For an effective in-person peer mentoring meeting, try to find a venue that is as convenient for all members as possible. If some members need to join online, you will need reliable internet access too.

BLUNT - Peer Mentoring Group in the Studio. Image courtesy Sabrina Fuller
BLUNT peer mentoring group in the studio during the Lifeboat residency. Image courtesy Sabrina Fuller

Accessibility

Wherever you decide to meet, ask your members beforehand if they have any access needs. Some may require level access or a lift, while others might be able to climb some, but not too many, stairs. Being close to public transport will make the venue accessible for those without a car. Make sure you give clear instructions on how to find the venue and explain the access to your members. Ask if the venue is able to host children if members with caring responsibilities have to bring them along.

Finding a venue

Venues for in-person meetings could be:

  • Many groups meet in a member’s artist studio, with some changing studio for each meeting to make it more accessible.
  • If one of your members has an exhibition, you could arrange with the gallery to have a meeting there when it is closed to the public.
  • An art gallery you have good links with. Artist-led galleries might let you use their space for a small fee, or larger galleries might have a studio or meeting space you could use.
  • Local community centres often hire rooms for a small fee. In London, affordable central venues can be hard – but not impossible – to find.
  • If you work in a large office, you may be able to access a meeting room after hours.
  • Some bars might have a private room to hire. Sometimes this requires a fee, and sometimes a guaranteed amount of money to be spent at the bar.
  • An appropriate publicly accessible place (such as the Royal Festival Hall, National Theate, or Barbican Centre in London). You won’t be able to have sophisticated presentations in these places, but for a conversation with print-outs of images, or smaller pieces of work, might be possible.

Check on Google Maps to look for venues if you can’t think of anywhere in particular near you. On London, Android app Meetie allows you to find locations between people to meet via public transport.

Any venue needs to be:

  • Convenient for members and accessible by public transport
  • Large enough to accommodate your members comfortably
  • Quiet or private enough to allow open conversation
  • Be open at the times your meeting is running

Having the meetings in a members’ accommodation is not usually useful. The atmosphere tends to be too relaxed for serious conversation. If you need to host a meeting at home, try to make the space feel more professional and keep distractions to a minimum.

Having a regular venue that you can count on will make organising the meetings much simpler. You may decide to use different venues each month, or host them all in the one place. Make sure everyone knows where the meetings will be each time if it changes.

Cost and equipment

If you need to pay for a venue, ask them for a discount if you book many meetings in advance. If there is a cost for room hire, ask your group to split this between them, or on the basis of who can afford what.

A venue that you have a good relationship with might help with equipment, such as laptops or projectors. If not, ask members if they can bring whatever they need for their presentation themselves.

You might want to hold some of your meetings online to reduce some of this work and make it more accessible for some members.

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