Experiential in Color 2025: Inside the Program’s New Mentorship Initiative

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Juanita Chavarro Arias

How mentors are illuminating pathways for future diverse leaders to build successful careers in experiential marketing

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 profession-al 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 dis-cover passions they didn’t even know existed. And it’s not always mentors sup-porting 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 some-thing 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