Mentoring and career building in the event industry

Kobets Margarita Vyacheslavovna ORCID: 0000-0002-0428-6574 PhD in Economics Associate Professor, Event Management Laboratories, Moscow Financial and Industrial University "Synergy" 125190, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Leningradskii Prospekt, 80, of. g ykora@mail.ru

Introduction

The event industry is a bright, interesting area for building a career. Young people often think of more public professions in entertainment, such as acting and directing, while there are more jobs behind the scenes of a major production than on stage or set. To find a job in the event industry, it is important to find an area in which you would like to develop as a specialist. Currently, business organizations, including in the event industry, are facing the challenges of globalization and new opportunities provided by information and communication technologies. In connection with this situation, modern organizations must be flexible, innovative and sustainable. The introduction of well-thought-out strategies and changes requires the presence of involved and dedicated staff.

The purpose of the study is to study the theoretical foundations of the mentoring phenomenon, as well as to identify factors that influence the construction and development of a mentoring system in the event industry.

Mentoring and coaching is a practical way to inspire employees to achieve their personal goals and the goals of the organization. The introduction of mentoring programs helps to increase productivity, achieve goals, ensure a smooth transition to innovation for new and already working employees of event organizations, as well as engagement and return on investment^[1]. Mentoring helps employees apply their knowledge directly in work processes and change their behavior depending on the situation ^[2]. Mentoring is the most effective way to manage talent in an organization, increasingly integrated with organizational development, performance management and organizational change management. The report of the American Association of Managers identified a number of advantages that were obtained as a result of the development of mentoring programs in organizations: leadership development, improvement of individual and organizational productivity, quick solution of problems in the workplace, improvement of the recruitment and dismissal system of personnel ^[3].

Organizations use different mentoring models in different countries. For example, in large US companies there are internal mentors who help employees in building a career track and are responsible for their professional development, "open doors for them", represent their industries and develop a network of contacts ^[4].

In European countries, mentoring has its own distinctive features, namely: the mentor focuses his efforts more on the development of the employee, helps to formulate and identify goals, dreams or ambitions and build a path to their achievement. He also determines the level of knowledge and recommends ways to improve and develop them^[5]. As a rule, a line manager is engaged in the professional development of an employee, but rarely has the official status of a "mentor". The duties of a line manager are a higher priority than mentoring. Thus, menti cannot receive the full range of opportunities and recommendations from its line manager ^[6].  

An external mentor performs the same functions as an internal one. It can also help an employee develop social contacts, but already in the external environment of the organization^[7]. In small companies, there is usually no individual with a mentor function, they can usually be a CEO or a senior manager. In large companies, internal and external mentors can help an employee in career growth and development ^[8]. Some universities have a mentoring community in their structure, which allows students and participants of leadership programs to gain experience of cooperation with a mentor during the study process. Mentoring activities, as a rule, are not paid, but mentors can derive their benefits from teaching and supporting students, which they can then apply in their organizations ^[9].

The author's hypothesis is based on the fact that currently event agencies impose quite high requirements on candidates for the position of event managers. In addition to professional competencies and work experience, a potential employee should also have stress tolerance, flexibility, sociability, attention to detail, the ability to cooperate, time management, and be inquisitive. Few candidates for positions can boast of such an impressive set of professional and personal competencies^[10]. In this regard, it is especially relevant to cultivate your own "ideal employee" by launching mentoring programs in the event industry in general and in event organizations in particular. The event industry in Russia is quite young. Nevertheless, it already has a pool of eventers with sufficient professional experience who can become mentors for those who are just starting their way in the event industry.

Literature review

The event industry includes a set of companies and projects that are specialized in the event management market. So many companies specialize only in this type of services — the organization of special events, they can be considered a separate industry.

The event industry is a live communications industry that strives for direct and personal contact, but virtual solutions have opened up new opportunities for it ^[11].

Event management specialists are called in different ways: event manager, producer, coordinator, art manager, concert director, MICE specialist, teacher-organizer. Let's look at several definitions of an Event Manager:

An event manager is a specialist in planning and organizing various events for organizations, structures and individuals.

An event manager is a professional who organizes business, sports and entertainment events for a variety of companies and individuals.

The event manager is engaged in the organization and holding of various kinds of events: corporate parties, conferences, trainings, holidays, parties, etc.

In the coming years, changes will occur in the event industry, which will also affect the mentoring system:

•        A surge of offline events. Closed parties, secret bars, quiet weddings — everything that people have been doing on their own throughout the pandemic suggests that the demand for live events is very high. This is also confirmed by surveys of employees of corporate companies ^[12]. Everyone is tired of online entertainment events, people need live emotions, dating and a sense of belonging - in these categories, online has not been able to get close to offline events. Once the events are resolved, a large number of tenders and other events are expected.

• Crisis of competent specialists. Almost half of the event agencies have left the industry, many event managers have changed their field of activity and gone into related industries. This means that as soon as the events are allowed again, they will return to the same, or even more, and there will be no one to implement them. The key players remained, someone will return at the first opportunity, but we will not have to talk about such competition as before. The challenge right now is to meet the pent—up demand with fewer resources.

• Hybrid events are the future. Many companies during the pandemic were forced to move their mandatory events to an online format and did not lose. If there are questions with entertainment events, then business events would have to go online anyway, but a little later — in 5-10 years. Marketing and business events have benefited many times from the online format, as they were able to significantly increase the audience and the cost of one lead was greatly reduced. They didn't have to lose the audience from switching to an online format - everyone had to switch. Many organizers of such events say that after returning to offline, they will not remain only online, nor will they completely return to offline. They want to use the most advantageous configuration — to work in the format of hybrid events, when part of the audience is in the hall, but most of it is online.

• Use of new technologies. Augmented reality is what attracts the attention of guests who are in front of the screens of a laptop or even a smartphone. Now that AR and even XR technology has become more accessible and reliable, it will be used more often at hybrid events to help create an equally immersive experience for both the audience in front of the stage and on the screen.

Mentoring is a universal technology for the transfer of experience, knowledge, the formation of skills, competencies, meta-competencies and values through informal mutually enriching communication based on trust and partnership ^[13] Mentoring focuses on the practical part of the field of knowledge. A more experienced person shares his knowledge, skills and abilities with his wards for a certain time ^[14] The practice of mentoring in a broad sense is seen as working with novice employees reflects a long tradition and is now the most common. However, in modern dynamic organizations, such a mentoring practice is also developing, which covers not only new employees, but ideally everyone ^[15]. The experience of organizations in which mentoring is deployed as a broad practice of training and development of personnel, which covers schoolchildren, students and employees of the company, is interesting.

The goal of mentoring in the event field is to maximize the full disclosure of the potential of the eventer, necessary for successful personal and professional self-realization in modern conditions of uncertainty in the industry. The goal is also to create conditions for the formation of an effective system of support, self-determination and professional orientation of wards.

E. G. Mazurova gives the following typology of mentoring ^[16].

- individual — involves personalized support by a mentor of a student, taking into account individual educational deficits and other individual characteristics of the latter.

- group — accompaniment by one mentor (or a team of mentors) of a group of students with a common or similar educational deficit.

- collective — organization of mentoring in working with a team of students with various types of educational deficits.

- peer — organization of mutual support for students with different types of educational deficits.

- online support for students who are remotely accessible using Internet technologies (social networks, Skype, Youtube, etc.)

One of the first mentions of the term "mentor" was found in Homer's Odyssey. A wise man named Mentor was given the task of teaching the son of Odysseus, Telemachus. Odysseus wanted to entrust the care of his kingdom and his son to a Mentor — a wise and reliable mentor. According to an ancient legend, the goddess Athena was reincarnated as a mentor for the son of Odysseus. This story became popular in the XVII century in the works of the French philosopher Fenelon, who pointed out the possibility of learning by observing the world and discussing what is happening with a mentor.

According to Meriam Webster's dictionary, a mentor is an elderly person with a lot of experience who can help another employee develop. The role of the mentor is to guide, give advice and support the ward. A mentor can help an employee (ward) improve their abilities and skills by providing recommendations and advice through assessment and observation based on experience and skills acquired over the years of life and work ^[17].

Barnes considers mentoring from the point of view of philosophy as a helping attitude and refers to two points of view. On the one hand, it is empathy, concentration of attention on complex scenarios and actions. On the other hand, it is empathy, respect for concreteness, authenticity, initiation, confrontation and immediacy ^[18].

One of the modern types of mentoring is reverse mentoring. This type of mentoring implies a situation when a young professional becomes a mentor to an experienced employee on new trends, technologies, etc. ^[19]  In addition to the overall benefits, reverse mentoring helps to establish mutual understanding between different generations of employees. Both sides of this form of mentoring are forced to get out of the comfort zone and learn to think, work and study in a new way, tolerantly perceiving each other's social, age and communicative characteristics ^[20].

Researcher Hagard identified six key elements of training mentoring: training, development, joint goal definition, reciprocity, as well as cooperation and partnership ^[21]. D. Clutterbuck and D. Megginson in their book "Mentoring Managers and Directors" gave the following definition, mentoring is "the help of one person to another, which consists in transformation knowledge, work or thinking". Mentoring is basically a description of a relationship in which an experienced colleague uses his perfect knowledge and understanding of a job or workplace to support and develop a junior or inexperienced employee ^[22].

According to Luecki, mentoring consists in the transfer of implicit knowledge and sets professional standards. Mentoring is seen as "a supportive learning relationship between a caring person who shares his knowledge, experience and wisdom with another person who is ready, willing and able to benefit from this exchange in order to enrich his professional path" ^[23].

According to Marquardt and Loane, mentoring can be defined as "helping one person to another in improving knowledge, work or thinking. Marquardt and Loan see mentoring as a kind of support provided by one person with the necessary knowledge and experience to someone else who lacked them, through an individual connection created through regular communication over a certain period" ^[24].

A mentor should have a pronounced set of necessary qualities: to know the practice of managing an organization, to inspire confidence, to be approachable, sociable, creative, and focused on development. The mentor's personality plays a key role in the successful or, conversely, destructive effect of this method of personnel development. The mentor must have not only relevant knowledge or experience, but also be able to correctly and timely convey them to the trained employee ^[25].

According to Megginson and Clutterbuck, mentoring relationships can be of a long-term nature, in which goals can change, but are always determined by the wards ^[26]. Scientist Allen, put forward the thesis that mentoring can change attitudes to life, primarily when it is aimed at professional development. Mentoring is often appropriate "when mentees make transitions at critical moments in their lives, and mentoring can be associated with choice, career and personal development, as well as changes ^[27].

Shula and Blanchard in their book "The Little Book on Coaching" mentioned that mentoring involves supporting people in identifying and defining their development needs and setting their personal goals and objectives. A mentor can allow mentees to identify their problems, as well as challenge them, help them formulate their thoughts, feelings, express behavior and beliefs, and analyze problems from different points of view. And also encourage and guide them to make independent decisions ^[28].

Thus, mentoring is not only a system of adaptation and professional development of young employees. It is also part of the corporate culture of all innovative organizations, it is an environment in which knowledge, experience and successful behaviors are accumulated and transferred ^[20].

Mentoring is an effective way to continuously train, motivate and inspire employees. Currently, mentoring is not just working with employees and recommending books to read, but working on the transfer of accumulated experience, knowledge and modern competencies. Mentors share experiences, stories, and cases from their professional experience. Mentoring activities are based on the analysis of specific situations, the development of solutions and recommendations. The role of a mentor is to unlock the potential, choose the direction of activity, adjust and teach specific work skills.

The mentor plays an important role not only in the adaptation and cultivation of young event specialists, but also in the development of their careers. In the process of mentoring, he can develop an individual career track for the ward, along which he can advance and move to different positions during his career^[29]. A mentor can influence the personality of an eventor, both professionally and personally. He can guide and inspire the ward, influence his life decisions. Throughout the entire career path in the event, mentors can replace each other and bring new experience. Interaction and borrowing of the necessary competencies from each mentor during the career path leads to the formation of a professional event manager.

Mentoring is also a form of transmission and translation of implicit knowledge. The translation of implicit knowledge is a complex system, since intangible assets derived from experience are created as a result of dynamic, unstructured processes. The processes of generating and translating implicit knowledge depend on the culture and structure of the organization ^[30]. The transfer of implicit knowledge requires the presence of certain experience, joint interaction of team members. The group form of implicit knowledge has a direct impact on the processes of generation, development and translation of personal professional knowledge. Thus, mentors not only transmit implicit knowledge about skills in subject areas in practice as the most valuable information, but also are ideal carriers of implicit aspects of organizational, group knowledge about corporate norms and values and management systems ^[31].

It is very important not only to evaluate the work of mentors, but also to recognize its value. This becomes especially significant when we talk about mentoring as a system, about the formation of a "mentoring culture" in the company ^[32].

At first glance, the easiest way is a bonus: the payment of a monetary reward for each ward. However, with such practice, there is a risk that mentors will increase the number of their wards, reducing the quality of work with each of them. For many companies, due to the established corporate culture, such a method of encouragement is unacceptable ^[33].

An indirect way to financially reward mentors may be the inclusion of relevant measurable indicators in the KPIs system (key performance indicators), the implementation of which in turn affects the amount of salary and/or bonus. But for companies specializing in the provision of professional services, intangible motivation is still crucial ^[34]:

· management's attention to mentors' problems;

· public recognition of the importance of mentors' work for the company;

· the use of various internal corporate insignia that give mentors a special status in the team (badges, diplomas, etc.).

In addition, there are good old methods, such as determining the best mentor, giving special memorable gifts at some corporate event, etc.

The best motivating factor will be the creation of a corporate culture in which mentoring is perceived by employees as an honorable mission, and not as a burdensome duty. HR specialists, their creativity, perseverance, quality and timeliness of communication play an important role in this ^[35].

Methodology

To study the factors influencing the construction and development of a mentoring system in the event industry, a questionnaire was developed. The data for the study was collected using an Internet survey, namely a tool such as Google Forms. The survey was conducted in the period from October to December 2021. The questionnaire included questions concerning the factors that influence the success of the interaction between the mentor and the ward. The questionnaire questions were developed using the focus group method with representatives of the event sphere. As a result of the work, the following structure of the questionnaire was formed.

1.      Have you ever been in the role of a mentor in the framework of your professional activity

A) yes

B) no

2. Have you ever been a mentee (student) in the framework of your professional activity

a) yes

b) no

3. Has your mentor (teacher) influenced the construction and development of your career at the event

a) yes

b) no

4. What components are important for the successful interaction of a mentor and a ward in an event organization

a) compatibility

b) correctness

c) the psychological climate of relationships

d) general objectives

5. What personal qualities should a mentor have in an event organization

a) responsibility

b) purposefulness

c) responsiveness

d) patience

6. What professional qualities should a mentor have in the event field

a) professionalism and experience

b) the ability to teach

c) leadership

d) be able to motivate

e) develop

The respondents were students, practice teachers from the event industry, event freelancers and event managers of various event agencies in Moscow. The method of data collection involved filling out a questionnaire. The sample was formed in two stages: the selection of event agencies and the selection of respondents. When building a sample of agencies, such criteria as: the length of work in the industry, the number of employees, the availability of corporate employee development programs were taken into account. A total of 130 people took part in the survey. In the course of the research, universal methods of cognition were used: systemic, dialectical, structural and functional, analysis and synthesis. The results of the survey were processed using Google-surveys, excel programs. As a result of the survey, a "portrait" of a modern mentor in the event field, his professional and personal qualities were formed, optimal terms of mentoring activity were identified and resources for finding a mentor were identified.

Research results

As a result of the study, it turned out that 64% of respondents had experience of mentoring in their professional activities, 36% had never acted as a mentor.

Fig. 1. Mentoring experience

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

The next question that interested us when studying the topic of mentoring in the event concerned "Have you acted as a ward?"

Fig. 2. The experience of the ward

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As can be seen from Figure 2, 82% of respondents were wards, and 18% had no such experience.

Fig. 3. Mentor's influence on career building

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

In the course of the study, it turned out Fig.3 that for 83% of respondents, the mentor had an impact on the construction of their professional career, and 17% did not feel such an influence.

Figure 4. Components of successful interaction between mentor and ward

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As can be seen from Figure 4, one of the main components for the success of interaction is the psychological climate. The second most popular answers are followed by the compatibility of participants. Next, common goals and the correctness of communication.

Figure 5. Personal qualities of a mentor

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

For most respondents, the most important quality of a mentor is responsibility. The second most popular response was responsiveness. Then patience, and the mentor's purposefulness closes the chain.

Fig. 6. Professional qualities of a mentor

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As for the professional qualities of the mentor, the data were distributed as follows. The most important quality of a mentor for respondents was professionalism and experience. In second place is the ability to teach, in third place is the ability to motivate. Next — the ability to develop and leadership.

Fig. 7. Term of mentoring activity

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As can be seen from Figure 7, the majority of respondents (74%) believe that mentoring activities should be systematic throughout the entire career. 12% identified a period of 12 months and 9% of respondents supported mentoring for three months.

Fig. 8. Mentor's responsibilities

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

In the course of the research, we were also interested in the question concerning the duties of a mentor Figure 8. Most respondents believe that a mentor should share experience and guide a ward. The second most popular answer was the development of professional skills and the third was to build a career path.

Fig. 9. The experience of finding a mentor

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As can be seen from Figure 9, 59% of respondents had experience in finding a mentor, and 41% had no such experience.

Fig. 10. Resources for finding a mentor

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

As for the resources for finding a mentor, 50% of respondents resorted to Internet sources when searching for a mentor, 40% searched for a mentor with the help of relatives and friends. The rest attracted colleagues and personal acquaintances.

Figure 11. Introduction of mentoring programs in modern organizations

Source: Compiled by the author based on the results of the survey

To the question "Is it necessary to implement mentoring programs in modern organizations, 94% of respondents answered positively.

Discussion

The data obtained during the study indicate that the mentoring institute is being formed and is developing despite the fact that the event industry in Russia is still quite young. In the course of the study, it turned out that the respondents acted both as a mentor and as a mentor.

The interaction of a mentor and a young eventer can begin from the time of studying at the university. Namely, in the process of internships, participation in events as volunteers and interns, in the process of informal communication with a mentor. As mentioned earlier, mentoring is a universal technology for the transfer of experience, knowledge, the formation of skills, competencies, meta—competencies and values through informal mutually enriching communication based on trust and partnership. Mentoring focuses on the practical part of the field of knowledge.

In the event field, many assistants are often required to perform tasks for different departments or specialists. Producers, costumers and set designers are just some of the professionals who usually need assistants before, during and after events. Permanent work as an assistant can help a novice event manager to make up his resume and get acquainted with casting directors, agents and film directors. Working as an assistant may include part-time employment, so you can use this time for training and development.

The study also confirmed the hypothesis that psychological aspects influence the effectiveness of mentoring activities. A favorable psychological climate in the relationship is the basis for the success of the interaction between the mentor and the ward. For respondents, the important qualities of a mentor were: responsibility, responsiveness and tolerance.

It is revealed that currently mentoring is a mandatory and important tool for the development of employees in many fields of activity, including in the event industry. It is aimed at strengthening teamwork, continuous training and improvement of personnel, maintaining the reputation of the organization in the long term.

The thesis that mentoring activities should be systematic was confirmed by the research data. Respondents believe that interaction with a mentor should be short-term, but systematic throughout the entire career. Mentors and the roles of mentoring participants may change over time.

It is important to note the fact that the right choice of a mentor and initial work with him is a profitable investment in the development of a professional career of a specialist in the field of event management. Cooperation with a mentor can protect you from wrong steps and mistakes that newcomers in the industry can make, and also help you save effort, time and finances. According to the study, respondents resorted to such methods of finding a mentor as: Internet sources, relatives, friends and colleagues.

Thus, the author of the article posed and justified the need for the development of the institute of mentoring in the event industry in general, and corporate mentoring programs in event organizations in particular. They can vary in scope and style, from informal mentoring between managers and their teams to highly structured programs with specific industry tasks that employees perform together.

Conclusion

Summing up the research, we note the most important results concerning the development of the mentoring system in the event sphere.

Firstly, mentoring is a unique way to connect people with other more experienced people in order to help them achieve goals and develop new skills. With the help of modern programs, the mentor can still help the ward, set and achieve goals, as well as develop their talents. Modern mentoring demonstrates the importance of having a mentor by adapting mentoring programs to current work processes. More and more organizations are creating a more flexible and creative work environment. Therefore, it is not surprising that mentoring programs have also become more flexible and creative.

Secondly, as a result of the survey, it turned out that 64.7% of respondents had mentoring experience in their professional activities, 35.3% had never acted as a mentor. For 82.4% of respondents, the mentor had an impact on building their professional career. The success of the interaction between the mentor and the ward is influenced by such components as the psychological climate, the compatibility of participants and common goals.

Thirdly, according to the results of the study, it turned out that such qualities of a mentor as responsibility, responsiveness and patience were important for the respondents. A modern mentor, according to respondents, should have experience in the event industry, guide the ward, as well as engage in the professional development of the ward and help build a career For participants in mentoring activities, a favorable psychological climate and common goals with the mentor are important. As for the timing of mentoring, the majority of respondents tend to be systematic mentoring throughout their career. Mentoring activities should not be a one-time event, but should be permanent and systematic. The main sources for finding a mentor for respondents are Internet sources, relatives and friends, personal acquaintances.

Fourth, modern employers and mentors, when selecting and deciding in favor of a certain candidate, can also get acquainted with social media accounts, through which you can make a portrait of a candidate and evaluate his personal and professional characteristics, and therefore you need to think about it and build the right strategy for positioning your personality through accounts. in social networks. Sometimes young wards do not yet have sufficient professional experience that they could demonstrate in their account, but the mentor's attention may be attracted by the topic of the mentee's blog, hobbies, posts, style of presentation, etc.

Fifthly, many specialists engaged in the field of event do not have a specialized education. They enter the industry from related professions, such as advertising, PR, service and tourism, personnel management. Eventers often find work through their environment, people who are already engaged in entertainment. Getting into the environment, they try to find their niche within the entire event industry. This thesis allows us to conclude that the role of a professional mentor is becoming particularly relevant and important for building a career in the event field.