Balboa Park staff, are you looking for a break from the daily grind and interested in connecting with your colleagues in the Park to learn more about the amazing people and resources in our community? Sign up for the Mix Up MeetUp and you will be randomly assigned to three of your Balboa Park colleagues, one per month for three months. Assigned partners (Mixers) will meet at least once during the assigned month for an activity of your choice, before being mixed up and reassigned the next month. This is a great opportunity to network with colleagues and explore the Park in a fun, relaxed way.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

“Meeting my colleagues from other Park institutions was extremely rewarding. It was fun to learn about them and their organizations. We came away with a feeling that we could call upon each other in the future, either for social or professional reasons. Connecting with fellow Park staff helps me see the organizations beyond just their buildings.”  –Mix Up Participant

Mix Up MeetUp Schedule
Mix Up is facilitated twice a year for a three month period. Our current schedule is as follows:

Fall – September, October, November
Spring – March, April, May

Registration for seasons will take place in August and January.

Who’s participating?
Past participants are Balboa Park staff who wished to build their professional network and meet new people to connect on a social level through the exploration of Balboa Park. Participants met colleagues from different institutions and departments who have diverse backgrounds and different perspectives. 91% of past participants who completed our evaluation of the Mix Up indicated they are comfortable contacting their partners in the future for personal or professional reasons and 73% have continued one or more of their Mix Up relationships.

Mix Up Meetup Activities
Some activities to consider for your MeetUps include Happy Hours, group outings, behind-the-scenes tours, and picnics in Balboa Park. The Learning Institute occasionally offers special workshops for Mix Up participants to practice networking skills.

You may consider the following activities for your Mix Up MeetUp:

• Chat over tea or coffee at Daniel’s Coffee Cart or Cafe Mingei
• Walk through the Desert or Rose Gardens or visit one of the other 15 Balboa Park gardens
• Take a lunch hour power walk or go for an evening jog after work
• Panama 66 is open for lunch, dinner and happy hour!
• Visit a new exhibition that you just haven’t made time for yet
• Enjoy lunch in the Park (an old-fashioned picnic or a favorite venue)
• Explore one another’s museum for an office or behind-the-scene tour (if permissible by participants’ institutions)
• Take a Balboa Park tour

Program Guidelines
By registering for this program, participants agree to the following:

• Participants must be team members of a Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Membership Institution
• Participants agree to a commitment of 3 months
• Participants agree to a commitment of at least one 30-60 minute meetup each of those three months. Participants are welcome to meet 2+ times for 15-20 minutes if timing is an issue and both participants agree. A flexible schedule is a priority!
• Participants must work or volunteer in Park for a minimum of 8 hours a week. Most participants will want to meet during work hours – 8am – 4pm – in the Park.
• Please note, assignments for Mix Up participants will be completely random and will not be based on departments, institutional focus, or demographics. Requests will not be considered and it is possible to be randomly assigned with someone at your own institution.

If you have any questions about these requirements and your ability to fulfill them, please contact the Learning Institute to discuss your concerns at learning[at]bpcp[dot]org or by phone: 619-232-7502 ext. 1206.

Cost & Registration
The Learning Institute would like to offer this program to Balboa Park staff FREE and we hope you will share your experience using social media outlets where you can tag or post to BPLI (Facebook, blog posts, Twitter, etc.). Participants interested in Mix Up MeetUps register to be part of the program for all three months. No late registrants will be accepted.

“I have loved being a part of the Balboa Park Mix Up program! It gave me a chance to step out of my comfort zone, providing a structure for meeting new people who share a similar environment and challenges yet with their own individual story to tell. I enjoyed learning about other institutions in the park and being able to share about the ones I work for. I have made friends that continue today, as well as gained professional resources and connections that have proven helpful in my job. I feel so much more a part of a greater whole and find it easier to talk about and promote all of Balboa Park when I’m out in the community. Walking through the park and running into colleagues — people I would’ve previously passed by unaware — makes working here an even more amazing experience. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity and hope it continues.” – Mix Up Participant