waiting to feel like an expert, the mentee began embracing the discomfort of growing publicly – and preparing for an exciting next step.
You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin contributing to the conversation.
Reclaiming Your Time and Focus
The events industry can make it easy to put your own growth, health, and priorities on hold.
In another pairing, a mentor posed a question that challenged the mentee to look differently at what was standing in the way:
“What’s truly keeping you from doing things that benefit you - you, or your job?”
That conversation became a powerful reminder to focus on what is within your control and not allow external circumstances to dictate your personal or professional development.
Looking Beyond the Job Title
Career growth does not always fit neatly inside a title or traditional path.
In one mentorship conversation, a mentee was reminded that a title is only one small part of a professional identity. Staying true to who you are, recognizing the value you bring, and pursuing the work you genuinely enjoy can be far more important than trying to fit into a predefined corporate box.
Sometimes mentorship is not about giving someone a new answer. It is about helping them see their own experience and potential more clearly.
Turning Conversations into Action
The program was designed to be flexible, but that did not mean the conversations lacked direction.
Many pairs created their own rhythm and used their time together to work toward specific, tangible outcomes.
In one pairing, regular touchpoints helped a mentee clarify what she wanted from her next experiential or event role, identify potential organizations, and strengthen the story she could use to pursue new opportunities. She even began putting that work into practice during interviews while the program was still underway.
Other pairs explored how their mentorship work could support the wider event community. One mentor and mentee developed a detailed question guide, curated a list of industry leaders and organizations to follow, and began building a resource of common event terms and acronyms.
Their conversations also highlighted a larger industry need: more accessible, standardized training for the next generation of event professionals.
One conversation can support an individual today while also sparking ideas that strengthen the industry tomorrow.
What Participants Valued Most
At the end of the program, both mentors and mentees reflected on the connections they had built and the progress they had made.
One mentee shared:
“Being connected with someone who has a similar background and is in a position I aspire to reach has been incredibly valuable.”
Another described their mentor as:
“A great source of support.”
For mentors, the experience was equally meaningful. One participant shared how rewarding it was to help a mentee clarify what she wanted, identify potential employers, and shape the story she could use to pursue those opportunities.
Another mentor summed up the personal value simply:
“I walked away with a new connection, which I really appreciate.”
That is what the EPN Mentorship Program is ultimately about: creating the space for event professionals to learn from one another, ask the questions they may not feel comfortable asking elsewhere, and build relationships that can continue long after the formal program ends.
Mentorship Strengthens the Entire Industry
You do not need to have decades of experience – or all the answers – to be a meaningful mentor.
If you have been in the industry for five years or 25, you have already worked through challenges that someone else may be facing for the first time.
What feels like a standard Tuesday to you could be the perspective that helps another event professional move forward.
Mentorship also gives experienced professionals an opportunity to strengthen their coaching and leadership skills, hear fresh perspectives, and stay connected to the evolving needs of the industry.
For mentees, the program offers something equally valuable: a trusted sounding board, a broader network, and dedicated time to focus on their own growth.
When event professionals share what they know, everyone becomes more capable – and the entire community moves forward.
Get Ahead for Spring 2027
The next EPN Mentorship Program will take place in Spring 2027, and the interest form is now available.
Whether you want to learn from someone who has navigated the road ahead or use your experience to support another event professional, now is the time to raise your hand.
Joining the interest list early helps us learn more about your goals, experience, and areas of interest as we begin preparing thoughtful mentor-mentee matches for the next cohort.
✨ Become a Mentor — Share your experience, strengthen your leadership skills, and help another event professional take their next step – all with a commitment of approximately one hour per month.
✨ Become a Mentee — Gain a trusted sounding board, learn from real industry experience, and receive guidance shaped around your career goals and current challenges.
Ready to be part of the next cohort?
✨ Complete the Spring 2027 EPN Mentorship Interest Form
Get ahead now and let us know whether you are interested in participating as a mentor or mentee.
Your next meaningful professional connection could begin with one simple form.
A huge thank you to every mentor and mentee who brought their time, honesty, curiosity, and generosity to the 2026 cohort. You are the heartbeat of the EPN community – and we cannot wait to see where these connections lead next. 🦄✨
