What a great opportunity to be part of such an event! The 5th of October was the first day of this bi-annual event, the European Mentoring Summit that included more than 300 mentoring companies and programmes from all around Europe and the world, seeking connection towards a better mentoring future. It was a virtual event, due to the restrictions of Covid-19. The event lasted for a whole working week, in this case from the 5th till the 9th of October, and gave its members the freedom to only attend what they could or what they were interested in. The summit consisted of various activities, workshops, research sessions, roundtables.
I was one of the lucky students who were able to attend this event online. I was excited to meet new people, make new connections, and increase my knowledge in the business and mentoring field hoping to contribute to a better future. My education in International Business and Management in the Netherlands with a Business to Business specialization.
One of the sessions I attended was a group discussion about Structured Relationships Vs. Spontaneous Relationships was led by Ms. Lena Karnalova. This topic was gripping since I had much information and ideas that I wanted to share as a young person for a better way of approaching relationships and to know other people’s opinions about it at the same time. We were divided into groups to discuss the topic of the session listing the advantages and the disadvantages of both sides coming up with a conclusion to discuss. Based on that discussion we concluded that is it important to structure a relationship in the sense of getting a goal through it; however, give it a spontaneous space at the same time to create greater opportunities in that relationship. Besides that, always make sure to be patient and give time for both sides to know each other more and build trust for a better understanding and connection.
The second session I attended was a workshop about How to Create Targeted Communication Strategies to Increase Brand Awareness and Recruit New Volunteers that was led by Ms. Julie Gehring. This workshop helped me to reach one of my goals for this year which is improving in the marketing field. We were divided into groups sharing our elevator pitches that were prepared earlier seeking feedback from the other participants, after getting some advice about not exceeding 150 words and only mentioning the important information. This session taught me how to create a concrete elevator pitch and more efficient marketing strategies to promote myself and the company effectively.
The third session that I attended was a workshop about Intentional Creativity in Mentoring: Research & Practice that was led by both Mr. Erik Auerbach and Ms. Sarah Kremer. The workshop started similar to the previous sessions with an opening and a presentation. After the presentation, all the members were divided into couples and we were asked to draw each other without looking at the paper, and here where things got so hilarious and interactive. The point of it is to bring each other closer and create a greater connection between the mentors and the mentees. Moving on, we had to share a picture representing ourselves, creating a sense of curiosity between the members to know each other more. This session showed me how creativity builds positive emotions between the mentors and the mentees, creating a better learning environment and a stronger relation.
I am looking forward to the next summit, hoping it will be in person event and looking forward to more events like this since they are helpful and information giving.