Mentor Gerry Rojas and mentee Natalie Azcona know all too well how the events industry is constantly moving forward, but they still make time to catch up when they can, even if it’s for just 15 minutes every few weeks. The pair has built their relationship on real, honest conversations that tackle challenges on both sides of their careers, while also celebrating their cultures and accomplishments.

With 25 years of experience in media, Rojas, svp-product marketing and sales strategy at Sundial Media & Technology Group, was the ideal mentor for Azcona who was growing her career at TelevisaUnivision. But then, she pivoted, and Rojas was there to help her with her next move, translating her experience to explore new avenues in tech events. Azcona landed on the agency side at Cred as an event planner, and she’s enjoying soaking up learnings from her new role, in addition to all the advice and insights she continues to pick up from Rojas.

Event Marketer: How did you hear about the mentorship program, and what drew you to participate?

Gerry Rojas: I have always been oriented to try to give back to community. There were a couple of key figures who opened the door for me to get to where I am today, and I wanted to pay that forward.

Natalie Azcona: I saw a post on LinkedIn, and I just felt an immediate draw to it because sometimes I find it really hard to connect with people in corporate who don’t always have the background people of color like me come from. I’m the first one in my family to graduate from college and to join a corporate job, and there aren’t a lot of people I can go to in my personal life to ask, “How would you handle this situation at work,” or “How does your culture cross into work?” And so, it was really important to me, and I always try to find mentors who understand our backgrounds, have similar upbringings and break through some of the expectations that are put on us as people of color.

EM: What was your initial meeting like as a mentor/mentee pair?

NA: Gerry is so energetic and positive. When I first connected with him, we were both in the middle of a lot of changes and big projects, and I remember we would squeeze in 15 to 20 minutes to talk about how we were doing, how we were staying afloat and what our challenges were that week. Hearing his perspective from an executive level was really important for me because sometimes it’s hard to see past your roles and responsibilities. I think what I would take away most is his ability to see optimistically ahead, stay positive and bring all of this energy to the people he works with. It inspired me to do the same.

GR: For me, what I find special is the energy, the hope, the passion around trying to break into an industry that’s really hard to break into. So, if there’s anything that I can offer up from my lived experience, I would share, and then the greatest joy is seeing them have some type of success. Getting a new job, meeting a new person or whatever it is, those connections slowly add to your progression. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, so I’m hoping I was there a couple of steps along the way of your career journey.

“I always try to find mentors who understand our backgrounds, have similar upbringings and break through some of the expectations that are put on us as people of color.”

–Natalie Azcona, Event Planner, Cred

EM: How often do you meet, and what do these meetings look like?

NA: We started chatting in the spring, and initially, we thought we would set a cadence of once every month, but it turned out to be maybe once every few weeks or once every two months in the summer. Even if they were short conversations, they were plentiful. We had a lot to chat about, whether it was work or personal or merging both.

A month after we had just connected, I said, “Gerry, I got engaged.” And he was like, “Oh my gosh, congrats. I’ve been married for this long, and these are my lessons, and this is how we manage work and life,” which was really lovely to hear. We try to make it as friendly as possible and not rigid, like you’re my mentor, I’m your mentee.

GR: It’s inspiring to be able to talk to Natalie. Natalie and I had conversations like we were two friends in college. It wasn’t really about you’re really old, Gerry, or anything like that. No, it was natural, down-to-earth and realistic. It’s rewarding to have these conversations.

EM: What have you learned from this partnership so far?

NA: I made a career switch after the time we started. I really wanted to make a move, and Gerry was such a good guide for that. He gave me advice on how to break into a new industry, how to be successful in a space where maybe there aren’t a lot of Latinos or people of color, and how to speak up for your culture. We had real conversations; it’s not like a ticker that we were checking off.

I’m now at Cred, a boutique p.r. agency, and we do incredible work with speaker management and event management across the world. My clients are primarily in tech, so going from media to tech is a huge change, but that’s what I wanted to do and what I set my mind to. Gerry still works in media, but he’s been in the industry for so long that he knows every industry you could think of and has connections everywhere. He was always giving me advice on what to look into, what research to do and how to prepare for my next interview—all while cheering me on.

GR: It’s good for me to be plugged in with this new generation and hear what their struggles are and the new challenges that they’re dealing with, because I can identify with them. When I first started in this business in 2000, that’s when they discovered Latinos as one of the fastest growing demos. I’ve been at it now 25 years, and I’m still doing that education and research, but obviously there are new ways to do it. So, hearing those challenges is a learning experience for me.

“It’s good for me to be plugged in with this new generation and hear what their struggles are and the new challenges that they’re dealing with, because I can identify with them.”

–Gerry Rojas, SVP-Product Marketing and Sales Strategy, Sundial Media & Technology Group

EM: Natalie, how valuable has this mentorship experience been to you?

NA: As I grow in my career, I can’t wait to be a mentor. It’s really inspiring, and it would be very fulfilling to be able to give somebody who’s just entering the workforce the guidance, advice and steps to get started. As silly as it might seem, even how to use a platform like Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Outlook. Those were things that I just didn’t know when I joined the workforce.

You learn as you go, but I would love to be able to help and give that guidance back in, for example, how you build an agenda, write an email or reach out to a new client. I will continue to participate in this program more as a mentee now, but in the future, definitely, as a mentor.

EM: What changes do you hope to see in the industry for the next generation of diverse event professionals? How can the industry lift them up?

NA: Even though Gerry is so busy, he finds 10 to 15 minutes to connect with me. What can you do with your 10- to 15-minute break during the day to empower a young professional just getting started in the industry? I hope that in the future, I see more executives taking the time to connect with young people to make them feel like they can move up the ladder and that one day, they can make it up to an executive position, too.

Lastly, a former colleague of mine who is in an executive position invited me to accompany her to an inspiring, all-women event. It was nice to see so many executives bring junior-level professionals, and I think more events like that are necessary. Always try to invite someone who is in a different level or place than you are because that’s how they can really make connections.

Apply to be a mentor, mentee or peer in the 2026 cohort of the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program here. The deadline to sign up is Jan. 31, 2026.

More from Experiential in Color 2025:

• Experiential in Color 2025: Inside the Program’s New Mentorship Initiative
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Anna Nicholson and Melencia Lattimore
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Sofia Figueroa and Felicia Kelly

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Even though mentor Sofia Figueroa is based in Miami and mentee Felicia Kelly is based in Durham, NC, the distance didn’t stop this pair from forming a strong relationship rooted in curiosity, determination and an openness to learn from one another, particularly because both come from different sides of the event industry. Figueroa is the senior director of experiential marketing at Square, focused on brand marketing events, while Kelly is experienced in exhibits and trade shows.

Kelly was ready for her second act but needed a mentor to get her there. Thanks to guidance from Figueroa, who introduced her mentee to new paths and players within experiential, Kelly was able to land a new position at Pinnacle as senior account manager, and according to her mentor, she’s thriving.

Event Marketer: How did you hear about the mentorship program, and what drew you to participate?

Sofia Figueroa: My good friend Gaby Neves of Factory360 invited me to join, and I’ve seen the impact that she’s had in the experiential marketing industry, so I knew that if she had a hand in something like this, it was going to be a great investment of time and energy. And then, personally, I’ve never had an official mentor. I’ve had unofficial ones throughout my career, and they’ve given me the opportunity to sharpen my skills, be a sounding board and look for new inspirations. So, this was my chance to help someone navigate those challenges in their career and hopefully grow, as well.

Felicia Kelly: Luckily, I’m on the email list for Event Marketer, so I decided to click and read more about the program. At first, I was thinking maybe I could be a mentor, but then I realized, no, I wanted to be a mentee because there are things that I still want to do and explore in experiential, and it worked out really well. I joined to see what I can learn and whom I can connect with, especially in the space of being a person of color, just kind of understanding the landscape of what others are experiencing and how they’re navigating it.

I was also contemplating my next move, and I was very clear on what I wanted to do next but felt like I could definitely use a mentor. I often find myself in a mentor role, pouring into others, but this time I wanted to see what I stood to benefit from being a mentee. Growth isn’t about age or career stage. We’re always learning, and this felt like the right opportunity to stretch, grow and pour back into myself.

EM: Going into the program, what were you hoping to take away from the experience?

FK: I was hoping to get a mentor to take a second look at my resume and help me develop a pathway that I could target to get deeper into the experiential world. And I feel like I got the takeaways I was after.

SF: Although I’m in the mentor capacity, I’ve definitely been learning, as well. And it’s always so refreshing to connect with other like-minded industry professionals to learn about their trade because what Felicia does within events is actually very different from what I do. I got to take a peek into her world, where she produces these massive trade activations that I’ve never produced before, so I got to learn something from her. Then, as someone who is also trying to grow as a leader, sharpening my leadership skills and learning to adapt to what Felicia’s needs were at the time, wanting to grow her career, this is a really beneficial opportunity for me.

FK: And Sofia was great at that, too. She’s awesome.

“Sofia was very encouraging when I was a little doubtful, and sometimes you just need to hear that and have that push to make the jump.”

–Felicia Kelly, Senior Account Manager, Pinnacle

EM: What was your initial meeting like as a mentor/mentee pair?

SF: Unfortunately, Felicia and I live in two different states. We’ve actually tried to coordinate overlap before, but our schedules are hectic. I would say it was casual and light. The joy of a mentorship program is that you don’t have to bring that same façade that you do to work, and so you get to know each other, first, as regular people and then, industry professionals.

Working in events is not a nine-to-five job; it bleeds into your personal life. You’re away for weekends, you might celebrate your birthday at an event, you bring your whole self. So, it was nice for both of us to be able to get a complete picture of each other and understand a bit more about what we’re looking to do, holistically. We email, we text. It’s nice to be able to update each other on both professional and personal things and share resources.

FK: I was really, really pleasantly surprised with my match. I instantly thought that they did a good job with the matchmaking, because the things that I was asking for in my questionnaire were exactly who Sofia is. She really made me feel comfortable. We decided how we want to work together and what we want to get out of it. I appreciated Sofia taking the lead on organizing how we were going to interact. That was refreshing because as a planner, you never know how other people plan, so it was like, OK, great, she’s organized like me.

And then the other thing I got out of the first meeting was I learned a lot about what Sofia does, which really intrigued me and made me excited for the next meetup. She gave me some homework, too. She started sending me articles on the industry. I expressed my interest in experiential, and then she opened a whole new garage door to a bunch of different agencies and different activations that I’ve always admired from afar but was not close to anyone who actually does them. So that first meeting, we accomplished a lot, and then we kept it going after that.

“The joy of a mentorship program is that you don’t have to bring that same façade that you do to work, and so you get to know each other, first as regular people, and then industry professionals.”

–Sofia Figueroa, Senior Director-Experiential Marketing, Square

EM: What do your meetings look like, and what have you learned from this partnership so far?

FK: We met once a month or every three weeks, and then very quickly, it shifted into a situation where I was ready to make the next step to another workplace. Sofia was trying to get me to think about what I want to do, where I want to be, and what that looks and feels like, as well as the different avenues and work titles that I should be thinking of when it comes to making a pivot. Sofia was definitely pivotal in helping me navigate that process and get a new job at Pinnacle, which I started a few months ago… She was very encouraging when I was a little doubtful, and sometimes you just need to hear that and have that push to make the jump.

SF: We went from one conversation of, “I’m thinking about maybe switching my job” to “Hey, I landed a new job.” It’s been really nice to work with Felicia, too, because I give her some ideas and things to do, and she just runs with it. We really focused on her next opportunity, and she used me as a resource to figure out how to best shape her narrative, build out a portfolio and refresh her resume. I’ve never coached somebody through that specific situation, so that was the first time I got to lean into that skill set. It’s been a joy to see her continue growing her career because she’s amazing at what she does and her ambition is setting her apart. I know she’s going to be successful and continue growing.

FK: It was nice to be able to have that access to her, like we’re sending each other pictures of things that we did on the road and stuff like that. Sofia just became this person I don’t have to explain things to because she knows what I do. My family doesn’t even know what I do. I appreciate having that companionship outside of a work colleague and the relationship we are building. And believe me, Sofia and I will definitely keep in contact.

SF: For sure!

Apply to be a mentor, mentee or peer in the 2026 cohort of the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program here. The deadline to sign up is Jan. 31, 2026.

More from Experiential in Color 2025:

• Experiential in Color 2025: Inside the Program’s New Mentorship Initiative
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Anna Nicholson and Melencia Lattimore
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Gerry Rojas and Natalie Azcona

The post Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Sofia Figueroa and Felicia Kelly appeared first on Event Marketer.

For Anna Nicholson, it’s a full-circle moment to be participating in the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program. In 2021, she was recognized in Experiential in Color’s first class of rising-star honorees. Four years later, Nicholson is now an event manager at Yahoo and is giving back to the industry, mentoring Melencia Lattimore, meeting coordinator at A-Plus Meetings & Incentives.

Lattimore never had a mentor before, but the opportunity to join the mentorship program felt right, as she was preparing to graduate with her master’s from the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. She was looking for support from an experienced mentor to make industry connections and reaffirm that events was the career path she wanted to follow, and Nicholson was the perfect match.

Event Marketer: How did you hear about the mentorship program, and what drew you to participate?

Anna Nicholson: I saw a post about it on LinkedIn, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is perfect.” I applied that day… Seeing this felt like a cool continuation from the first program where there were 10 of us who were honored, and we were just chatting, connecting and building our network. I was really encouraged seeing this because it felt like Event Marketer was doubling down on raising diverse voices and then also finding a space for us to be able to connect. I was excited about the opportunity.

Melencia Lattimore: I decided to go back to grad school for event management, and my professor mentioned the mentorship program and that there was a chance at a free trip to Vegas if you get selected. So, I thought I may as well apply because my whole point of going back to school was that I wanted to take advantage of any opportunity that I could. Securing a full-time job was very important to me, so through mentorship, I thought it would be a good way to make connections and put myself out there.

EM: Going into the program, what were you hoping to take away from the experience?

ML: At the time, I wasn’t quite sure where in events I wanted to go. I was familiar with corporate events, but this was my opportunity to partner with someone who was in a different industry, because I wasn’t too familiar with experiential. Through this, I wanted to be sure exactly what path I wanted to take.

AN: Mentorship is extremely important. As I was entering this program, I was at the tail end of a nine-month mentorship program where I was the mentee. My previous mentor was mainly focused on women in leadership, not necessarily diversity, and I feel like I learned a lot. So, I thought this would be a way to pay it forward and also have the experience of being a mentor versus being a mentee. It’s important to be able to share, not only my wealth of knowledge from an experiential lens, but my network, too. Mentorship goes both ways. I’m also learning so much from Mel.

EM: What was your initial meeting like as a mentor/ mentee pair?

ML: Usually when I first meet someone, it feels like, “OK, I don’t know what to do next.” But with you, Anna, everything flowed casually, and we were both interested in what each other had going on. It was very natural, and I felt comfortable talking to someone who looks like me. That was important to me, too.

AN: Yes, totally. It was so natural and like we were friends who were just catching up. From the jump, they did a great job of understanding our applications that we submitted, and I think they paired us really well because there are so many things that we have in common.

ML: We’re both Aquariuses. Our birthdays are just a few days apart.

AN: We had an excited energy going into our first meeting, where we talked about goals and what Mel was hoping to get out of this. After that, we met for the first time at EMS, but we had put a plan together for three to four months of trying to focus on what some of her goals were. Every time we meet, the hour flies by, so we’re a good pair.

“It’s important to be able to share, not only my wealth of knowledge from an experiential lens, but my network, too. Mentorship goes both ways.”

–Anna Nicholson, Event Manager, Yahoo

EM: How often do you meet, and what do these meetings look like?

AN: Right after our first time, we set a recurring meeting once a month, and we’ll shift it if we need to, like one time we moved it because we were both traveling. It’s important to have that consistent cadence and accountability. Melencia does an awesome job coming every time with what she wants to talk about and following up from the last month. It works because we’re both committed to her growth and development in this program.

ML: One of the first things that we worked on was developing a personal brand statement, and to do that, Anna suggested that I reach out to my friends and ask them to describe me and the qualities I have. In doing that activity, it was very reassuring to get feedback and feel more confident when I talk about myself to other people. Through my interview process for the job that I currently have, Anna was supportive and reassuring. She helped me practice how I can talk about my experience. It was very helpful to go through that with her.

AN: It’s so great because that’s the ethos of this program, getting more people who look like us into experiential, so I feel so fortunate that I could help. It’s nice to have an outside perspective, because in our meetings, we would talk about certain things that she was working on, whether that be in school or study abroad, and I would suggest how that example shows she’s solution-oriented for interview questions that may come up. Or, we looked at the job description and tried to think about certain experiences she could speak to. I’m so glad that she landed the job, and she’s doing wonderful there.

EM: Anna, you mentioned you met each other in person at the Experiential Marketing Summit in April. What was that experience like?

AN: It worked out great that I got to go to Las Vegas, and Melencia was one of the hosted mentees. EMS was an awesome experience. We learned so much and got to walk around the show floor. We were pretty intentional with what we wanted to do, the sessions we wanted to sit in and the vendors we wanted to hit.

That was my first EMS, so it was neat to be able to experience that with her, but also with the broader Experiential in Color program, too. During the mixer, we met so many people. Every time we turned around, there was a new person to talk to. Being surrounded by so many people who looked like us in the same industry was really powerful.

“Anna’s support has given me confidence when it comes to speaking about myself and being proud of the things that I’ve done.”

–Melencia Lattimore, Meeting Coordinator, A-Plus Meetings & Incentives

EM: What have you learned from this partnership so far?

ML: Anna’s support has given me confidence when it comes to speaking about myself and being proud of the things that I’ve done. She also recommended in my current job that I start a “You go, girl” folder where I can put positive feedback someone’s given me, and it’s something that I can go back to and reflect on.

AN: Oh, I love hearing that. After EMS, I asked, “What was one of your biggest takeaways?” And Melencia said, “That what I want is not out of reach,” and I just thought that was so incredible. It was a reminder to me that if you’re committed, you’re diligent and you have a great support system, you can, honestly, achieve anything. I have learned that from you, and it’s really cool to see you tick off so many things since we started in March. We just have to go after it.

Apply to be a mentor, mentee or peer in the 2026 cohort of the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program here. The deadline to sign up is Jan. 31, 2026.

More from Experiential in Color 2025:

• Experiential in Color 2025: Inside the Program’s New Mentorship Initiative
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Sofia Figueroa and Felicia Kelly
• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Gerry Rojas and Natalie Azcona

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Since the inception of our Experiential in Color recognition program in 2021, created to shine a spotlight on and help support a pipeline of verse talent and leadership in events, mentorship has consistently risen top as a key driver of new and meaningful opportunities for rising stars in the industry. And based on the results of a new mentorship component launched this year, it’s not just a driver—it’s essential for career and business.

“Mentored employees are five times more likely to be promoted, and mentoring can boost minority representation in management from 9 percent to 24 percent, which is very powerful,” says Karlene Palmer-Mcleod, senior experiential marketing manager at Proximo Spirits, and a member of the Experiential in Color Steering Committee, which launched a new peer-to-peer mentorship program in January 2025.

“It’s a two-way street, where conversations strengthen the mentor just as much as they do the mentee,” Palmer-Mcleod says. “I’m still learning from people who have two years’ experience because they’re a whole different generation using new tools and approaches that I don’t necessarily think of straight away.” Led by Palmer-Mcleod—as well as Jillian Austin, creative director-experiential innovation, MC²; Gabriela Neves, partner, Factory360; and Esther Sarpong, director-experiential retail, Brookfield Properties—the initiative included a call for applications and drew interest from all levels, ranging from students and young professionals, to event managers and creative directors, to agency founders and brand-side senior executives.

“I’ve been in experiential marketing for over 17 years, but I didn’t really fully understand the community that was here,” says Austin. “[The committee was] on an email talking about what we wanted to do and how we wanted to put it together. We really thought about where is the space to do this, what did we look for earlier in our career and what did we find useful? It all led to mentorship, so that’s where it became a mentorship program.”

The steering committee meticulously analyzed the submissions and matched mentors with mentees, and a few peers, according to their professional experience, daily roles and responsibilities, career goals, areas of expertise and personal interests. After making close to 50 matches, the committee introduced the pairs, and they were sent off to develop their own meeting structures and cadences.

Here’s the good news: In just its first year, the program is credited with helping mentees get hired for new roles, navigate career transitions and discover passions they didn’t even know existed. And it’s not always mentors supporting the next generation; there are established event profs who expressed a desire to learn from more experienced professionals or peers at a similar level.

The Experiential in Color Mentorship Program facilitated those connections and opened doors to unexpected avenues, such as communication channels on Microsoft Teams and the Experiential Marketing Summit, held April 14-16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Event Marketer underwrote the cost of full conference EMS passes for mentees selected by the steering committee and offered a mentorship program discount to EMS for all participants. Ten mentees were flown out to Vegas with airfare provided by Spirit Airlines and accommodations provided by MGM Grand.

“We were really grateful to the sponsors that stepped up and enabled 10 people who wouldn’t have been able to attend EMS to have that first-time opportunity and experience to then build on,” Palmer-Mcleod says. “We want to strengthen what this program can offer and make EMS more accessible.”

During the conference, committee members Austin, Neves and Sarpong led a panel session to share more about the program and discuss the challenges faced by BIPOC professionals and the impact of mentorship on career growth. The committee also hosted the inaugural Experiential in Color Mentorship Program Mixer, sponsored by TCG Collective, for program participants to meet and network with one another and EMS attendees.

“When we launched, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew how passionate we were about the program, but we weren’t sure what anyone was really going to do,” Sarpong said on stage during the session. “Getting 10 applicants was our goal, and then we saw that it started to get legs on LinkedIn and we were getting an influx of questions. That’s when we realized that we had something special. It was no longer just special to us, it was special to others in this industry who were looking for a space to come and grow in their career and be able to really make an impact.”

As the 2025 program winds down, we spoke with three mentor/mentee pairs who have kept up with one another—setting monthly targets, exchanging advice and working through workplace challenges—to get their honest thoughts on taking part in the program and to delve into what they’ve learned from each other and what the experience has meant to them.

While there are common threads that run through all of the upcoming profiles (to be released weekly throughout the month), it’s evident that the participating mentors and mentees will continue to nurture these relationships long after the program ends.

“It takes a village to build something like this, and if more people share these platforms and opportunities, then the industry thrives,” Palmer-Mcleod says. “Thank you to everyone who believes in this program. We just have to keep growing.”

Photo credit: PWP Studio

Apply to be a mentor, mentee or peer in the 2026 cohort of the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program here. The deadline to sign up is Jan. 31, 2026.

More from Experiential in Color:

• Experiential in Color Mentorship Q&A: Anna Nicholson and Melencia Lattimore
• Experiential in Color 2023: Amplifying Diverse Voices
• Experiential in Color 2022: Sharing Diverse Perspectives
• Experiential in Color 2021: The Next Generation of Diverse Leaders

The post Experiential in Color 2025: Inside the Program’s New Mentorship Initiative appeared first on Event Marketer.

The “Experiential in Color Mentorship Program” will invite BIPOC event professionals to participate in a mentorship program that matches them with event industry leaders for monthly one-on-ones and group conversations (sign up here). Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a live networking event at the Experiential Marketing Summit (EMS), April 14-16, 2025, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“We are thrilled to work with a passionate BIPOC steering committee to not only build new pathways into this exciting industry for people of color, but to help event organizations develop more diverse and inclusive teams, leaders and cultures,” says Jessica Heasley, Editor and Publisher, Event Marketer.

Event Marketer will underwrite the cost of two full conference passes to EMS for mentees selected by the steering committee and will offer a mentorship program discount to EMS for all participants.

Experiential in Color Archives

• Building a Pipeline for Future Leaders
• Recruiting Diverse Talent is Just the First Step
• Amplifying Diverse Voices

“The Steering Committee is proud to support an initiative that not only connects BIPOC professionals with industry leaders but also fosters a culture of inclusion and allyship,” the group shared in a statement. “Together, we are building a stronger, more diverse future for experiential marketers.”

The 2025 steering committee includes: Jillian Austin, National Director of Experiences & Events, Planet 13; Gabriela Neves, President, Factory360; Karlene Palmer-McLeod, Senior Experiential Manager, Proximo Spirits; and Esther Sarpong, Director Experiential Retail, Brookfield Properties. Get to know more about them here.

The Experiential in Color editorial recognition program launched in 2021 and is designed to share the perspectives of, and shine a spotlight on, event directors, managers and junior talent who are Black, Indigenous or people of color. A 2020 Event Marketer survey revealed that people of color represent a small percentage of event professionals, and an even smaller percentage of leadership positions in the event industry. The Experiential in Color Mentorship Program seeks to: equip participants with the skills, knowledge, and networks needed for career growth; strengthen diversity and allyship within the experiential marketing industry; and facilitate meaningful connections that can continue beyond the program’s duration.

In 2025, Event Marketer will feature regular updates on the Experiential in Color mentorship program in an effort to advance the conversation and provide visibility to those taking part.

ABOUT EVENT MARKETER

Event Marketer was founded in 2002 to serve the information needs of strategic brand-side marketers across the spectrum of experiential marketing. Today it is the world’s largest information resource on face-to-face marketing, serving an audience of more than 100,000 Fortune 1000 marketers. The EM portfolio spans its flagship magazine, exclusive corporate training practice, the annual Experiential Marketing Summit, the Ex Awards, the annual Agency Forum executive conference and more.

ABOUT EXPERIENTIAL IN COLOR: CONNECTING BIPOC & ALLIES IN EVENTS

Experiential in Color Mentorship Program is a year-long initiative designed to connect BIPOC professionals with allies in experiential marketing. Through structured mentorship, networking, and support, the program aims to foster professional growth and build a diverse, inclusive community within the industry.

The post Event Marketer Launches a BIPOC Mentorship Program to Elevate Careers appeared first on Event Marketer.