Event Leadership Institute Announces New Business Owner Mentorship Program

September 10, 2020 – The Event Leadership Institute (ELI) – the long-time leader in professional development programs for event and meeting professionals – has announced a new Business Owner Mentorship Program for event agency owners and other event industry business professionals needing support during this time of crisis.

Through the free program, volunteer mentors will be matched and provide coaching, consulting, and other resources to aid those negatively impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Event business owners, agencies, and third-party event suppliers went from a banner year in 2019 to a full ground stop of work in March,” said Howard Givner, ELI founder and former event agency owner. “Most of them are phenomenal at their craft, but aren’t necessarily seasoned business operators – and now they’re scrambling for survival and resources to help them chart a path to come out of this crisis.”

The new program stems from an ELI-led initiative earlier this year, hosted by Givner and dubbed The Situation Room. Fifteen event business owners from around the U.S. and Canada met regularly in private Zoom conferences over four months to share the challenges they were facing, exchange ideas, and provide support to each other.

“During those meetings, we kept coming back to the question of how we could help each other and the industry as a whole through these challenging times,” said Givner. “We recognized the opportunity for those who have been through difficult crises before – some truly existential – and who can relate to the pressures and challenges of the current moment to share their experiences and support to help others navigate this crisis.”

Jeff Guberman, CEO of McVeigh Global Meetings and Events, and a serial entrepreneur who is leading the program said, “None of us got where we are without mentorship, and we are excited to support small businesses by pairing experienced mentors in the industry with small business leaders looking for guidance on how to weather this new challenges.” He added, “While no one has the magic answers, it’s helpful to have a second set of eyes or a sounding board who understands your business so we can all emerge stronger as an industry.”

Mentors and mentees are invited to apply at https://eventleadershipinstitute.com/business-owner-mentorship-program/. ELI will work to match business owners seeking guidance with suitable mentors based on the size and type of their business, and the challenges they’re facing. Once matched, mentors will offer approximately 2 hours of consulting/coaching support to their mentees.