• Emma Beard (Mentee) – Visit Galveston – Client Services Coordinator
• Molly Self, CMP, ESPC (Mentor) – Arlington CVB - Client Services Manager
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How has this mentorship relationship benefited you personally and professionally?

Emma: Professionally, it helped me have a sounding board with experience in the industry. It's unique in that my mentor is unbiased and can help me with perspectives I haven't explored. Personally, my mentor is someone I could see becoming a lifelong friend and makes me feel capable. 

Molly: I’ve been able to learn a lot from Emma as well as refreshing my perspective on our industry and impact through her eyes and destination. She has different workflows and checklists that I’ve adapted into my own role.

What is one challenge you faced that your mentor/mentee helped you navigate?

Emma: My mentor helped me navigate working with my sales team and our marketing team, she has experience and understands the nuances of coordinating efforts. 

Molly: How to navigate the work environment when tragedy struck in our state. Our local communities weren’t physically affected,  but we have friends and family who were impacted by the July 4^th flooding in Texas, and our meeting that month largely surrounded how do we continue to do our jobs while simultaneously maintaining empathy and compassion for those directly affected, in addition to working through our own emotions surrounding the event. We didn’t know we were starting a mini-therapy session when the call started, but it was an important and impactful discussion.

What makes your mentorship relationship successful?

Emma: I believe in our open communication and me being willing to share what's really going on. 

Molly: Willingness to be vulnerable and real. Mentorship is about celebrating wins and evaluating losses. I love discussing both the things that have really helped us both succeed and the hurdles we have faced or are currently facing.

Have you found any unexpected benefits from this mentorship?

Emma: Yes, we both have a willingness to have those hard conversations and not stick to any particular script. 

Molly: Having someone to discuss both personal and professional aspects of life is an incredible benefit. We often think about mentorship as strictly professional but connecting with each other on a personal level and connecting beyond our roles and responsibilities is a huge benefit to connecting beyond our clients and immediate work environments.

What advice would you give to someone considering the mentorship program?

Emma: I would say to do it; there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

Molly: 10/10 would recommend. We work in an industry that thrives on human connections. It’s imperative that we also prioritize and value that same connection within our industry to help each other continue to grow and evolve as both professionals and individuals.

Find out more about ESPA’s Mentor Program and if you would like to sign up to be a mentor or to be partnered with a mentor complete our sign up form or email Nicole Lauzon at ESPA Headquarters at info@espaonline.org

• Kasia Dobosz (Mentee) – Meet Boston – Destination Services Specialist
• Morgan Simonet (Mentor) - Destination DC - Senior Event Services Manager

How has this mentorship relationship benefited you personally and professionally?
Kasia: Professionally, I feel like having someone to talk to about current industry trends and how our departments work similarly/differently has opened my eyes to different areas of destination services and how I can grow within my role. Personally, it’s nice to know that I have someone I can email with questions or input regarding our industry.

Morgan: Being a mentor has benefitted me by being able to pass along knowledge. It has helped clarify my thinking and processes that have become second nature. Having a mentee that brings fresh ideas or tools that you have not been exposed to always leads to great collaboration and viewing things from a different lens. It also can lead to breaking old habits and systems and finding new ways to accomplish goals!

What new skills or knowledge have you gained from this mentorship?
Kasia: I am looking to go for my CMP certification this year and we had a great conversation about the different opportunities out there that one can explore in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Morgan: That we are all dealing with the same challenges!

What makes your mentorship relationship successful?
Kasia: I think what makes our mentorship relationship successful is our eagerness to learn. I believe right after we were paired together, we immediately scheduled a call to discuss our backgrounds and our roles in tourism. It was great to hear about Morgan’s background and discuss the current events in our community.

Morgan: Communication – in this position, we’re always busy. Making sure to shell out time to connect.

Have you found any unexpected benefits from this mentorship?
Kasia: We’ve met once so looking forward to developing this relationship.

Morgan: Hoping to have a friend to visit when I travel to Boston in the Fall!

What advice would you give to someone considering the mentorship program?
Kasia: Definitely sign up and go in with questions you want answered! Think about questions about career paths, current events, processes, and education, it’s so beneficial to hear from someone who is in a similar area as you and hearing how they got to where they are today!

Morgan: If you’re looking for professional growth on the mentee or mentor end, it’s critical to our industry to share knowledge and make sure we are building relationships at all career levels. From the mentor end, helping someone succeed is very fulfilling and also fun! It makes you reflect on your past and think of what things you “wish you had known” at the early stages of your career.

If you are an ESPA member and would like to sign up to be a mentor, or to be partnered with a mentor complete our sign up form or email Nicole Lauzon at ESPA Headquarters at info@espaonline.org

• Josh Karnett (Mentee) – Meet Boston – Destination Services Manager, Meetings & Events
• Zack Davis, ESPC, CMP (Mentor) - Louisville Tourism - Vice President of Destination Services

What new skills or knowledge have you gained from this mentorship?

Josh: Zack has taught me how to balance creativity with consistency. I find Zack to be the perfect balance of the two and it’s something I want to strive to be both professionally and personally.

Zack: I would say a renewed energy to look at our industry in a new way, to unpack partnerships and see other businesses from their own perspective.

What makes your mentorship relationship successful?

Josh: What made the relationship successful with Zack and I was establishing a scheduled call bi-weekly and actively communicating if we had to re-schedule, cancel, etc. Life happens but I think it was great to have multiple calls and keep that routine going 😊.

Zack: I think it’s the similarities in our diverse backgrounds. We also both want to keep learning and growing. We make time to catch up but also to give space when things are crazy for the other person.

Have you found any unexpected benefits from this mentorship?

Josh: Zack is about to get bombarded with Dad questions (kidding), but knowing he is a father as well helps someone like me who is taking on this new role in life of being a parent. We even have the same dog, an English Cream Golden Retriever 😊, so I guess sometimes it’s just meant to be!

Zack: Not sure if it was unexpected, but I so appreciate having someone in another destination that I can share ideas with.

How has this mentorship relationship benefited you personally and professionally?

Josh: Personally, I see Zack as someone who I can look up to also as a role model outside of the workplace. I just recently became a father to my 8-month-old son (go boy dads!), and I know Zack is a father, so I plan to continue to use him for advice and mentorship in plenty of walks of life, not just at the workplace. Professionally, I would like to manage my own department or team someday and having a chance to meet all of Zack’s team and understand the different ways they accomplish their goals and objectives for their city and destination in Louisville has been invaluable.  I think we learn from each other on what their destination is doing and vice versa, so I certainly have had many great takeaways from our calls.

Zack: This connection with Josh has helped me see our industry from a new perspective. It has been so helpful for me over the years to surround myself with folks from various backgrounds and destinations to keep perspectives fresh and continue learning and growing.  

What is one challenge you faced that your mentor/mentee helped you navigate?

Josh: Zack has helped me navigate acclimating to the Destination Services world as a whole. I previously worked in Sport Ticket Sales & Services, and I think I was able to relate to Zack in terms of having different backgrounds prior to getting our start at our local CVBs. Definitely some differences, but a lot of the same approaches in what I had previously done and understanding what Zack has done to get to be where he is today. It is always scary jumping into a new “world of work” but I feel it’s a lot easier with people like Zack as a mentor who are ready to answer questions when challenges arise.

Zack: It was very helpful to hear and understand what was happening in Josh’s destination around workforce strikes. That information helped me think through what that might look like in our city and what steps could be taken if it were to happen here. Also just listening to Josh talk about the best practices in his destination helped spur on thoughts about what we are doing and how we could make it better.

What advice would you give to someone considering the mentorship program?

Josh: Join the program, it will only help! Learning doesn’t only have to happen when studying for your CMP or in the classroom. I thank Zack for being a great mentor and getting me and my peers ready for the Hospitality world of tomorrow.

Zack: Having not been part of a mentorship program until now, I would encourage everyone to make a connection. I truly believe, whether mentor or mentee, it doesn’t really matter, it’s about growth. Even if you want to take away the formality and just set-up a regular call with someone in or outside the industry, do it. So many of the skills we are all looking for transcend a singular industry and touch us all. I’d also be somewhat picky about who you connect with. Josh and I have similar backgrounds in other industries which makes for a quick connection, look for someone with similarities, but also enough differences to push you outside of your comfort zone.

If you are an ESPA member and would like to sign up to be a mentor, or to be partnered with a mentor complete our sign up form or email Nicole Lauzon at ESPA Headquarters at info@espaonline.org

Our Interviewees:

• Nicole Curbow (Mentee) – Explore Branson – Sports Sales Coordinator
• Brad Knapp (Mentor)- Louisville Tourism - Senior Destination Service Manager

Q: What was your biggest takeaway from being part of the ESPA Mentor program?

Brad: For me it just shows that you're always continuing to learn new things. You know, with the conversations I've had with Nicole, there are things on the sports side that she does down in Branson that I've never thought about. So, I can take some of those things away and try to incorporate that in different elements here in Louisville. For me, to get that fresh perspective of somebody that potentially hasn't done it nearly as long, or they have done something similar but in a different way. To be able to have that open dialogue and share some of the frustrations that we both have, and work through it.

I think for me that's one of the biggest things that I've taken away from it and continue to enjoy.

Nicole: I would say my biggest take aways from this program has been having that person to bounce ideas off of. Brad has gone through things that I'm either currently going through or have in the past, and it's nice to be able to send an e-mail and ask him, hey, we have this group, and this is what they need and what's the best route to go about this? So, it's nice to have someone who's been in the role as long as he has and I'm fairly new to my role. To be able to come to him when I'm having an issue and to find out how he may have had a similar issue and what his feedback is.

It's been incredibly valuable, and I've grown a lot in my position from his mentorship as well.

Q: What is the most helpful resource that your destinations utilize on a routine basis?

Brad: I would say for us, it's our planner resource guide. What we do each year is we work with all our city partners to develop this guide. It has anything that a planner, when they're coming to Louisville, would want. From information about venues, size, transportation, décor needs, etc., it's about 100 or so pages of information and it has all the details you need to know, from accommodations to dining.
We give this resource guide to all our meeting planners so that if they're up at two in the morning, thinking of a question, they can look that up. If they can't find something, they can always reach out to us, and we can give them more information on that.

Nicole: I would say the most helpful piece of literature that we personally use is our vacation guide. The guide deep dives into hotels, different things to do from the lake to our shows, to live attractions, and everything else! It is a really great way to transverse all the markets from sports, to leisure, and everything in between.

Brad, what do you feel has led to your professional success?

Brad: You know, for me, I think a lot of it is just being inquisitive and always wanting to learn more and something new. In the sports world, there are lots of times where there's not a playbook to go by. No pun intended.

When groups are coming in, you arrange everything from working with city services on street closures or meter bagging. Especially with runs and stuff like that, informing them where the water hookups to use are, and things that you normally wouldn't think about. For me it's finding those contacts so I can help make the connections.

Nicole, how did you get into this career path?

Nicole: I worked for a Big Cedar Lodge for about 10 years. They are owned by Bass Pro, and I did everything from bartending to front desk management to activities management over those 10 years. I worked with a gentleman, whose wife is my boss now, and he suggested I apply for the position. I've been here ever since, and I very much enjoy it. It's been a great transition from a hotel aspect over to CVB. You still get to do a lot of the same fun things you got to do in hotels with a great schedule and a lot of really fun travel.