By Maria Talbert, CVE
All of us know how important connections outside our own organizations are — you wouldn’t be on the IAVM.org website reading this blog if you didn’t believe in the importance of learning from others outside your venue.
There are a number of ways that our amazing association facilitates connections, but the Mentor Connector program offers something truly special: the structure and support it provides mentors and mentees helps to appropriately match individuals and provides them with tools to ensure that their discussions are as beneficial as possible.
The Mentor Connector program creates the opportunity for an industry professional to provide guidance and encouragement to a member who has an identified professional development need. Together, the mentor and mentee create a one-on-one, tailored 12-month program that focuses on improving the skill set of the mentee, enhancing the mentor’s contribution to the industry, and provides a forum for an exchange of ideas between both participants.
Indeed, we ALL have wisdom we can impart and things we can learn from each other, and it is important to know that you are never too young or too old to be EITHER a mentor or mentee.
The next round of mentor/mentee pairings will be completed by Wednesday, May 15, so the application deadline for the spring cycle is in just a few months: Tuesday, April 30.
For more information about this incredible program, visit here or feel free to reach out to me at mtalbert@indiana.edu.
Maria Talbert, CVE, serves as Managing Director at Indiana University Auditorium, a 3,200-seat 
theatre that has been a model of campus and community programming and engagement since it was built in 1941. She holds a master’s in Arts Administration from IU and has over 20 years of marketing, event, and venue management experience. When she’s not at the Auditorium, you can find her at Vibe Yoga, McCormick’s Creek State Park, or at home with her spouse, Brian, and their daughter, Emily.
