• Contact

facebook
linkedin
tumblr
twitter
vimeo
rss

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact



Making A Difference One Connection At A Time

December 08, 2017
by R.V. Baugus
#erinjepson, #mentorconnectorprogram, IAVM
Comments are off

By Erin Jepson, CMP

This is the time of year where many of us reflect back on the last 12 months and are looking forward to the fresh start a new year brings. We may be celebrating accomplishments from the past year, thinking of how things can go differently next time and many of us are planning for next year’s resolutions.

I ask you this – what did you do last year to make a difference in someone else’s life? Perhaps you coordinated a coat drive at work or wrote a check to the IAVM Foundation (wait … you didn’t do that? It’s not too late to get that in before the end of the year). Did you know that IAVM provides the opportunity to give back in a way that doesn’t cost you any money out of pocket but the returns are priceless?

I first signed up to be a mentor in the Mentor Connector program during VenueConnect 2016. I have to be honest, however. I signed up on the heels of a frustrating conversation with a colleague and was looking to feel better about my participation in the industry so it was purely self-serving at the time. What I didn’t know that August afternoon on the exhibit hall floor was how much the program would transform how I look at my career – past, present and future.

Over the course of the next 12 months, I had the pleasure of sharing information about IAVM volunteer opportunities and what volunteering has meant to me, connecting my mentee with professional contacts as he prepared for the CVP test, and discussions around my experience working at the Super Bowl in 2012 as he is preparing to help host some of the Super Bowl activities in his own venue in 2018. When I signed up to help, I had no idea those would be the areas we talked about at length. If you had asked me what I could contribute as part of the program, my response may have been “Umm, I’m good at taking leaps of faith and throwing caution to the wind so if someone is on the fence about a decision, pair them with me and I’ll talk them into it.” What I was able to offer was so much more. Aside from all of the association and professional knowledge you actually have to share, being a mentor means making a meaningful connection outside of your workplace and good connections have a lasting impact.

Is this still not resonating with you? Let me try to tug at your heartstrings a bit. Do you remember your first mentor (official or unofficial)? I do. I wasn’t expecting to meet someone who turned out to mean so much in my career the second year I attended VenueConnect but thankfully I did. Would I be where I am today without her? Maybe. Would the path to get here have been the same filled with interview opportunities, volunteer work and leadership opportunities? Absolutely not. My connection to her helped lay a road map that has taught me so much, whether she directly impacted that or not, having her in my life was paramount to how my career has turned out so far.

Don’t you want to be that for someone else? What if it only took an hour or so a month to make that impact? That’s nothing for you in the grand scheme but it may mean the world to your mentee. So as you’re thinking about how to give back and what resolutions to set for yourself in 2018, make a note to head to the IAVM Mentor Connector website and sign up for the next round. You absolutely have what it takes to be a great mentor; you just need to take that first step.

Wait, are you still on the fence about signing up? Remember when I said I’m good at talking people into good decisions? Feel free to email or call me to talk about this. I’m happy to tell you more about my experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Erin Jepson, CMP, is Director of Events at the Oregon Convention Center. Contact her at 503-731-7890 or at erinjepson@oregoncc.org.

R.V. Baugus
About the Author
R.V. Baugus is senior editor of IAVM's magazine, Venue Professional. Baugus is a 12-time Quill Award winner from the Dallas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and Silver Quill recipient from the Southern Region of IABC. He is devoted in his community by serving as a deacon at his church, a facilitator leading a Grief Share class, high school football public address announcer for the Irving ISD and basketball PA announcer for Nimitz High School.
Social Share
  • google-share

Do you want to receive a Front Row News weekly digest?

Categories

  • Allied (801)
  • Architecture (139)
  • Arenas (712)
  • Career (844)
  • Convention Centers (838)
  • Education (582)
  • Events (1,439)
  • Food & Beverage (178)
  • Foundation (111)
  • Guest Experience (1,400)
  • Industry News (2,112)
  • Leadership (1,742)
  • Marketing (134)
  • Membership (1,852)
  • Music (175)
  • Performing Arts Centers (447)
  • Professional Development (377)
  • Research (119)
  • Safety & Security (425)
  • Sports (706)
  • Stadiums (580)
  • Student (157)
  • Technology (481)
  • Ticketing (82)
  • Touring (73)
  • Trends (330)
  • Uncategorized (443)
  • Universities (206)
  • Video (24)
  • Young Professional (197)

Twitter Feed

  • Twitter feed loading

Recent Posts

  • Gus Le Grand Named New GM at Toyota Arena
  • In Memoriam: Thomas D. Minter
  • Theater Design Creates New Website
  • IAEE Expands CEM Learning Program to Include On-Demand Courses
  • Red Mountain Theatre Arts Campus Wins Top Honors for Architecture by the USITT

Categories

  • Allied
  • Architecture
  • Arenas
  • Career
  • Convention Centers
  • Education
  • Events
  • Food & Beverage
  • Foundation
  • Guest Experience
  • Industry News
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Membership
  • Music
  • Performing Arts Centers
  • Professional Development
  • Research
  • Safety & Security
  • Sports
  • Stadiums
  • Student
  • Technology
  • Ticketing
  • Touring
  • Trends
  • Uncategorized
  • Universities
  • Video
  • Young Professional

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • May 2012
  • March 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Recent Comments

  • Allen Johnson on In Memoriam: John C.K. Fuhrmann, CVE
  • Allen Johnson on In Memoriam: Bruce Matthew Lahti
  • R.V. Baugus on In Memoriam: Neil M. Campbell, CVE
  • R.V. Baugus on Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Opens Doors to First Show Since Pandemic Outbreak
  • Cynthia Tucker on Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Opens Doors to First Show Since Pandemic Outbreak

© 2001-2013 International Association of Venue Managers, Inc.