Meet Valerie Alfonso | Lead Event Planner & Owner of Events with Valerie LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valerie Alfonso and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I pursued a creative career for many reasons. I come from an environment of business owners, and although being an entrepreneur’s not easy, I knew it was the route for me.

I have taken with me and will continue to hold onto my belief in the statements “Do what you love, and the money will come later” and “As long as you love your job, you will never work a day in your life”. At the beginning of my journey in this field, I was told that if you pursue a career in an industry you love, you will be financially and overall successful, no matter what. My definition of success is happiness, not a financial state.

I look back and am so thankful for having stayed focused on gaining experience within my career rather than veering toward others that stereotypically “earn more” because it’s what others felt I should be doing. I have stayed true to myself since I began looking into the Hospitality industry. While I did experience different sectors in the Hospitality industry such as the Culinary and Travel industries, I found my niche within the Event Planning world. Of course, several people did and still do try to talk me into taking on other careers that are more general and are “quick-earn jobs”, however, I stick to my beliefs and continue because I am doing what makes me happy, at the end of the day. I have never been the type of person that lives to work, I prefer to work to live and I hope to be able to continue to live the rest of my life with this mindset.

As an entrepreneur in general, especially creativity-based ones, one gets a lot of freedom with their time. I was blessed enough to travel often to many different places while growing up, as my parents had their own business. I would love to someday have an adequate amount of time to spend traveling to new places with my own family. I want my future children to experience new cultures, foods, and sights from a young age with their family, as I did. Although traveling has always been one of my main passions, I would also love to have the freedom to join as one at the dinner table nightly and to just experience life with my loved ones.

Most people stick to general careers instead of creative ones for different reasons. At times, some need to stick to general careers instead of taking risks and letting their creativity become the main tool in their careers. I feel very grateful to let my creativity flow as my career for those who weren’t able to.

What should our readers know about your business?
Events with Valerie is a boutique event planning and coordinating firm specializing in social and small corporate events. We keep our focus on quality over quantity. We keep our monthly events at a minimum to fully focus on every last detail for every single one of our clients. There are not many boutique event planning firms in Miami and much fewer specialize in social events instead of weddings. Although I have coordinated dozens of weddings with other planners, Events with Valerie hasn’t technically offered wedding planning services. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not in the works! Stay tuned…

Each package holds a name of celestial importance. This is personal to our brand as it is a tribute to my grandmother. Our main package name “Luna” (The Moon), is a nickname given to me by my grandmother. As a little girl, my grandmother’s house was always my hangout spot, so she played a huge role in raising me. Incorporating the moon as my logo was fitting to honor her and her creative mind. My grandmother has always had an affinity towards flowers and was often creating floral arrangements. Creativity runs in the family! I am proud to honor her legacy with my branding and package names.

I got to where I am today, business-wise, by not giving up on my dream no matter what. Although I am nowhere near where I want to be, I am motivated to keep going until I am. I’m honored to have accomplished all that I have within my first year of officially being in business (Happy 1st birthday to us!) However, in all transparency, this industry is not easy. The event industry is very competitive and the road to being successful as an entrepreneur is not a walk in the park. The truth is that many planners I have personally spoken to had moments of self-doubt and imposter syndrome in the beginning and still do, years later. I resonate with this and am constantly reminded that it will be okay and that every planner has been there. My secret to getting over this feeling is to be productive within your business whether that be with redesigning branding, your website, and/or your business documents, witnessing a client’s reaction to your work, or even scrolling through the beautiful work of other vendors on Instagram.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I was born and raised in the heart of Miami, FL, and am of Cuban descent. This automatically makes me a superfan of Cuban food! Besides my family’s kitchen, my favorite place to indulge in some tasty Cuban food has to be Polo Norte. While my order since I was a little girl has always been a Personal Sized Ham (Cuban style) Pizza with Spaghetti, I love to switch it up sometimes and enjoy a Grilled Chicken, Congris, and Boniato dish! This meal is perfect to showcase the true Cuban flavor to my friend from out of town and will for sure have them raving.

I’ve always been a fan of the classics when it comes to cuisine. You can catch me at Flanigan’s at least once a week! I am probably the biggest fan you’ll meet of their wings, curly fries, and Banzai Brownie. Fun fact: I could be super full, but I have to make room for that brownie every single time! Still wondering what their recipe is, lol! I believe no trip to South Florida is complete without a taste of Flanigan’s.

Although I am 100% Cuban-American, 80% of my downloaded music is Country! (The other 20% is Spanish music, Freestyle, and sometimes Rap!) One of my favorite things to do on a night out is go line dancing! Although there are not many spots to go boot scoot at, there are a few. Line dancing is a hobby I came across a little over a year ago and I have been hooked ever since. I must admit, I practice in my living room in my free time! Even if you’re not on the dance floor, it’s still so fun to watch the line dancers while enjoying some light bites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Often, I sit back and recognize that my success and where I am in life are thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love, and encouragement of others. I know those who have supported me the most are my family, boyfriend, friends, past clients, followers, other planners, and the vendors I have worked with.

As a business owner, it means the world to have the support of my loved ones. I am appreciative that although some did not understand my career at first, my family, boyfriend, and friends have supported my business and love for this industry since day 1. As a business owner, it is key to have a good support system from those you are closest to; I’m incredibly blessed to have that. They are always there for me when I need advice, from my Instagram stories to logistics, and they are there to celebrate every single one of my accomplishments by my side. They are there to come home to after the good and the bad days in the life of an entrepreneur. They keep me sane, haha! All the thanks to my parents, my family, my boyfriend, his family, and my friends, so blessed to have every one of you! I love you all so much!

I am grateful to have received so much support from other vendors in the industry. Whether that be from the planners I have and continue to work with, the event vendors who assist me in bringing my client’s visions to life, or those vendors I have worked with at other planners’ events. No one knows the industry better than those who are also in it and it means the world to have their support. I have met so many vendors and planners, now “friendors”, who are there when I have questions, showing a little extra love on my stories and posts, and for everything in between. Thank you to all those who have been there for me during my “Planner block” moments, for working with me on event days, and for making this experience so much more fun!

I would additionally like to thank my past clients, my alma mater, and my social media followers. To my past clients: Thank you for choosing me to bring your visions for your life’s special moments to reality, and for your trust and support throughout your experiences with Events with Valerie. To my FIU Panthers: I am blessed to have attended the best Hospitality school- FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality. My past professors, my advisor, and my career advisor, you all hold a special place in my heart. Having been mentored by such inspiring, caring, and knowledgeable professionals is an honor. To my followers: Thank you for the likes, the comments, the reposts, the spreading of the word, and all the love.

Thank you so much for reading and getting to know me a little more. I am so happy to be living the dream and so excited to continue doing so!

Website: https://eventswithvalerie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eventswithvalerie/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-alfonso/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eventswithvalerie

Other: Our Contact Form: https://forms.gle/KavH1YrZpoD9acPeA

Image Credits
@odlenegonzalez.photography @candid_memories_miami