Loni Paige is Founder and CEO of Loni Paige Events – one of the leading event management agencies in South Florida. With an innovative approach and a keen eye for all things luxury, Loni has partnered with leading brands across the entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality sectors to curate unforgettable activations. An industry expert, Loni offers a broad range of services, including event production, showroom management, wedding planning, event support and more.

Recently, Paige sat down with SocialMiami’s Cristina Mas to answer five questions regarding the industry and her latest endeavor.

Tell me about yourself and your experience within the events space. What drew you to the industry in the first place?

It all started when I got my first job at Imagination Station throwing kids’ birthday parties. I realized then that my skills for cutting ice cream cake was second to none! Growing up, I had always been a natural leader in my group of friends; I was the one creating activities and things for us to do on the weekends. It turned out I had a real knack for it. After college, I moved back to New York City and began planning events. Eventually, I made my way down to South Beach where I had gone to college and held an internship at Ocean Drive Magazine.

What made you want to open your own business?

I decided that I never wanted to fill out a vacation request form, and 2 weeks was just not enough time to experience the life that I wanted to live. I had also been laid off a few times and hated the anxiety of being let go, so I decided that I could never fire myself!

It goes without saying that the pandemic has had a negative impact on the events industry. What changes have you experienced first-hand, and how have you pivoted?

Obviously my event business was affected dramatically when the pandemic first hit. All of my in-person live events were canceled one by one, and I watched the company that I had built up over 20 years slowly come to a hard stop. While I began immediately filling in and finding any government assistance, I spoke to my childhood best friend who suggested I think about switching to something virtual. I laughed it off thinking that we would be back on our feet in no time. After about one month of planning  happy hours for my cats and watching Netflix, I decided that I had to figure out a way to keep busy and stay afloat.

You recently started “Mixology Mixer.” How did the idea come about?

I was trying to think of a way to not only keep myself busy, but to also fill any voids that were in the world. I saw that there were unemployed bartenders, event planners with no events to offer their clients as well as brands that can use some additional sales, and the idea came to mind.

What other services does your company currently offer?

Of course, our number one seller is Mixology Mixer, offering a way to learn how to make virtual cocktails with your team. We have expanded to Culinary Mixer, along with a large variety of team building activities. We have recently had a lot of interest in health and wellness items such as mindful meditation as well as hypnotherapy for stress release

So, we’re going to ask a bonus question today: What’s the most important aspect of an event these days?

Creating a sense of normalcy and connection. Aside from Florida many people are still working from home and feeling isolated.

I want to create a feeling of connection with people and joy.