Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Cardenas
Hi Tess, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey in the event industry began as a professional dancer. I was part of a company that produced professional choreographed dances for high end clients who did events all around south Florida, and other states. Most of them were for private parties and corporate events. After I graduated with a BA in communications from FIU…I decided to take my career in another direction. I started working with top planners in Miami as an assistant head planner, and eventually found my calling in event production. With the help from my husband Willian, we created W Event Design, a luxury event production company offering services such as lighting , LED screens , staging, audio, and more! We opened our doors in 2019, and have kept growing year after year.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business is never easy, especially owning a business in the event industry where competition is every where you look . I felt I had to prove my worth for many years, only because so many people started opening productions companies left and right. We opened W Event Design in 2019, and then the pandemic happened in 2020. We had no events for 5 months and it was tough. My husband and I had to work three jobs each just so we could keep a float. After pandemic, we saw a huge surge of events, and from then on it went from zero events to producing over twelve events every week. It was my husband and I for a long time, until we decided to hire our first employee after 2 years of hard work. Investing in a full time employee was a way to grow our business. We had more time to dedicate time to marketing the business, and meeting potential clients in the industry. I could list tons of struggles and hurtles we went through, but that would take too much time. I truly believe you have to sacrifice now, in order to succeed later, and my business is living proof of that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My company offers clients a vision! It is my job to sell you on a feeling more than products we offer. Event production has to do with customization and personalization. We specialize mostly in printing , staging, lighting, and LED screens. We are mostly known for our beautiful vinyl dance floor wraps, and our glamorous custom acrylic floors. I am mostly proud of the family I have created, and the group of vendors that have supported me in this journey. Most of my clients have become very important people in my career and personal life. After five years of owning the company, I have built a family of vendors and I appreciate every single one of them. To name a few… Bill Hansen Catering , A Lavish Event Design , Epic Events Miami, and Mena Catering. These were the first companies in the industry who saw the potential in our company. From day one, those people were our biggest support, and I will be forever grateful to them for taking a chance on me and my company.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I am a big believer in creating your own luck. I am super fortunate, that in the past 11 years of being in the event industry I have always been able to solve problems in a calm and collected manner. Also, I recently became a Mother…and that changes your perspective on everything! Event set up days can be very stressful, and things sometimes don’t go as originally planned. But I’ve learned to not sweat the small stuff, and roll with the punches. Being a mother is the most important job I have, and the fact that I have my business that was my first baby; I have a fuel that drives me and keeps me going. My purpose is my son, and because I have purpose I put passion behind my work. I believe that the passion I have for my job is what makes everything worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.weventdesign.org
- Instagram: Weventdesign
Image Credits
Headshot : Danielle Margherite
