Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to KRISSY ALLEGRA. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, KRISSY thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

How did I actually get started – short answer, COVID. Long answer, well – up until this point of curation to the business (January 2021), I have been in the Event Planning industry for just under 10 years. I had been working for Los Angeles based Event Venues, and found my heart in working with the clients. Took my years to really identify that I love the client based side; from my many years on the Venue side, learning about food & beverage, rules on the buildings, gauging the world between Corporate and Personal events – I always found my niche in treating clients like they were the only ones in the world. Straight from college, I found myself as the Special Events & Filming Coordinator at the Ebell of Los Angeles, followed by the Event Manager at the Bel-Air Bay Club,.

When COVID hit, I was working at Spago Beverly Hills, as the Events Manager, first time finding myself in the restaurant realm of things. As we know how this story continues, restaurants were a tough place to be when the world hit hard. After much thinking, and watching the world be so bundled up indoors, my brain was going stir crazy. Honestly envisioning what was to come when “this thing” was over.

I left Spago in July 2020; spending the next 6 months explicitly on jumpstarting a business that would be, when the world opened again. I spent those months, interviewing with other coordinators on their best practices and learning about their packages, creating my own website, building packages, meeting with clients for future (unknown) event dates.

During this time, I was no perfect buttoned up business owner. Oh man, no way. I was an emotional wreck. I am a Type-A gal, who has always had a salaried job with a stable company and trajectory that I could foresee. I was walking into an unknown land, a salary I had to create, and making promises I would have to fulfill. I cried daily, hourly even. The concept of paying my own salary was without a doubt, the scariest thought in my world. With such unbelievably loyal friends, and patient I must add, a really strong vendor base behind me, and a family that was ready for whatever outcome was my future – I powered through this extremely traumatic (but also dramatic) stage. Couldn’t have believed “what would be” if it wasn’t for such unconditional support by my people.

Something I saw from early on in the industry, was that the usage of “personal touch” when handling these really important moments in people’s lives, were so incredibly missed. I watched for years, many couples experiencing  their special process, simply feel like a number to their team of event specialists. That inspired me more than ever to really give my clients (and future clients) this personal, one-on-one experience, that showed them this special milestone to them, was as important to my life as it was to theirs – because it truly is.

KRISSY, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Man – might have said too much in the last that could of helped here.

Like I said —
I pride myself and based this business around the idea that these special moments, these milestones, these one-in-a-lifetime events, are personal. They have real humans behind them, spending their hard-earned money, and they have built expectations only God himself can fulfill. I’m no God, but I do care – I care a lot. These events that we coordinate; we are present for the conversations, we are here to hear about the anxieties and work through the concepts that aren’t quite visions yet. We listen to figure out how we can bring those into fruition, to an even greater fruition than our clients can conceptualize themselves.

There is something to be said about this “personal touch” we refer to so much. Design is the service we offer in which, we spend more time with our clients, we make sure things match from beginning to end, and represent the story they want told – is not only spoken, but felt, smelt and seen. When we design for our clients, which we rarely coordinate events without handling; we bring that vision to life. We get creative, we ask personal questions, and we spend more time with our clients to really get to know them – to be able to create something that is made perfectly for them. No cookie-cutter stuff here.

The amount of time, level of genuine care, and attention to detail we give towards each of our clients– is entirely what sets us apart in this industry we love.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

Funny story – during the odd ends of COVID 2020 – a florist friend and myself got… bored? restless even. We created a concept to where people, just like ourselves – stuck in their houses, could find a way to celebrate during these unknown circumstances.

Our original concept in April 2020 started with a box – “Celebrate with a Box”. Our clients could order online, a box for a variety of occasions; inside would be celebratory decor, a bottle of champagne, a thoughtful note, a beautiful candle, a personalized matchbox, etc. This would be delivered to the door-step of the recipient, with a bouquet of fresh flowers. This was quite fun for us for the first…. 6-8 weeks. As the boxes kept being ordered to loved ones in need; our brains kept stirring, there had to be more we could do.

There had to be a concept where we could stay 6-feet away from people, but we could curate a special moment for them to celebrate life’s milestones that COVID was refraining us from recognizing — with too many people. With that thought, we started “Talk About A Party” – a socially distant picnic experience where all elements would be perfectly, customized and set up, contactless. The beautifully curated arrangement consisted of the beautiful flowers from the co-worker, Sherene of Wisteria Lane Florals; cushions, blankets, beautiful plateware, a speaker for the tunes. We paired with various local charcuterie companies and arranged all pick-ups, so our clients walked into a beautifully curated, stress-free experience, that was coordinated and detailed to perfection. This concept started 6.2.2020 and my goodness, this kept us very busy through the summer and into the next year+.

We were doing 6-8 picnics a week – at the beach, in backyards, on porches, at parks. Engagements, Proposals, Weddings, Anniversaries, Date – Nights, Birthdays, Graduations. We had the time of our lives during this period where we were all so limited; it was quite a rewarding project, turned business we created. We truly believe it kept our energies alive and our passions busy during such a time.

As our lives were getting busier than ever with our OG businesses, we knew it was time to say goodbye to our COVID love. We sold “Talk About a Party” in May 2022, where its still an active picnic-experience company!

We learned so much about ourselves as business owners and partners with this experience. I learned a lot about working with humans during tough times, appreciating the smaller events – just as much as the larger, and that we made such a positive impact during the rough stuff. We worked SO incredibly hard to execute each picnic experience, and always made sure to make our clients as comfortable as possible – which was a lesson certainly learned but also a trait I can forever carry throughout all aspects of life and business to come.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of Mouth and great referrals. I am so prideful of my clients. When I jump on with an initial inquiry, its as much an interview they are having with me, as I am having with them. We spend a lot of time together over the course of their process – I equally want to enjoy them, trust them and want to be deeply believe in the same goal moving forward.

I express to all my future clients from the first inquiry connect – exactly that. You need to like me, and I need to like you. You, as the client, are welcoming me into this space of trust and patience; a space that my clients (if a couple) haven’t fully entered themselves. They are likely spending a large portion of their personal money, on a day they can only envision so much, and they have to trust my expertise and experience will get them there. That’s a lot for anyone to take on – I totally get that.

If the client and I are a match made – after our initial connection, and we are both on the same wavelength. Then we’re in! The journey we experience together is unlike any other – by the end, if I did my job correctly, they will turn out to be the greatest, walking & talking testimonials one could ask for. And that’s the thing, these amazing clients who I adore by the end of this and we’ve built this amazing connection with, breed really awesome humans that later. Are hopefully my future clients as well.

I have full chains of families / neighbors / sorority sisters, that I have done events for – for years. The greatest reward when all the hard work, time and energy is said and done – and the event went off beautifully – are the clients that share their experience with their community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alwaysallegra.com
• Instagram: alwaysallegra_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alwaysallegra/

Image Credits
Ashley Burns Photography Julia Lukush Photography Angelica Marie Photography Via Imagery Jenny Smith and Co