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While searching for the perfect Event Planners for my next Table of 20 event, I thankfully found two phenomenal creatives who’s creative eye and attention to detail blew me away. LesLo is a luxury event studio that offers full-service event planning, consulting and design for corporate and private clients.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, LesLo is quickly gaining a reputation as a premier planning team by bringing fresh, modern perspectives to the traditional / conventional wedding industry.

LesLo is a 100% minority-owned firm, proudly reflecting the African American and  LGBTQ+ communities. The sister-duo brings over 10 years of combined experience in the industry, including individual backgrounds in marketing and corporate event planning. I felt like our collaboration on my latest Table of 20 event was a match made in heaven…. Check out my exclusive interview with the dynamic duo below.

What is your “backstory” on LesLo events? 

We grew up in a family that loved to host. From holidays and Sunday Dinners, to evening happy hours on my dad’s patio – some of our fondest memories are when our family came together to celebrate life’s special (or even random) moments.

As adults, we both carried our love for hosting parties and events into our individual careers. Les excelled planning national conferences for a big-four accounting firm and Lo executed events and trade shows for agency clientele. Within our respective fields, we refined our corporate and creative planning skills – eventually a close family friend asked us to plan her wedding. The rest is history. 

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you guys started your company? 

So, there’s always ‘interesting stories’ that come out of navigating the process of event management. One that was really interesting was a surprise 80th birthday party for a beautiful family. Most interesting (cough, challenging) was pulling it together with just 48 hours’ notice!

What do you think makes your company stand out? 

As millennials, we try to position ourselves at the forefront of modernizing the historically, conventional industry. We closely follow industry and design trends and try to identify unique ways to incorporate those trends and new technologies into our events. Additionally, we’re one of few, minority-owned firms in the space – with leadership that represents the black, woman, and LGBTQIA communities.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful to who helped get you to where you are?

Our father definitely deserves a lot of credit for our success. As a business owner, he instilled the values of entrepreneurship and building a legacy into us from childhood. He not only set a great example for us through his own work, but also provided us a great foundation to stand on as we pursued higher education and ultimately, birthed our own business. 

Are you working on any exciting projects now? 

Yes! We get excited about all of our events, but especially love opportunities to create new, unique content and events with 100% creative freedom. We have a few curated shoots and events in cue with some phenomenal partners that we’re excited to announce in the coming months. 

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?  

Our job is to create beautiful moments to celebrate beautiful moments. We bring goodness to the world by creating spaces for love, joy, and celebration. It’s an amazing privilege to spend our days making people smile – or cry (happy tears) – and reminding people to celebrate, love, and support each other. 

Can you share three things that most excite you about your industry? Can you share three things that most concern you?

Excite:

  • As we navigate event planning and design during COVID-19 it’s exciting to see all of the creative ideas that industry professionals and creatives are coming up with related to hosting events during the pandemic. From ‘drive by’ events to custom wedding masks, we’re excited to see how these innovations will be applied post COVID-19 and beyond. 

  • Today, the Black Lives Matter movement is top of mind for our world. Within our industry, we’re excited to see more opportunities for industry professionals and creatives of color. 

  • For our team here at LesLo, each year we grow, develop new relationships, and learn A LOT! We’re so excited to see what’s next for LesLo within the industry as we continue to develop. . 

Concern

  • As exciting as it is to come up with innovative ideas for events during COVID, it’s concerning to not have any insight into when this pandemic will end. The pandemic has not only impacted how social gatherings take place, but has also impacted the income of thousands of professionals within the industry. 

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started In The Event Planning Industry ”?

  1. Always, always plan for MORE! When extra people show up (and they always do) it’s better to have more than you need than not enough. 

  2. This is just as much a SERVICE industry as a creative one. It’s important to have good people skills and to prioritize customer service and needs above all. At the end of the day, clients remember how their experience FELT more than how it looked. 

  3. HIRE HELP! Events days are always chaotic – free yourself to focus on the areas that you provide the most value on day-of, by hiring support to help with setup or event people management. 

  4. Build relationships! Take time to actively seek out and develop relationships with vendors and peers. That relationship might just save the day when you’re in a bind – and you will be!

  5. Every client is not for you. Don’t sacrifice your brand quality/reputation for a sale. It’s important to contract with clients who are aligned with your standards and company culture. 

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their companies to thrive?

Position yourself as an expert, by being intentional about learning all you can about your trade! Take time to research and commit to being super hands on with the smallest details. It’s important to understand your business from top to bottom so as you grow you have the context to make the most strategic decisions for your business and your clients. 

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to work with? And why? 

Queen B! We’re not only inspired by her as an entrepreneur, but as a creative. Beyonce consistently pushes the envelope within her industry and we’d love the opportunity to collaborate with her on an event in the future. Roc Nation Brunch, maybe?

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media? 

Check us out on Instagram or head over to our website.

Find out more information on LesLo by clicking here. Follow the ladies on social media @lesloevents.

All images by LaJoy Photography