We were lucky to catch up with Mandie Foster recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mandie, appreciate you joining 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

The idea behind Native Cocktail Events came to creation from visiting so many craft cocktail bars and never being able to find exactly what I wanted and what I thought craft cocktails should be. I then thought to myself I’m sure that many other people have this same issue and wanted what I wanted when I thought of craft cocktails. From this conclusion, I founded Native on three core fundamentals of fresh ingredients, unique garnishes, and well-balanced in terms of how my company’s craft cocktails would always be executed and enjoyed by guests at our events. The most challenging part of this was to learn how to scale it and make it a mobile business as well as practical on a larger scale essentially how to execute it well for events with 5-300 guests. There was much trial and error but the journey has been much about embracing growth and being able to pivot and problem solve if one thing isn’t working and why it isn’t. Many people can come up with an amazing concept but scalability to being able to execute that idea and make it realistic, effective, and efficient is where those successful with their businesses thrive.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have a background in the hospitality industry but funny enough on the food side of things. I have self taught myself everything that I know about mixology and bartending while also surrounding myself with peers who have been in the bar industry their whole lives. I created Native Cocktail Events to be a bar service that creates craft cocktails unlike that private events in Tampa Bay Area and beyond have never experienced.

Native Cocktail Events provides elevated craft cocktail experiences, thoughtful curation, and unparalleled innovation for private events in the Tampa Bay area & beyond. We do events that are social, weddings, and corporate offering experience (service) style and class style events.

A huge part of what I believe has made Native successful is that I always put my clients first in preparing for anything that can happen at an event, being great at communication with them, and always keeping in perspective if I was the client and this was my event what would make this experience with my vendors be extraordinary and free of stress. This has translated into much of the logistics side of how I execute and run my events which my clients know is very different than most bartending services. Native strives to provide an experience unlike any other private events bar service from the moment we have initial consultations with our clients through service at their events.

Our thoughtful and thorough approach to the creation in our craft cocktails also translates into how we treat our clients. I have worked hard to streamline my company’s process from consultation through booking, curation, and event day so that my clients know I am there every step of the way with them and they know what to expect. I am transparent with all of my clients in what they can expect from my company, what we offer, the value in our services and will provide for our events. I take the time to get to know my clients and their individual needs and wants for their event so that I can find the best package for their private event because I understand all events are very different. Private events are not a one size fits all. I have a phone consultation with all new inquiries to go over everything in depth and answer any questions so that they can book with confidence if they decide to choose Native for their private events.

Native will never compromise our client experience, our craft cocktail fundamentals, and what we stand for. I am proud to have created a company that is setting the bar for other bar services in the area and that will always value quality over quality and strive to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity in the event industry. While our aesthetic and Instagram-ability is a huge part of Native in terms of craft cocktails and bar set up, it isn’t everything as the flavor profiles we create and event execution are also equally as important to us.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me personally has been my huge focus on social media. The platform is all going to be dependent on if you are offering/selling a service, product etc. For me, from the start of my company I have created presences on many platforms but have focused all my effort on Instagram. First, you have to identify your market and what niche you are going to try to fill and then you figure out within your market your target clientele and that should help you figure out what platform will most likely offer the most return for your efforts. Creating a presence and targeting more of the right groups of people comes from many different sources such as doing giveaways, utilizing influencers, posting good quality content, and reaching out to connect with relevant established peers in your industry all that are going to have the reach/followers or clients already that you would like to get your company in front of.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Do not trust anyone or overshare with anyone else that is slightly even relevant and similar to your company that could be competition. Protect your creativity and ideas as if they are your lifeline because they are and if you give those away then your company will lose value. Connecting with other businesses is good and building those connections and formalities is super important especially in the private events world. While it is important to show support and help other local businesses, just be mindful of what all you are sharing about your company when networking even if you think intentions are pure.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nativecocktailevents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativecocktailevents/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nativecocktailevents/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/native-cocktail-events-tampa
• Other: PartySlate https://www.partyslate.com/event-pros/native-cocktail-events

Image Credits
@elizabethdugancreative @darlenebarlowsphotography @ashley_izquierdo @imkristenphotography