Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Travieso.
Dan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began hosting an annual mini festival and charity fundraiser called Festidan back in 2007 that featured live bands and DJ’s with all different types of music. After ten years of hosting this event, I decided to just focus on small parties (less headaches) featuring evolved progressive music that had completely taken over my ears.
In August of 2017, I hosted a small intimate island party off Dinner Key in Coconut Grove and through a mutual friend had asked local talent Fiin to grace us with music all day. At sunset, it began to rain and everyone huddled up under the gazebo. That intimate moment where everyone danced together and the DJ’s took us into the night was an unbelievable and memorable night cap.
Since then, recreating and capturing these types of high energy moments in my neighborhood (Coconut Grove) has become a priority and the brand “Coconut Groove” was created to facilitate these experiences.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way
There have been minor obstacles and challenges along the way with each party, but learning and finding ways to improve the experience for everyone has been part of the fun. My approach has always been “one party at a time.” This makes it easier to focus on what’s next and lets the future evolve organically.
Please tell us about your work.
I try and emphasize that we host parties, not events. These parties are not very profitable and they are occurring for the sole purpose of creating good energy and bringing fresh music to our neighborhood. There is an intimate and local feel to our gatherings. It’s exciting to see our tribe grow organically with like minded individuals that embrace our focus on music, community and freedom of expression.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Doing anything differently would change where we’re at today, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that. There are decisions I’ve made on locations, costs and dates that, in hindsight, I maybe should’ve done differently. But the growth and direction of the brand need to be a natural process, and focusing on anything other than the next gathering is counter productive.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coconutgroovemiami.com
- Email: coconutgroovemiami@gmail.com
- Instagram: @coconutgroovemiami
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/coconutgroovemiami
- Other: www.soundcloud.com/coconut-groove
Image Credit:
Nick Reyes
Santi Ibanez
Lito Vidaurre
Anthony Mazzara (Cicio)
Jorge Sotolongo
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
